For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
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By kanga
#1851753
Sooty25 wrote:.., the UK seems to have done quite a good job of selling out to ..other foreign entities as well.

.., little is UK owned now. I did transfer my electricity account to a UK supplier, but lets face it, they only run a billing server, ...


AIUI, the foreign corporate structure also enables evasion of revenue to HMG while promoting profits from UK customers. As explained to me (admittedly, quite a while ago) simplistically by a 'City' acquaintance, whom I believe to be reasonably well-infomed: a Continental (indeed, foreign government-owned or -controlled) utility company could set up a wholly owned extraction subsidiary to bid for North Sea natural gas exploitation, paying HM Treasury for gas extracted at one price, then 'sell' that gas to a 'pumping' subsidiary of the same company at a higher price, then 'sell' that gas to a UK consumer reflecting that higher price; the gas having been pumped from a rig in a UK gas field directly to the UK. Meanwhile, gas from the same field could be pumped to the Continent, 'sold' at a lower price to a different subsidiary, and then sold to Continental consumers (especially those in its home country) at a price lower than UK customers were paying. I believe it's called a 'free market' .. :roll:
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By squawking 7700
#1851761
@kanga I was at the Bacton gas interconnector a few years ago and they said there how they 'shuffle' gas backwards and forwards, not so much based on UK gas demand, but on the wholesale gas price being fractionally cheaper or more expensive at certain times and they capitalised on it.
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By Bill McCarthy
#1851771
@kanga - that reminds me of the NAFFI mafia. We used to get out Courage Sparkling beer in 5 gallon barrels from Saccone and Speed in Gibraltar (they told us that we drank more beer than the Ark Royal - the old one). Yet the NAFFI who had no input whatsoever in the transactions, not even paperwork, demanded a cut from the deals. Our beer was stored in every conceivable free space, including the bilges. No spirits were consumed at sea - a deal made with the skipper, but we could have as much as we wanted in harbour. A fair deal, as every man was a vital cog in the system. Therefore it was party time every day in harbour.
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By kanga
#1851826
Ladies, at least in the recent diaspora, are unhappy with China's recent social trends. Whether this represents the kernel of an effective internal opposition is not yet clear

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-08/ ... /100165360
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By Charles Hunt
#1851851
Bill McCarthy wrote:Courage Sparkling beer


You can not, in all conscience use those first two words, followed by the third.

Courage Best or Directors were excellent but not spa........ I can't even type it!!
By Bill McCarthy
#1851863
Courage Sparkling was brewed especially for the navy, and it was strong stuff. Not that I drank much of it - I preferred the duty free spirits at 3p a shot help yourself style, put a chit in the honesty box and settle up for the audit.
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By Charles Hunt
#1851864
I think it was Eric Newby being chased by the bar staff as he left Malta (?) to be dropped by submarine off Sicily.

They wanted the bill settled then, as they were pretty sure he wouldn't be back to pay it later.
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By kanga
#1852733
The children of the 'first generation prosperous' getting fed up with the 'rat race' to which their government still expects them to aspire ? In my lifetime, similar things have happened in society in North America, Western Europe and Japan, at least:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-57328508
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By PeteSpencer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1852748
kanga wrote:Extreme wealth gap causing domestic resentment in China:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-57380367


It may take a couple of decades but sooner rather than later the massive population of workers in China’s resentment over the haves and have nots and being paid peanuts per hour will rise up an overthrow Xiang and his band of po faced suits . I wouldn’t be surprised if the military turned on him .

It won’t be in my lifetime but when it happens it will be messy ……. :pale:
By TopCat
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1852761
PeteSpencer wrote:
kanga wrote:Extreme wealth gap causing domestic resentment in China:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-57380367


It may take a couple of decades but sooner rather than later the massive population of workers in China’s resentment over the haves and have nots and being paid peanuts per hour will rise up an overthrow Xiang and his band of po faced suits . I wouldn’t be surprised if the military turned on him .

It won’t be in my lifetime but when it happens it will be messy ……. :pale:

I think you're a little optimistic. By then he'll have figured out what particular form of bread and circuses he needs to provide to keep the proles quiet.

It's not as if there's much sign of the have-nots rising up in the West. On the contrary - turkeys voting for Christmas is getting more and more widespread.
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By Charles Hunt
#1852787
Also I thought that China was actively involved in Hinkley Point but when I tried to check all I found was that they are no more than an investor.

As an aside as an engineer I am saddened that as we managed to build the first reactor in the UK we now seem to be dependent on French/Chinese technology. Are our current breed of nuclear engineers incompetent or did Government go for the cheapest bidder?
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By Sooty25
#1853281
China Crisis.

Am I the only one with the song "Black man ray" going through through their head every time this thread rises?
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