DJW1

The government's gradual re-nationalisation of the railways must continue. Then perhaps they'll restart the Mystery Trips of my childhood in the 70s and 80s. You bought the tickets without knowing where you were going to spend the day (I think it was always the seaside). What a great (or bizarre) idea 😃

I´m centre-left politically and agree with most of your statement. There are certain areas where there is no competition, only a monopoly guaranteed for 5 years or more (railways, utilities etc.), so the competition effect is small or non-existent. Any competition effect will be off-set by the fact the private operators want to make a profit. So, if a service costs 1 billion quid a year to run, then a company will want to take in say 1.1 billion per year (resulting in higher fares/bills) whereas the government/council only needs 1 billion, to break even. On the Leicester-Sheffield line the service is more frequent and quicker than pre-privatisation, but the prices are too high and illogical (10 quid single, 11 quid return!), over the whole network. There is no "patriotic" argument in favour in most cases: the profits from Arriva buses and trains go to Germany, to subsidise state train fares! Perhaps the worst example is that a few years ago the company running the visits to the Houses of Parliament was reprimanded for excess profiteering. So the UK government is unable/unwilling to organise visits to its own parliament (booze up, brewery....)

I was there that day. We were awful but somehow we got into the playoffs and beat Derby in the final.

Like this past season, it depends on how much money (if any) we have to spend on players and a new manager. In the last 12 months we´ve signed cheap players and managers, leading to relegation. A good start would be to appoint a new manager ASAP so that he can assess the playing squad, get rid of the rubbish (if possible) and hopefully make some signings before the season starts. Last summer´s late appointment of a new manager was one of many in a long line of errors by the people "running" this club. Contrast that with the early appointment of Enzo. So, yes, we could go down again but it SHOULD be avoidable.

Of course, since the 1950s the people born in the UK ("natives") has increasingly included "non-whites", but the population of "whites" (or however you wish to define "traditional" British people) has also increased, so my point in my previous comment is still valid

Anthony Eden: Suez Neville Chamberlain: Munich 1938 William Gladstone - his nickname of GOM (Grand old man) was changed to MOG (Murderer of Gordon) after the death of the hero General Gordon in Sudan I don´t know about the first two but Gladstone was an admired reformer whose legacy was tarnished by the death of Gordon. And don´t get me started on Viscount Melbourne... The Iraq disaster at least prevented the UK from getting directly involved in subsequent conflcits like Syria and Iran-USA-Israel

Going back further than the pandemic, there have been cultural changes that are nothing to do with immigration. In 1950 the UK population (only people born in the UK) was 48 million. In 2020 it was 57 million. So the population of "natives" has increased 18%, yet the number of people participating in "traditional" events has declined: church attendance, seaside holidays in the UK etc. This is not because immigrants are beating up Morris dancers, it´s because people have lost interest or "can´t be bothered".

He also used to visit a local farm, where he was unable to hit a barn door with a banjo

Older buildings with their thick walls are cooler in summer and warmer in winter. In southern Spain I´ve seen reasonably modern houses built within caves and the same principle applies. I have a temperature "station" with 2 sensors, one inside the house and one outside. It helps me to decide when to open and close the windows and doors to warm/cool the house. At the moment, I leave them open in the morning until the outside is warmer than the inside, close them during the rest of the day and open them at night when it´s cooler outside than inside

Is there a law which states that any published photograph of a West Ham player or manager must include bubbles floating in the air?

Best not to think about what they were doing with their hands before that

Well done Notts!

Cod wars

I got fed up with Amazon orders arriving at random times so now they leave my things at a shop (Amazon pick-up point). Convenient and no delivery charge.

They weren´t far off going down last season. They may well struggle again next season.

Just seen your post. On the BBC live report they speculated that it was to make the opposition spend more time in the hot sun 🌞

Southampton have confessed to spying on Boro so it doesn't matter whether the photo is real or not. Bindweed is not a bush. It twines around other plants. The flowers do look like bindweed but on my phone the image gets very pixelated in close up.

Two of them were Top and Rudkin

Southampton have been punished due to the rule that was introduced because of what Leeds did.

The best thing is to apply it on the leaves, right in the centre of the plant. That´s why it´s easier with plants like dandelions that have big leaves and grow close to the ground. Don´t apply too much as the excess would get into the soil. Best to do it when it´s not going to rain for a couple of days. You should see the effects within a week

Or

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You can sprinkle table salt on them (easier for dandelions). But you should only do that where there are no other plants e.g. If they are growing between paving slabs

I´ve just watched the video. Looks good but at, say, 250 quid then you have to consider if it´s worth investing in. Over the years you´d be saving money on fertiliser and organics. As the chap says, you could build your own. I used to have a compost bin that was wire mesh on all 4 sides, with a metal lid to keep the rain out. It worked fine. The bigger the bin the better, as the temperature in the middle will get higher

And keep the mixture damp but not too wet!