Westminstenders: Tachographs and Empty Shelves

[pointythings]

So Grant Shapps' solution to the shortage of lorry drivers is to allow them to drive longer hours.

Leading to more accidents and deaths on the UK's roads. But Brexit is Job Done and all is well - isn't it?

I have to go out now, otherwise I would look it up for you.

Waitrose, is it, Peregrina?

@Peregrina

The really stupid thing is that the first moves towards metrication were made in the mid 19th Century. I have to go out now, otherwise I would look it up for you. So long, long before the EU was even thought of.

I once worked for Avery (one of the UKs oldest companies) so learned a fuck of a lot about metrology (as it's called) including it's history. I also learned a lot about the legalities of weighing for trade.

(Yes, I was allowed in the Avery museum - with 3000 year old Babylonian scales

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All told, the Brexit story is mainly about values, not economic inequality

Unfortunately it’s the values of a minority seeking nostalgia - including our political leaders - that get to set the values for all of us. Really shows up Global Britain to be the empty slogan it is

Interesting article but he lost me when he conflates "England & Wales" with "Britain" in Figure 1 - which meant that, since he didn't then clarify from where he was getting the data, I couldn't/wouldn't accept who/where the subsequent data (and conclusions) was describing.

Call me pedantic

You're pedantic!

But then Brexshit was only ever about Little England. "Global Britain" was only ever another meaningless slogan, betrayed by any contact with reality.

I think that's why it irritated me. He could have made the article even more powerful if he'd pointed it out - but it seemed like laziness just to do England and Wales and not demonstrate the differences in Scotland and NI.

And if you look carefully (difficult to see because of the overlapping writing), it looks like there is an over-predominance of very Welsh areas under the line, which would support that they were less likely to vote for. Brexit. I seem to recall later research saying that the Welsh had voted for Remain and that it was the English incomers (eg around Wrexham) who had swung it narrowly in favour of leave.

But by excluding a major Remain voting area like Scotland and by not further analysing the Welsh vote, he dilutes the argument that it was nothing to do with ethnicity or regionalism (caveat put in as I'm not ethnically a Scot ).

Although to be fair, he may have done and the rest wasn't published

No I went further than Waitrose, but I now I am back, looking up when metrication was first considered will have to wait until tomorrow. But it's a lot earlier than most people think.

I seem to remember seeing on twitter that it was first mooted in parliament in circa 1818...

And a wonderful explanation of imperial measures...

One to watch

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58605735

The government is to hold urgent talks with representatives from the energy industry amid growing concern about a spike in wholesale gas prices

(contd)

Already UK fertiliser manufacturers have had to stop production and the UK is in need of serious imports.

Imports that will need to be fed into the logistics grid that's fucked up.

Conspiracy fans will note that it's only the raised retirement ages that are providing the slimmest of safety margins in a few industries.

And to add to the problems at abattoirs because of the lack of vets (a direct consequence of Brexit, no doubt exacerbated by Covid ), there could be another a shortage of the carbon dioxide required to stun the animals: a byproduct () of the reduction in fertiliser production

But don't worry: The government source said CO2 supplies for nuclear power and hospitals would be prioritised.

Very reassuring not

@DGRossetti

One to watch

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58605735

The government is to hold urgent talks with representatives from the energy industry amid growing concern about a spike in wholesale gas prices

(contd)

Already UK fertiliser manufacturers have had to stop production and the UK is in need of serious imports.

Imports that will need to be fed into the logistics grid that's fucked up.

Conspiracy fans will note that it's only the raised retirement ages that are providing the slimmest of safety margins in a few industries.

The fertiliser industry produces C02 for use in drinks & meat packaging .

The current shortage is about to get a lot worse, with poultry industry impacted.

www.politicshome.com/news/article/beer-and-fizzy-drink-supplies-at-risk-from-co2-shortages

HappyToast ★
@IamHappyToast
·
17h
Brexit is costing the UK 16,000,000,000 shillings a week !

@prettybird

And to add to the problems at abattoirs because of the lack of vets (a direct consequence of Brexit, no doubt exacerbated by Covid ), there could be another a shortage of the carbon dioxide required to stun the animals: a byproduct () of the reduction in fertiliser production

But don't worry: The government source said CO2 supplies for nuclear power and hospitals would be prioritised.

Very reassuring not

Meanwhile, someone at the BBC sneaked out a story about the redefinition of the kilo

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000znw3/measuring-mass-the-last-artefact

Huff Post has a good summary on the metrication issue.

Legal in the UK since 1875 note. I am one of the older MNetters and this date is two decades before my grandparents were even born. When Disraeli was PM.

Feel the burn...

"French foreign minister says France didn't recall the British ambassador over the AUKUS row because France is familiar with the UK's "permanent opportunism" and said Boris Johnson was the "fifth wheel on the carriage".

Hannibal - my first thoughts on hearing of the AUKUS agreement was 'Two's company, three's a crowd.", and I thought that there would be no prizes for guessing which one of the three would end up playing gooseberry in the agreement.

Your post quoting the French Foreign Minister rather confirms this.

Anyone remember "there will be adequate food"?

So OK - the Covid reason/excuse is wearing thin, so let's blame Russia.

But anything you can warn against is by definition not a black swan event…

Brexit is so last millenium

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