John Harris

"Free Trade" does not apply or affect local taxes, like VAT. jch

On a related matter, I saw this story. I can remember seeing a signs in many stores in the West End advertising that any VAT paid could be reclaimed after you leave the country, though I think it was a bit of a palaver, though worth it if you buy a Rolex. jch

I saw this earlier. I'm not a betting man, but I'd wager a small sum that if a member of staff from 'Network Rail' approached and berated them, the staff would either be met with disbelief or a foul-mouthed response. These people think they have "rights", while conveniently forgetting they have responsibilities. Any warning signs are for others who are ignorant, they are smart, so a couple of hundred tons of train won't hurt them and if it's hits them it's the driver's fault for not stopping anyway. jch

I assume most here will have memories of the Matchbox range of toy die-casts? Well, the parent company ran a fleet of buses to collect workers for their factories in East London, Of course, they did "Matchbox" models of these buses, jch

To give a specific, model related, example. I use a model manufacturer in Belgium (Resicast) who only supplies direct to customers, the situation is explained in their latest newsletter, my highlights. BREXIT The UK is no longer part of the EEC and this means a number of changes! EEC - Belgian VAT (21% VAT) will be charged on all order under £135.00 However all invoices will be in Euros and thus the exchange rate will no doubt affect the above. (£135.00 = approx 150.00 Euro as of 01 January 2021) An invoice and custom declaration CN 22/23 will now be included with all orders. There should be no customs duties to pay in the UK but there could be handling charges. Order under £135.00 can be done via the Eshop. On orders above £135.00 no EEC - Belgian VAT (21%) will be charged. An invoice and custom declaration CN 22/23 will be included with all orders. However, you will have to pay UK VAT, UK Custom duties and no doubt handling charges. Orders over £135.00 can only be done by contacting me direct: infos@resicast.com The UK being no longer part of EEC, postage has increased considerably (approx 10%) Postage delays will no doubt occur and RESICAST cannot be held responsible for these. Finally, RESICAST cannot be held responsible for any extra duties/charges from UK customs. In case of problem, only the EEC - Belgian laws apply. To end things, it will no longer be possible for RESICAST to attend shows in the UK as this is no longer possible under the new commercial agreements between the EEC & the UK. At present they are not accepting orders from the UK, apparently HMG are not accepting the credentials of small companies, but hopefully that will be resolved. One obvious point is that it seems sensible to restrict orders to under £135, any extra postage will be more than saved in no 'handling charges'. I suppose the "model trade" is a minor consideration in the great scheme of things, but it occurs to me that the various national model clubs and societies, of all genres, desire to remain "non political" means that they could not lobby on the behalf of modellers. jch

While they will contribute, I don't think the big vaccination "hubs" will help with the early (over 70s and most vulnerable) groups. The nursing sister running one was interviewed on the BBC yesterday, she doubt if many people of that age would wish to travel far for their jabs, indeed they were trying to ensure the appointments for older clients were in daylight, reserving the late evening ones for NHS frontline staff. I'm in a later group (over 60s) and I would not be keen to have to trot off to the Excel in London, my nearest hub, via Stratford International (aka "Stab City") after dark. jch

Like many here, I would be surprised if there were indoor exhibitions, model related or otherwise, much before the last quarter of 2021. However, I checked on the Leas Cliff Hall (which has held MR exhibitions as well as scale model shows over the years) and they are taking bookings for concerts and gigs from April. Now it might be they are hopeless optimists, but the Leas Cliff Hall is a fairly small venue so I can't see a 'socially distant' gig being very economic. Perhaps the local demographics mean that most people will be in the early rounds of vaccinations? I draw no conclusions, other than it's interesting. jch

Not so much freight traffic, but I feel Holyhead has been in decline for passengers since Ryanair started flights to all parts of Ireland from UK regional airports. My late Mother, a native of the West of Ireland, travelled home on the "Irish Mail" from Euston, via Holyhead, to Dublin and then another train to the West, through the 40s and early 50s. It took the best part of 24 hours. The last few times she flew, with Dad, from Stanstead to Knock (virtually on the doorstep of the family home) in around two hours, door to door. Depending on the ultimate destination, travelling via the UK will be easier for some Irish freight and I suspect the initial and well publicised hiccups will be smoothed out in a few months anyway. It's the nature of news that the stories about the one consignment delayed will create more column inches than the 99 other lorries that passed through without a hitch. jch

Obviously not around my way, bin thefts are rife. jch

Hayfield is right. The countries that have done "best" in the pandemic are those, in Australasia, that were affected by the SARS virus a decade ago, so their pandemic planning was based around another of that type, which Covid-19, is. In Europe and the Americas, the planning was for another flu pandemic, which though similar was different enough to mean the measures were not as effective. The vaccines we now have, certainly the Oxford/AstraZenica one, is based on research that resulted from the SARS outbreak, it's the reason the development was so rapid. The experts could only help so much, they could say that the virus would spread unless some restrictions were placed on the population, but could only guess how the population would react. Science can only go so far, it tells us that if a mug is pushed off a table it will fall, but science cannot say whether it will break or bounce when it hits the floor, merely that there is a greater chance of one or the other. jch

Quite right, but the attitude you highlight is the root of much of the spread of the virus. People think they are the exception, not the rule. jch

I suspect many road users don't grasp how big and heavy a train is, and how long they take to stop. jch

Of course, these people become "service users" in some contexts and "stakeholders" in others! I must declare an interest, my nearest station is on the Elizabeth Line (though I bet it will be forever called 'Crossrail' by many) and back when I was working a direct line from here to Paddington would have been useful to attend meetings at 'head office'. The new trains have been used on the line for over four years, they are really nice if you can get one of the seats, but there are far fewer seats compared with the existing rolling stock, the new carriages have free wifi, but no loos. I fear for the state of the carriages after the late night trains full of revellers who have had more than a couple of drinks. The stations on the line have been upgraded, mine now has lifts to the platforms, and extensive re-branding as a 'Tube' line. In the early days, there were proposals about a transfer yard, to get goods off trucks and onto rails and cross London quickly, but that development seems stalled. jch

I thought confused bus drivers were busy demolishing over bridges all over the country. jch

All these ranges are not competing against each other, they are competing against Lego trains (also with remote control) and the added attraction of fitting in with that box Lego already in the playroom. Plus the link with Harry Potter, a brand parents will know. I feel that it's optimism in the face of reality to think that these starter sets act as the "entry drug" to model railways as a hobby. Sorry jch

For those who was a classic car, yet still want a new car, try either of these. Sadly deep pockets are required, but I suppose they are actually quite cheap for a hand-built car. jch

Given it's location, "under Hyde Park and adjacent to Park Lane and Marble Arch", I'd guess not anything very cheap, I assume it's within the existing Q-Park at Marble Arch which is £7/hour to use. The trouble is I suspect the car park fills up pretty quickly with commuters / shopper. There is another carpark behind M&S in Oxford Street, only £10/30 mins. Thankfully, it's outside the congestion charge zone, but if you pass through that add another £15. I'd advise using the tube / bus. jch

In South Africa the local Ford operation went 'off piste' with official mix and matches, notably the Sierra XR8, Essentially a Sierra with a 302 V8 from a Mustang. As well as the 'official' version, local dealers did modifications too. Perana did a V8 Capri, which was sold through Ford dealers V6 Cortinas, Mk.II & III Granada V8s (I bet "The Sweeney" would have loved one of these) jch

Sadly, a lot of the "research work" (I use the term loosely) in the UK is dependant on charitable funding, even with the NHS. As you say, not a glamourous subject. jch

There is a neat video of the innards of the 1.0 Ecoboost jch

Glad to hear your incident was successfully resolved. I actually worked in a breast screening centre for eight years before I retired, not with patients, but maintaining the quality assurance systems in the back office. The cancer screening programmes are very well policed, seriously we had very stringent and regular audits. If your local screening services are offering appointments, go along as the staff will ensure there is no danger of infections or viruses of any sort spreading. Certainly all screening I was aware of was away from hospital sites too. An arcane fact is that men get breast cancer too, in fact the annual mortality rate for male breast cancer is often high (albeit on very low figures) than the mortality numbers for testicular cancer. jch

The Drax power station now burns wood pellets grown and processed for the purpose. jch

It also seemed to out run a Dalek star cruiser! jch

I agree, though all incarnations of "Star Trek" seem to have a rather silly episode or two. The only thing that jars is that it was obviously made in low resolution TV, so looks a bit older than it should on a 4K TV. jch

Seek out "The War Game", also from the BBC, made in 1965, banned (or at least considered unsuitable) until after "Threads" was shown. "The War Game" was shot in the Kent towns of Tonbridge, Gravesend, Chatham and Dover. The cast was almost entirely made up of non-actors, casting having taken place via a series of public meetings several months earlier. Much of the filming of the post-strike devastation was shot at the Grand Shaft Barracks, Dover. The narration was provided by Peter Graham with Michael Aspel reading the quotations from source material. jch