Triumph GT6 Bonnet Repair

With the weather turning a fraction warmer and the main body cockpit almost finished (just some sealing to apply before I remove it and roll it over), I thought I'd have a butchers at the bonnet and see what needs cropping - and, more importantly, how it should be cropped.

Below are three photos with the bonnet up-ended. The outer n/s and both the insides, which shows the extent of the rot around the wheel arches.

The lower section of the bonnet, as you can see, is a separate panel that's spot welded to the upper panel, but there's a plethora of spot welds around the headlamp panel and wheel arch. Unfortunately, some of the inner wheel arch (which is essentially a mudguard) has also suffered from rot, so I'm going to have to have to fabricate some repair sections, as the majority of it is sound and I don't really want the expense of new inner arches, despite new inner arches making the whole job a lot easier.

I made a start.

Removal of the offending lower panel was not as straightforward as I thought it would be, so I thought I'd just cut into it within the lines of the spot welds, remove the bulk of the old section, and then attack the spot welds with more room to manoeuvre with a grinder and air chisel.

It's a shame that the majority of the metal I removed is quite sound. The tricky bit was not removing metal than needs to stay and isn't on the replacement repair panel. The other tricky things was that removing the metal makes the bonnet inherently unstable in the vertical position, so I had to put it on a horizontal support I designed especially for the purpose (aka what we experts call an old chair).

Removing the rotted n/s lower wing section meant the inner arch (mudguard) dropped, being suspended at the front by small, horizontal panel that forms the headlamp recess. The inner arch then needed to be parted from the headlamp recess panel, but that panel was too far gone to be worth rescuing anyway, so separation was quite easy. Looking at the o/s, I ordered new headlamp recess plates for both sides at £150. Hideous price for such small panels.

Separating the inner arch from the remains of the lower panel was bloody difficult due to the myriad spot welds and filler. When I got it off, it looked hideous - lots of rust around the outer edge of the arch, with only a little of the original metal left.

Can't help thinking I'm looking at needing a new outer mudguard (the arch is split into two halves - the inner and outer) at £102 - twice, one of each side - but I thought I'd attempt a repair first. 

I could have simply cut out the rot around the wheel arches and used the new lower wing panel wheel arches, rather than the entire new panel, but that would have been rather fiddly, as well as wasting the cost of complete new panels. Also, the mudguard would still require fettling. The chance of something going wrong would be quite high, whereas spot welding a totally new panel into position is much easier, cleaner (not involving filler) and would last a lot longer.

The rot on the outer mudguard arch is mainly isolated to the lip, leaving enough metal to correctly gauge where the bend to form the lip that attaches to the outer panel should be.

I made a provisional repair section by slicing some mild steel into the right width with my nibbler, hammering down one edge on a vice to form the lip (I couldn't use my sheet metal bender, as the section was too long), and using my metal shrinker/stretcher to stretch the other edge to create the right arc (you can see the striations where the stretcher bit into the metal to pull it apart slightly - it's a brilliant tool).

Below is the part finished section roughly positioned against the arch. 

It will need cutting to exactly the right length and some additional bending is required on the non-lip side to cater for an angle on the arch in order to get it flush. That will be attempted with a hammer, but I ideally need to create a U shape, which is difficult on a curved section, and one side of the U is not homogenous along the entire length - it's fat in the middle and thinner at the ends, a bit like a dinosaur.

I will probably need to make another, as I think the non-lip side needs to be slightly wider and I went a bit overboard with the stretching (the curve is a little too tight). With the next one I'll use the curve of the outer wing to modify the arc I put into the repair panel, rather than just doing it by eye.

Had I cut the repair section to nearer the right length in the first place, it would probably have fitted in my metal bender. The photo above shows the repair section on top of the arch but, because the outer wing has to fit over the top, I think I'd be better putting the repair section on the underside of the wheel arch so as not to interfere with the fit between the wheel arch and the outer wing.

If it all goes tits-up, I'll simply order a couple of new outer wheel arch halves, which would be really simple to fit.

Sod it - I'm going to get half arches from Rimmer's. It's not worth spoiling the ship for several hundred quid.

Mislabelling

It seems that you don't just have a curry anymore, to be modern and hip you need to have a katsu curry, but what exactly is it?

It certainly isn't this:

A curry is a curry is a curry; however, Japanese curry is typically quite thick and sweeter than your standard Indian. It's still a curry though.

A curry becomes a katsu curry when it has a katsu placed in top of it, which is a breaded and fried cutlet of some meat, either whole or cut into strips, not simply anything smothered in a curry sauce. A bit like this.

It certainly isn't mackerel doused in a curry sauce in a tin, without a single panko crumb in sight. Call me picky, if you like, but a name is a name for a reason. I call it katsu-washing.....

Brexit Promises

Remember any of this?

• You'll benefit from better care from the NHS thanks to the reallocation of funds from the EU budget.
• Controlled immigration will lead to reduced waiting times for you and your loved ones. 
• The excess funding that would otherwise be sent to Brussels could also be directed to education, meaning better prospects for your children. 
• Your wages will rise thanks to better controlled immigration which will lead to less competition for jobs. 
• Your weekly food shop will become cheaper. Food prices will no longer be inflated by agricultural policies controlled by the EU. 
• You and your family will benefit from a resurgent economy led by new and flourishing small businesses following the removal of burdensome EU regulations and red tape. 
• With less pressure on housing, younger generations will also find it easier to get on the housing ladder. 
• Politicians, both local and national, will become more accountable, helping to strengthen your community and others. Especially those most damaged by EU policies like farming, fishing and industries like steel. 
• A more prosperous and safer future awaits us outside the EU. A vote to leave is a vote for a brighter future for you, your family and your community.

Have any of the above promises come true? Just like the Titanic, they've all sunk. And the new checks on imports are about to start, which will increase costs.

This should be the battleground in the General Election.

Is This a Record?

The lawn was looking rather ratty and so, given we've had some dry weather, I thought I'd give it a light cut to tidy it up.

I've cut my lawn in February before, but never in January. It's a record!

Future Economic Systems

Both Star Wars and Star Trek present societies that are difficult to categorize neatly as capitalist, socialist, or a simple mix of both. Here's a breakdown for each: 

Star Wars: 

• Limited information: Much of the galaxy operates under the Galactic Empire, which is depicted as an oppressive regime with strong, dictatorial, centralised control. While its economic structure isn't explicitly spelled out, it likely involves elements of both capitalism and authoritarianism, with large corporations operating within imperial constraints - a bit like fascist Germany. 
• Independent systems: Smaller independent systems might have more diverse economic structures, potentially including cooperatives, private ownership, and barter systems. 

In general, Star Wars doesn't offer enough detail to definitively label its economic system. It portrays a complex universe with varying levels of development and political control, likely leading to a spectrum of economic models at play. 

Star Trek: 

• Post-scarcity: The later Star Trek series (particularly The Next Generation and beyond) depict a Federation that has largely overcome resource scarcity thanks to technological advancements like replicators, which can create virtually any product or material and are heavily reliant on recycling. This removes the fundamental basis for traditional economic systems based on supply and demand. 
• Socialist aspects: There's strong emphasis on public welfare, with basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare freely available to all citizens. This aligns with socialist principles of collective ownership and distribution. 
• Individual pursuits: However, personal interests and entrepreneurship are still encouraged. Individuals can own businesses, engage in trade, and pursue personal wealth acquisition. 

Overall, Star Trek's society operates closer to a hypothetical "post-scarcity" model that blends socialist principles with some aspects of individualized economic activity. Therefore, rather than fitting neatly into specific boxes like capitalist or socialist, both Star Wars and Star Trek present fictional economic systems that blend elements from various models, or in Star Trek's case, transcend them altogether due to technology's role in eliminating scarcity.

Just a note on communism. We view communism with horror, but we have to consider what came before communism in those countries where it took root, notably Russia and China. In those countries it provided:

• Improved social welfare: Communist regimes in both countries achieved significant reductions in poverty and illiteracy, particularly in China. They provided basic necessities like food, housing, and healthcare to a broader population compared to the preceding eras. 
• National development: Both countries underwent rapid industrialization and modernisation under communist rule, transforming them into major global powers. 
• Greater social equality: Communism aimed to eliminate class disparities and redistribute wealth more equitably. This resulted in a reduction in extreme poverty and increased access to education and opportunities for many.

It can be strongly argued that communism was a necessary and inevitable consequence of the rapacious and inflexible system of feudal peasantry and oppression that preceded it.

Had it been a transition phase to a mixed economy, it would have received a better press and, wonder of wonders, that's exactly the path China is now following, but still as a repressive, one party state.

Come In Control Tower

Had a disaster with No.1 Son's DJI Mini 2 drone yesterday. Hay and I went to Mallard's Pike, a man-made lake in the Forest of Dean. I thought I'd take No.1 Son's drone to get some nice footage of flying up the lake.

Instead of flying up the lake, spinning the drone on its axis and then flying back, I thought I'd do a half circle. However, part way through the turn the drone clipped a branch and started to tumble. I thought I'd lost it in a tree; however, it suddenly freed itself and started to fly again.

The problem was that I couldn't get it to rise and it kept losing altitude as is came back toward me until, finally, it splash landed in the middle of the lake and sank. The branch I hit must have damaged one of the rotor blades and thus it lost lift.

Now the lake isn't deep - I'd estimate a two or three feet at most. It is, however, very murky, especially after all the rain. If I had my waders with me I'd have attempted a rescue, but I couldn't dressed as I was.

A very expensive mistake that was bound to happen at some stage. Luckily I found a 2nd hand one e-Bay for £250, which is around what he paid for his.

Phone Battery Life

Yesterday I was assisting in the delivery of a car to Cinderford, but my phone battery was running out fast, so I had to be economical with my use of Waze to find a route back to base.

Anyway, when I got home at 3.30 my battery was showing 4%. I thought I'd run the battery right down to zero in order to recalibrate the battery monitor. I went from 4pm to 7pm on 1% battery life remaining, lighting it up to maximum brightness and hammering YouTube. 

I couldn't believe it. It obviously was nowhere near 1%, despite the battery monitor saying it was.

Tyre Pressures

Having changed a few tyres in the last week and being told that, while using the tyre removal machine, to keep well clear of the valve because of the sensors, I was intrigued as to how car tyre pressure sensors work, given there are no wires. I never knew they're part of the valve.

It transpires than there are two methods modern cars use to sense tyre pressure.

1. The valve can contain a pressure sensor, the data from which is transmitted wirelessly to the car's computer. The sensor is powered by a lithium battery with a 5-10 year lifetime, which is far longer than the average tyre. Some sensors use the wheel's rotation to constantly keep the battery charged.
2. The other method is derived from measuring the rotation speed of the wheels; a wheel which has a slightly deflated tyre rotates faster than a fully inflated wheel and the difference is used by the car's computer to calculate the pressure.

Amazing, ain't it?

Just looking at a tyre with the Mk I eyeball has usually been enough for me; however, just before Christmas I used No.1 Son's Mercedes CLA to go and collect No.2 Son from university in Winchester and hit a pothole with quite a bump. 

I thought nothing of it (being used to my all-forgiving Ford Galaxy), but within a few miles I noticed a dramatic drop in the pressure of the tyre than had hit the pothole. The bump had actually bent the rim of the wheel, resulting in the tyre no longer seating correctly and pressure being lost. It was enough to return back immediately and get the Galaxy.

Being a Mercedes, I thought repairing the wheel would cost an arm and a leg, but was surprised to find that a bloke in Swindon could do it for £70, which was a steal given the fact it looked beyond repair to me.

Hay thought tyres were checked by a small rodent within the tyre wearing a hat with a torch on it.

Logging On

Those who know me will understand that I'm a bit OCD about data and measuring things. This obsession is not limited purely to my solar power generation, nor my electricity consumption.

At the end of November I thought I'd have a go at measuring the consumption of my log burning stove, merely as a comparison with what I'm saving by not having the underfloor heating on. If I'm not making a saving, then what's the point?

Anyway, I started from some basic assumptions:

1. A load of logs, comprising 1/3rd of a tipper truck, costs us £150, delivered (it's cheaper by the full tipper truck, as the delivery cost is apportioned over 3 'loads').
2. Having consulted numerous websites, as well as Google Bard, I reached the conclusion that a 'load' of kiln dried logs weigh roughly 500kg.
3. My log basket, which I use to replenish the log pile by the fire, weighs 0.67kg.

On the above basis, and using the hand-held scales I use for weighing our motorhome gas bottles, I calculated, over the space of a month, that I use 23.11kg of logs a day - and that heats the whole house, upstairs and downstairs, at a rate of 12.3kW when fully loaded. The log burner goes out at night.

Some days, such as when we were away for the day, results in just a couple of kg being used. We haven't yet had any weekends away, so the amount will reduce a bit over time. However, we haven't really had any bitterly cold weather yet, so consumption would likely increase.

Anyway, the results so far mean a load of logs lasts me about 22 days, at a cost of a fraction under £7 a day. Assuming a winter of 5 months, which is an overestimate, I need just over 2 full tipper trucks of logs so see me through the winter, for a price of around £1,000. Let's say 2 full tipper trucks, or 6 loads.

Handy to know when we're ordering our stock of logs, as we want to buy them in summer, when the price is low, rather than having to top them up when prices are high due to high demand.

However, when I add the average of £3.60 a day I spend on electricity anyway for the lights, cooker and domestic hot water, it's debatable whether I'm actually saving anything at all by using the log burner, as the daily average with the Air Source Heat Pump and underfloor heating on at full tilt is under £10 a day; between £6.18 (current warm spell) and £10.31 (during the very cold snap).

The thing that buggers up my electricity usage is having to heat the spare bedroom with the underfloor heating when No.2 Son is home from university, as it's at the end of the pipeline and it never gets above 19 degrees, no matter the temperature of the water. The pipes to the spare bedroom take a circuitous route round the living room, rather than the most direct route, resulting in a lot of the heat being extracted within the living room before it even reaches the spare bedroom - a case of bad design.

This winter I haven't heated it at all, having installed a couple of 800W infrared wall heaters for the few days No.2 Son inhabits the room. The IR heaters have the advantage that they can be switched off when there's no-one in there and that they heat surfaces, rather than air, meaning you feel the heat immediately and don't have to wait till the air, which is a poor conductor of heat, warms up.

The Sunday before last, taking advantage of the sunny weather (free electricity) and the fact I only get charged half price for any I use between 11am and 4pm, I cranked up the Air Source Heat Pump and the underfloor heating, taking the water temperature up to 47 degrees (my usual winter setting) and the floor to 25 degrees within 6 hours. This cost me £10 in total (spread over 24 hours). That was reduced by about £3 because of the half price deal between 11-4, and I made £5.10 courtesy of the sun. Overall, it cost me £2.90 - a deal.

Kicking the underfloor heating into operation from cold takes far more electricity than keeping it running at a steady temperature once warmed up. 

Monitoring my electricity usage over the subsequent weekdays showed, conclusively, that I'm not actually saving anything by using the log burner, even at the current inflated price of electricity. So, the log burner is off for the remainder of the winter and relegated to its original purpose of being a backup.

Lighting the log burner every morning is a pain on the bum anyway, plus a vague hint of woodsmoke continually permeates the house (not unpleasant, but unwelcome on clothing). Also, while logs are sustainable, the soot generated is not conducive to clean air. You could make the same argument about the electricity, but an ASHP is between 300% and 400% efficient and there is a chance that the power is generated, at least in part, from renewables.

 

Culture Wars

I was watching a programme on PBS America about the incident in the 1970s when  bunch of rock fans blew up disco records as a war on disco. They weren't just rock fans; they wanted to ruin the enjoyment that disco fans got from disco and to demolish it.

There was a very pertinent comment made by someone during the show; "America's defined by Culture Wars, from civil rights to counter culture, abortion to guns, religion to feminism and gay rights, the North vs the South; clashes define the national discourse." We see it playing out in American politics now.

It got me to thinking how the right in Britain, lacking any clear policies, has latched on to this in a copycat form of warfare. It's not enough to be un-Woke; they have to attack Woke at every opportunity. 

It's a diversionary tactic to evert the electorate's eyes to the paucity of positive, progressive policy and polarise issues that are of little relevance in governing the country. They prey on feelings of fear and resistance to change, eulogising a Golden age of rampant racism, homophobia, misogyny and discrimination.

Pomelo

I saw some pomelos in Lidl the other day and, never having eaten one before, I decided to buy one. However, I fail to understand why a fruit, which has its own, thick packaging, has to be encased in a shrink-fit plastic wrapper. Talk about waste!

Very pithy. Tastes like a not so aggressive grapefruit. Not unpleasant, and I'm not a grapefruit fan. However, given the price and the volume of pith and skin, not really worth the effort - you thrown about 50% away.

Immigration

Immigration, those on the right of the political spectrum would have us believe, is the key issue facing the UK in the run-up to a General Election. However, it's not - it's 3rd on the list, if the respected polls are correct, which I have no reason to doubt.

However, I have no doubt it's the No.1 issue for a self-selecting poll of readers of the Express, Mail, Spectator and Telegraph, who are noted for their views on foreigners.

Imagine a scenario where Ukraine loses its war against Russia, which is becoming increasingly more likely as time drags on, the West's patience becomes drained and we become increasingly democratically incapacitated. There would be a massive outflow of Ukrainians as refugees. Many of whom would choose to come to the UK.

Now, I would imagine that those on the right would have no issue with these refugees, if numbers are capped to a substantially lower number than the remainder of European countries, despite the UK not having committed boots on the ground. However, simultaneously, they do not want refugees from regions where we have indeed put boots on the ground and given support far in excess of that given to Ukraine - indeed, to the extent of lives.

If this were to happen, and I see signs that it would, it would mean the right would only accept refugees from culturally similar regions. There's a name for that and it's on the tip of my tongue...

The government's attempt to dominate the narrative on refugees has worked. They started calling refugees arriving by boat illegal migrants, which they most definitely are not if they present themselves to the relevant authorities on arrival. The mainstream media has succumbed and now regularly refers to the boat people as illegal migrants. Why don't they get some balls?

Counterproductive Energy Saving Lights

An energy saving, LED light bulb failed on my desk light yesterday week, but I couldn't find a replacement in my bulb drawer and had to make do with a power hungry spotlight bulb, which made the lightshade hot.

This got me to thinking that swapping out every light bulb in the house will result in me having to use more power to heat the house, as I'm not getting the heat I'd get from incandescent bulbs.

It might be worth switching to incandescent in winter and then back to LED in the summer.

Last Century

Spotted this the other day.

Obviously still very proud of something that happened a quarter of a century ago, and rightly so.

Climate Denialism

 Let's start with indisputable facts:

• CO2 is a greenhouse gas. The basic physics of how greenhouse gases work is well understood. CO2, because of the molecule's physical shape (it's a linear molecule) and size in relation to the wavelength of a band of infrared, absorbs and re-emits infrared radiation, which is the primary type of heat radiation emitted by Earth. This trapping of heat is what contributes to the greenhouse effect and ultimately warms the planet. To deny this is akin to denying the fact of gravity. Remember, scientific understanding is based on evidence and consensus, not individual opinions.
• The Earth is warming at a rate that's unprecedented in at least the last 2,000 years. This is not just a matter of opinion, but a well-established fact supported by overwhelming scientific evidence comprising temperature records, ice cores, fossilised pollen, etc.
• For every year that passes, the atmospheric concentration of CO2 is getting roughly 0.6% higher, and this rate is increasing. In the early 1960s, the annual CO2 increase was around 0.7 ppm. By the 1990s, it had risen to about 1.5 ppm per year. In the 2010s, it averaged around 2.3 ppm per year. As of 2023, the average annual increase is 2.48 ppm. That's simply counting.
• It is indisputable that this increase in CO2 will lead, through the greenhouse effect, to an increase in warming. Simple cause and effect derived from the previous facts.

If you deny any of the above points, you are denying the laws of physics and you're not worth talking to. You're a flat-Earther.

Where dispute can arise it the source of all this additional CO2. However, as a species, we are pumping increasing amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere while simultaneously cutting down rainforests that absorb CO2. We all rely on fossil fuels for our power needs and to travel away from home.

Global CO2 Emissions per Capita in 1900 were approximately 1.4 tonnes CO2 per person. By  2020 this increased to 4.5 tonnes CO2 per person This represents an increase of around 221% over the past 120 years per person; however, the global population has more than quadrupled since 1900, growing from 1.65 billion people in 1900 to over 8 billion in 2023. This translates to a staggering 306% increase over the past 123 years. This is a significant increase, driven by a number of factors, including: 

• There are simply more people emitting CO2 at higher levels throughout the economic consumption chain. 
• Increased economic activity: As the global economy has grown, so has the demand for energy. This has led to increased burning of fossil fuels. 
• Changes in lifestyle: People in many parts of the world have become wealthier and have adopted lifestyles that are more energy-intensive, such as owning cars and flying.

70% of human-caused CO2 comes from burning fossil fuels. Within this category, coal-fired power plants are responsible for some 20%

Deforestation and land use changes account for roughly 25% of human-caused CO2.

The level of volcano activity, both above and below sea level, has remained relatively steady during this period, so the cause of the CO2 increase cannot be attributed to volcanic activity. Nor can it be attributed to sun spot activity - there simply is no correlation of any statistical relevance.

The confidence level of anthropogenic CO2 being the prime cause of Global Warming is extremely high. Ignoring this evidence would be akin to ignoring established scientific facts in other fields, like medicine or engineering.

It is a mistake to levy the blame on individual countries that produce the most CO2, as per-country CO2 is a number that's inextricably tied to the size of the country. China, for example, is a huge country. A more equitable and accurate measure is CO2 per person, where smaller, but highly industrialised countries are the main culprit.

Some have convinced themselves that GW is a sham because they are trapped and too comfortable in their flabby, selfish, lazy, consumerist daily life and therefore unprepared to make any sacrifice that involves a slight change to their habits that will benefit those who come after them.

Tasting Notes

Spotted a McGuigan, zero alcohol Shiraz in Tesco for about £3.50 and thought I'd give it a go.

Now McGuigan make reasonable wines, so I (stupidly) thought it might be fairly palatable.

There's something missing when it hits the mouth - probably the alcohol. It's insipid, but not totally unpleasant. There was all kinds of wine buff shit on the tasting notes, talking about vanilla, blackberries and oak, but it tastes just like grape juice and strips the mucus from one's tongue and the roof of one's mouth. 

It would benefit from being a touch frizzante - and about 14% alcohol. It would take some getting used to and I don't think I'll buy more until the end of the decade, when they may have made it more palatable.

It might be a good base from which to brew your own wine, but that would be an expensive option. Hay suggested I mix it 50/50 with my usual tipple, but that would just be a waste of Jam Shed Malbec.

Jigsaw

The final parts belonging to the GT6 jigsaw, as far as the bodywork is concerned, arrived last week.

The two lower wings for the bonnet. I thought I'd take advantage of Rimmer Brothers' January Sale.

There is a possibility I may need an extra few small items, depending on what happens when I split the old lower wings from the spot welds.

Can't wait for the warmer weather. All the work can be done with the bonnet off the car, which is a distinct advantage.

As an aside, I came across this analysis of R129 Mercedes SL 500 prices, which is very encouraging. 

I paid £5.5k for mine in 2016, but it's now worth north of £14k, and it's still under 100k miles (just). Hopefully the work on the loom of my SL500 will commence some time this quarter. If it does, and I have the necessary funds set aside, I can sell it and really go to work on the GT6 rebuild to a very high standard, possibly even replacing the 2 litre straight 6 with something a bit more meaty, such as a TR6 2.5 lump, which is a popular conversion and should have been the engine Triumph put in the Mk3. Non-original, but what Triumph would have done if they wanted to revive the marque, instead of sticking with the 2L Vitesse engine. Originality is not the end game, but having a nice car.

Opportunity

The UK economy is strong in size, services, talent & creativity, but low productivity, high debt (government and personal), regional gaps, inequality and fragile supply chains caused by Brexit hold it back.

To address productivity, the obvious solution is automation or AI, but that has the unintended consequence of increased unemployment, which is an obvious vote loser. Productivity is measured by GDP  or GDP per capita, but it a broad brush measure, as it is an average and does not reflect inequality, which would grow with unemployment.

How about a thought experiment and see where it leads us?

What about limiting the size of companies? After all, competition, as we're continuously told, is the handmaiden of innovation. Having a plethora of companies competing against each other would stimulate competition on more than just price, as well as opening up job opportunities. Napoleon famously called the English a nation of shopkeepers, meaning small businesses, which was actually a strength at the time.

It would also prevent companies becoming so large that they are able to influence government policy in their favour, or obtaining the benefits of scale that allow them to use fewer people, meaning they have to use existing people more efficiently.

The problem is that some political parties get the majority of their funding from the large companies, so expecting them to implement regulations on the size of companies is a non-starter for them.

Exporting may be an issue for smaller companies, but if innovation is improved, then exports should follow, even if at a higher price.

Large companies merge, not to innovate, but to reduce cost or remove competition. That said, they do sometimes buy other parts of the value chain or synergistic products.

Weaknesses of the analysis? Oversimplification of solutions, which is perennial problem.

Limiting company size is a complex issue with potential unintended consequences, such as stifling growth, reducing investment, and impacting competitiveness. 

The claim that innovation improves exports and justifies higher prices requires further evidence and nuanced consideration of global market dynamics. 

While automation and AI raise concerns about unemployment, focusing on upskilling and training could mitigate these issues, but there's a limit to upskilling people you have no jobs for; you just end up with a large pool of very skilled unemployed people who would probably go abroad to seek a job. Additionally, policies promoting entrepreneurship and small business development might be more effective than limiting company size. 

Impact on specific industries: Different industries have varying economies of scale and competition dynamics. A one-size-fits-all approach to limiting company size could harm certain sectors. 

Enforcement challenges: Effectively monitoring and enforcing size limitations would be a significant logistical and regulatory challenge, although level of profits would be a good start.

International context: The UK operates within a globalized economy. Policies should be considered in the context of international competition and trade agreements.

Starmer Smears

Certain right wing politicians, curiosities and their media apologists are determined, ahead of a General Election, to smear Keir Starmer in relation to the Post Office scandal and his time as DPP at the CPS. However, in all seriousness it's more a measure of their desperation than anything.

The beauty of a smear is that it takes no more than a short sentence - or sound bite. The problem with a comprehensive rebuttal is that it takes paragraphs, which people can't be bothered to read.

Starmer was DPP at the CPS from November 2008 to November 2013. There are several potential problems in trying to smear Keir Starmer in relation to his time as DPP: 

• Lack of evidence: Starmer's record as DPP is generally well-regarded, and there is no clear evidence of wrongdoing or misconduct. Any attempt to smear him would likely need to rely on speculation or innuendo, which could backfire and damage the accuser's (Farage) credibility. 
• Focus on process over outcome: Critics of Starmer's time as DPP often focus on specific decisions or cases, such as the Post Office Horizon scandal. However, these criticisms often fail to take into account the wider context in which these decisions were made, or the fact that Starmer was ultimately responsible for a large and complex organization and not every case the CPS prosecuted crossed his desk.
• Politicisation of justice: Attempts to smear Starmer based on his record as DPP could be seen as an attempt to politicise the justice system. This could damage public confidence in the CPS and other law enforcement agencies, something that's a key tactic in the playbook of the populist.
• Counterproductive for Starmer's opponents: Smearing Starmer could actually help him by making him appear like a victim of unfair attacks. This could rally his supporters and give him a boost in the polls. 
• Potential for legal action: Depending on the nature of the smears, Starmer could take legal action against his accusers. This could be a costly and time-consuming process, but it could also be successful in silencing his critics. 

It is important to note that these are just potential problems, and the effectiveness of any attempt to smear Starmer would depend on a variety of factors, including the specific allegations made, the way they are presented, and the wider political context. Overall, it is likely that any attempt to smear Starmer based on his record as DPP would be difficult and risky, and could ultimately backfire.

Looking at specifics:

• Joining the dots: The CPS prosecuted only a handful of Post Office cases. Numbers are uncertain at this stage, but it could be anywhere between 3 and 30. Certainly not enough to alert the DPP to a spike, as there had been many genuine cases of fraud before Horizon was ever introduced. The CPS is not a single, monolithic organisation, it's split into 14 regional teams handling over 400,000 cases a year. It's inconceivable that Starmer would be aware of each and every case. While the DPP has a vital role in deciding whether or not to prosecute criminal cases, they don't make every single decision themselves. The process is more nuanced, with different authorities playing different roles depending on the severity of the offense and other factors.
• Knowledge: Alerts over the failures of the Horizon System did not come to light until 2010 when a Parliamentary Select Committee expressed concerns about it, but this was not taken up by the media, nor Parliament itself. It was not until 2015, after Starmer had left the CPS, that it came to public attention with the Panorama programme which is credited with exposing the potential miscarriages of justice. However, this did not gain much traction and it is suggested that it did not have a high viewership figure.
• Corrupt evidence: When the evidence is comprised of corrupt information supplied by the Post Office and the defendants cannot provide evidence themselves, there's little anyone - defence or prosecution - can do. If there was a potential for a miscarriage of justice, it would be up to the presiding judge to take that decision, not the CPS. In any case, it's the defence's responsibility to question any evidence presented by the CPS, but both sides were presented with exactly the same, corrupt evidence. It was the Post Office that withheld evidence, not the CPS.
• Guilty pleas: When many of the accused had been bullied into pleading guilty to a lesser crime in order to avoid either a costly litigation or prison, then what is the CPS to do when, in effect, there is no trial as the defendant appears in court to plead guilty? In many cases the evidence is not even presented, except in summary form so the judge can decide of the appropriate sentence.

There is undoubtedly only one party that's responsible for any miscarriage of justice - the Post Office, which did not tell the full story about the scale of the problem, backed up by Futitsu, which was responsible for a catalogue of errors.

Democracy would be better served by Farage, rather than casting innuendo around with gay abandon,  by him explaining the corruption within the Leave campaign and his role in it. He has, after all, spent a lifetime trying to demolish institutions we benefit from.

It would be interesting to know whether he would brand the prosecution or the defence as lefty, woke lawyers? Both sides can't be lefty - either the prosecution is, or the defence.