It’s a pity financially that Scotland didn’t have this referendum some time ago as the UK’s two largest financial failures in the credit crises where RBS and HBOS. That’s a lesson for Scotland in how “wannabe” institutions tried to play in the big leagues and took too many risks and a real beating.

Exactly, during the crisis the Bank of England issued guarantees of around £200billion (Yes, Billion) in respect of RBS. That is almost double Scotland’s GDP for a whole year.

If Scotland goes Independent, and if they retain the pound, without the Bank of England acting as guarantor (Lender of Last Resort) then the financial sector will relocate, probably to London. How could they not?

think you really need to understand how currencies work, the reserves back up liabilities incurred by the BofE, therefore whilst there may be £50 billion of assets but these are matched by £47 billion of liabilities – you have to look at the net position of £3billion

That’s the nub of it for sure.

Scottish options would seem to be:

1) Ask to join the Euro – Ha Ha Ha
2) Currency union with the UK – No longer an option probably
3) Use the pound anyway – and be at the mercy of big bad Westminster
4) Set up a new currency – which would be annihilated by the speculators before you say ‘Knife’

It’s been a wonderful fantasy and I’m impressed Wee ‘Eck has kept it up for so long.

Surely it’s time to stop the game now?

Adcortyl in orabase. Ask for it at pharmacy

I didn’t think you could get that in the UK anymore?!

(I’ve been buying it at huge cost from New Zealand by mail order – they call it Kenalog over there but it’s the same stuff/ only stuff that works for me)

Positive story: My mum had lung cancer 4 years ago. Since treatment she now enjoys good health and is stable and getting on with things. She lives with the on-going situation with no apparent real problems.

Very best wishes to you and yours

B

Yes, there will be a pair of pipes + live cables to the outdoor unit. I’m not sure what the refrigerant will be but it’s worth getting it professionally ‘de-gassed’ I’m sure.

RH may actually be 80 – 100% outside at this time of year, when wet n windy.

Internal humidity will be similar, especially in a kitchen/ bathroom.

Put the device outside & then compare with the met office forecast to check it?

ac505 – chin up mate, you know what needs doing.

Miele

You were right first time. We’ve hammered a Miele dishwasher for around 10yrs now, no sign of any probs whatsoever.

eye watering price to pay at the outset, worth it in the long run.

If you get a blow-out with a RFT,you’re still screwed

Not sure what you mean there, I had a tyre go flat at 90mph on a motorway (IN a 5 series touring), & didn’t even notice until the run-flat warning light came on. Yes the tyre was scrap (I’d run over a sharp piece of metal I thought) but I didn’t have a brown pants moment – something I was really glad of!

I’ve just bough a new 3 series with runflats. They seem to have sorted the handling problems/ harshness now.

They’re expensive though!

Thatcher takes the rap for the change in the UK economy from a low value-added, to a high value added one. Heavy manufacturing has been replaced by specialized manufacturing and an ideas based economy.

The structural change resulted in a generation being put out to grass on benefits, as victims of change. This was the unspoken price that was paid. What the Conservative governments of the 80s & 90s failed to appreciate was that, without significant investment in education, the children (and now grandchildren) of those who were victims of change in the 70s and 80s are still redundant and on benefits.

It really galls me to think of that wasted resource and talent that the people on long-term benefits represents. Think of all the geniuses that we are missing, through lack of education/ opportunity. I think it’s scandalous.

Premier inn at King’s cross is nice. Quite new and central. £70 per room per night.

Travelodges are dumps in my experience, Tripadvisor is normally a good source of advice if you have a specific one in mind though.

Leon
The Warriors
Akira
The Blues Brothers

I’d rather divide Cameron geographically , so that all of him stays in the south east of England. Apologies to the good people of that area.

whereas with Michael Gove, Scotland will be welcome to keep 100% of him! (In fact, I think the rest of the UK should make it a fundamental part of the treaty!)

I love this forum

Can you change the seat altogether? Put in a recarro? (a la boy racer)

The cushions on these might appear ‘harder’ but support really well. I had recarro seats in my last car and they were easily the most comfortable I have ever know.

I think the person who said above, ‘your age x 000s is not far off the mark (I just need to work out how I’m ever going to get to that!)

Assos shorts & fizik saddles do it for me.

(Expensive combo though 🙁 )

OP: I think your response was pretty good actually. Most companies don’t appreciate in-fighting in my experience; if you can rise above it & try to keep things on an even keel (See transactional analysis) then you will have come out of the exchange with credit.

Don’t sink down to their level, they’ll win because of their experience

This helped me: http://fortysixty.org/

I’ve got a new model 320d, with ‘efficient dynamics’ (This was only available to the fleet market when I made the choice). It’s basically an SE model.

Lovely car, not huge bootspace though (Compared with say a 5 series) but very nice in all other respects. Drives well, 65mpg, you can turn the efficient dynamics off, and it becomes a lively 180bhp BMW.

I’ve been very happy with Crest tubeless rims on Hope hubs, from Stiff. 2.5 years, still straight & no punctures yet. (Cotic hardtails, Ardent tyres)

It’s a crappy magazine, sister publication to ‘The Week’ (Also shite).

For a more serious look at current affairs take The Economist

Daleswear at Ingleton will ‘make to measure’, if that’s your thing.

I bought one of these recently. Really nice, but I doubt it will have the bullet-proof durability of your old Sprayway

Are the Fire Service pension contributions actually being invested, or just being spent to meet current costs?

Will the changes being introduced affect existing/ accrued entitlement, or rights accrued going forward?

Anyone know?

Had this a couple of weeks ago on a club ride, the motorist over-took on the blind brow of a hill, then just pulled into the line of cyclists to avoid a head-on crash. Knocked a girl off her bike and then sped off blaring his horn. What a tosser!

Some motorists forget the basic rule that you should only over-take when the road is clear and it’s safe to do so.

Been away for a couple of days, and missed the Satmap GPS flash sale. (They were flogging them for £160, instead of £250) Missed my chance

I saw them at Rock City in the mid 80s. She was wearing a teddy. It was great.

Quite an attractive target for your average sweaty junkie I imagine.. Small and pocketable, not easy to identify and easy to sell on

It looks like a giant Rizzla machine, the neds will have it away for sure!

It’s not cheap, but Val D’Isere was the best place for kids that I ever found. Plenty to do, lovely place (swimming, gear shopping, restaurants, sledging etc)

I must also say though that, like you, I was worried the 1st time I took the kids etc. In the event they loved every minute of it. We were on one of the 1st lifts every day & were chased off by the Pisteurs every eve.

Have a great trip!

I’ve had this problem recently, tired some old shoes that I had, tried moving the cleat, nothing worked.

I have some moulded insoles for my ski boots and I tried putting them in my shoes – perfect! Problem solved.

The ski insoles were quite expensive (Conformable I think). Superfeet get good write-ups, available from some outdoor type shops

From what I read, base rates are expected to rise back to normal levels, circa 5% over the next 4-5years. (Now that quantative easing has come to an end)

Mountain Kings: Agony and Euphoria on the Peaks of the Tour De France [Paperback}

I’m just reading ‘Mountain King’ Its a sort of a coffee table book (but smaller & paperback) with nice pics and character sketches of all the Tour heroes. I’m really enjoying it.

‘Put me back on my bike’ is a good book, if the person is interested in the Tour & history of cycling

another vote for the David Millar, Racing through the dark – truly excellent

I bought a synapse in 2007 new, it’s been a stunning bike and i still love riding it, but the bb30 was rubbish. I had my LBS glue in an adaptor, and put in Dura- ace shell bearings & an ultegra chainset.

The engineering on bb30 is crap, imo, honestly – a wavy washer to hold it all in? The washer wore a ragged groove in the back of the carbon crank arm. Piss poor.

I am very fortunate & get cover through work.

I was recently knocked off my bike, & have done the whole post accident recovery treatments via BUPA. (That’s 20+ physio treatments offered on both a hand and shoulder injury, a consultant appointment for the shoulder etc etc). As said above, all the appointments are at my convenience, not the medics. (The benefit of BUPA to my employers is that I don’t need time off in the working day for appointments)

I pay tax on a Benefit in Kind of £1200 for me and the family. I have to pay the 1st £100 as an excess, on the 1st treatment in a 12month period.

IMO it’s well worth it, we’re all sporty in the family and seem to spend a fair amount of time at the physio for various sports injuries

Of course you should pursue it.

I think you can join the CTC after the event, and they will represent you.

The CTC website has lots of advice on what to do if knocked off your bike.

(Cyclists touring club)

We’ve had an Ozo unvented cylinder for 15 years now, works really well. The cylinder is 2 floors below the shower.

I would suggest you get it all designed & installed by a thinking plumber anyway.

If I could change anything…. I’d change nothing.

I’d just stop meddling with the NHS for a few years, allow them enough time to get over all the change management they have been having to deal with, allow them time to start concentrating on the job at hand.

That’s what I’d do

I think that the point Wylde makes is that the terrorists were
trying to blow up the plane, and had plausible a method for doing so, but that the official explanation was bunkum, and does not stand up to scrutiny.

And now we all pay the price for this, because of the 100ml limit on liquids.

Many thanks, I’ll give both of these suggestions a whirl!