What are you actually using the van for day to day?

If a transit isn't too big how about a Sprinter?

I didn't say 'most common'

B to G are all detectable and punishable, it just happens that A is the more verifiable.

you've upset them, they have feelings you know

Zokes a few things to get to grips with – if the number of road deaths through alcohol is relatively low compared to other causes of accidents (and its not with the figure being chucked about, its quite a large proportion) then that reflects the fact that drink driving laws exist, are promoted, policed and enforced. Without that the number of people drinking and having accidents would be higher. If the current law and policing can be proved to be effective, and yet some people still drink and have fatal accidents then there might be case for making the law stricter. Which is what is being considered (but its only being considered) As it stands, and as you've read above, for many people the existing limit being already pretty low is sufficient for many people to feel that their best action is not to drink at all, rather than have a drink and be close (but not know how close) to the limit.

The other thing…. complaining that certain crimes are easier to detect and prosecute then others is just boggling. Do you hear rapist complaining that being caught on DNA evidence just isn't sporting enough?

Whats saddening is that speeding and drinking are such common crimes that they justify the massive capital investment is camera systems and dedicated electronic boxes of tricks.

I think the issue with the limit as it stands is it sets an arbitrary 'sensible' amount. The problem is this amount is something that can only be measured after the event with a breath of blood sample. You can drink what seems like the right amount, but is food and time really having the effect you think it is? You're relying on the booze being in the strength and quantity you imagine it to be, and on subjectively as to how you feel yourself to be effected

So… with good intensions and a drink you might, despite your better judgement, find yourself to be over the limit if you're either stopped….. or worse.

But what if you have a accident and you're just under. Innocent in the eyes of the law, but how do you live with being 95% culpable?

You should just leave her at home

am I infact 'pre-meditating murder'??

I don't know, is your good lady really such annoying company? 🙂

lanky ginger fool

Setting fire to people is worse. How about nailing puppies to babies heads? Or… disembowelling old ladies with an ice cream scoop? Come to think of it I bet there's lots of more despicable crimes.

But you're talking about willfully violent, targetted crimes, either as a crime of passion or cruel/sadistic/psycotic crime. Drink drivers are prepared to risk killing or injuring without even giving it thought, its about as cold blooded a crime as you can imagine. A crime of convenience and expediency rather than a crime of passion.

I think the idea would be to set the limit sufficiently low that you would choose not to drink at all before you drive rather than imagine that you haven't had too much to drink and imagine that you're under the limit.

Smooth driving has two economies, one is fuel consumption, the other is that the car will last longer and you'll get through fewer consumables.

I used to drive vans with several million pounds worth of delicate artwork in the back, the odd national treasure amongst them. You learn to drive smooth! If we were ever to have had one mishap the company's reputation would have been in the gutter and our insurance premiums would have been so high we'd never be able to work again.

I drive like a chauffeur now. (But not like Henri Paul)

Isn't it quicker to mop the floor than erect and dismantle a shelter?

Simplest thing would be to jury-rig one of these

Yes ….. be aware that vans are governed by different speed limits on A roads and Dual Carriageways

Or you could go the full steampunk bathing machine option

Satisfaction 100% Guaranteed! Heaven knows whats going on in there

Yes flowers and two great big corks on the end of the forklift forks.

I'm going to stick a sign on the front of my van saying "Pedestrians stand about at their own risk" then mow down a bus queue 🙂

In the meantime get your finger out and sort your health and safety out before someone gets killed.

Well yes that too. I hope you're looking after the trainee, poor sod, he must feel awful about it.

The sign is just stating that you're offering no special protection or care for people who park there, so if a client's or employee's car was burgled or vandalised by a third party you've made no special promise to keep it safe. Unlike if it was stated to be a secure/guarded and parking there came with an assurance.

But it was your company's forklift and your company's employee/trainee driving it so of course the company is liable, you'll be liable for anything you damage. Your public liability would cover it wouldn't it?

The only thing I'd add to the above is…..If your mum has been worrying about her sister for a long time, then once it happens, for all the sorrow and grieving – that worry has gone. Certain things sometimes can be easier to handle than uncertain things.

Autotrader is where it all happens. Keep an eye on VAT. Van owners who are themselves VAT registered will have to charge VAT on the sale too, even if its a private sale, so check and check twice whether the price you are talking about includes VAT or not. At your budget it could put nearly £500 on top of the advertised price

Theres nothing wrong with paying vat if the all-in price is the right price for you though

I don't actually know whether the seats are an issue or not. By now anyone selling a vehicle will probably have had to renew the tax since the new rules came in, so whatever the seller is paying to tax thats what you'll pay, so ask them.

I thought 2001 was the threshold so was expecting a hike in costs for my sprinter from that year but it didn't happen.

Something worth looking at perhaps…… Vitos are available as quite luxurious 7 seaters, bogglingly expensive when new but the price plummets: my 2001 sprinter cost me 3.5k two years ago, but you can pick up 2001 vitos that cost around 40k in the showroom for the same price. The seats all slide, flip and remove, so lots of options, but as I say, a fair bit smaller, and I'd expect the insurance on them to really hurt.

Transits are a bit bigger than vitos and Vws. If you are wanting to seat 3 in the front its going to be pretty intimate in a vito. But I drive both regularly and I don't think a vito feels much smaller on the road, even though it carries a lot less.

There are loads more transits to choose from and at better prices than either vitos or transporters, and at £3000 you'll have stacks available.

5 seats in a van is pretty much a fantasy, unless you strike very lucky, fitting the extras yourself is a no-no, you'll get into all sorts of insurance woes. There are vans that have had a second row of seat factory fitted, but they are rare and there will be you and every other biker, surfer, film crew dude and all the others that want a van but want their van to be like a car chasing them.

Think about what you really need a van for and what you really need the seats for. Would an estate car or a berlingo do the job well enough?

"Picked these up from the printers yesterday…… its bone.."

Actually that was a pretty rash offer. Will you except installments?

Well done for guessing Grumm, your prize is a 40 ton truck full of hot shit

But microcosm? you're getting mixed up, a group of small islands is an "archipelego"

Dubai has an archipeligo of everything thats wrong with the world right now.

Keeping in mind that its a scheme for graduates I wonder if they've considered that a full driving license might be a bit of a big ask for people fresh out of college. Best you can do is to hope that a note is, um, noted. Worst you can do is lie.

Tell them you're disabled

Then when you get the gig tell them you 'feel better now, thanks.'

Winnnnnnnnneeeeerrrrrr

[Image: Dubai's Ad hoc infrastructure: "A convoy of sewage trucks removing solid waste from the city center. The current sewer system cannot handle the demand." Photo by Lauren Greenfield for The New York Times].

Oooooh, we've got two very warm answers!

All on the move, all carrying one product. And its not a one off.

In the early days of radio, music publishers tried to prevent radio stations from broadcasting their songs because of the impact it would have on sheet music sales, up to that point if someone wanted to hear a new song they had to buy the music and play/sing it themselves. So if you heard a song on the radio you didn't need have it on paper to play it yourself.

But back to the OP… HMV are in business because some people like to go shopping, and shopping is an end in its own right. Even if actually buying things in shops is going out of fashion.

Its put me right off my dinner

If you look past his distasteful appearance, Jamie Olivers recipes are actually OK

I'm in Scotland, Manchester wise…. Yes the work is going to be happening. Most big councils will have a film officer / department who will know whats going on locally. See if they can point you towards some sort of local directory of film crew (filmbang.com is the one for scotland – but there'll be something similar for Manc or the northwest). Look up construction managers, art directors and production designers and let them know you're available and keen to muck in on something interesting. There may be some scenic or props making companies locally too. Also try all the local theatres.

There are a lot of galleries in manchester too, the bigger ones will have quite involving exhibition change overs that can involve ripping the gallery to pieces and rebuilding it between shows, some will have inhouse staff for this others will rely on freelancers.

Same goes to Algarve, there are niche businesses that are using fairly common/transferable skills in quite interesting circumstances.

I used to work in fine art transport (still do a little) you're only driving a truck, but your driving trucks of facinating stuff to facinating places, I got to hang out in mayfair galleries, the tate, country houses and far flung artist studios all over the uk.

I bumped into a company the other week that moves and installs antique machinery – old iron etching presses, that kind of thing. They are pretty much the only people in europe that do it, so work all over europe, all the time.

With jobs like that the actions are ordinary but context is really enjoyable

told me that they would snap the hand off a mechanic who had a cytech qualification

That sounds more like a threat! Its difficult to pick your own hands up. No wonder theres a shortage.

or have a think about any markets your skills would transfer to. If you like making stuff can you shift to another environment or market.

Some of my work is in film set construction – same tools and materials, different 'language'. Its a pretty informal industry. I volunteered to help build a set for a low budget short, they decided they couldn't manage without me so they started paying me. That was me in. Depends where you live though, there needs to be the work going on, the similar work I do includes exhibition construction, public art fabrication, fancy interiors (clever and careful) and stuff like promotional builds, theatre props etc (fast and daft)

If you don't like making stuff are there other roles within the building industry that are less hands on, but where a knowledge of the trade would be useful? Inspection, training, surveying?

Just looking it up… Zavvi / Virgin was bigger than HMV, and the biggest uk retailer, so by folding they've left HMV with their existing market and the customers that were shopping in Zavvi. Given that in most towns HMV and Zavvi were nextdoor neighbours I'd imagine HMV are pretty happy just now

Although theres bargains to be had online, either buying cds or buying/sharing downloads…… Not everybody is online, millions aren't, and many who are still choose not to buy online. And once all your competition has gone down the pan thats plenty of punters. They probably sell more DVDs than CDs these days, and I'd say the DVD market is a bit more conservative than the CD market, particularly in respect to downloading.

I did think its was clever thinking to hand over/ rebrand all the virgin shops to Zavvi so that when they folded it wouldn't tarnish Virgin's other operations.