Watch Reviews 4U Longines Record Chronometer L2-821-4-96-4 Blue Dial 40mm Watch

Longines Record Chronometer L2.821.4.96.4 Blue Dial 40mm Watch

The Longines Record Chronometer - a superb watch for the money

This is a blue dial although it looks darker in the picture

Longines have produced some amazing watches in the last ten years giving an entry into the luxury watch market for many who thought this level of watch ownership was out of reach. 

For a few thousand pounds you can own a very nicely designed and made Longines watch, Longines have managed to produce some great watches that ordinary people can own with the benefits affordability, style and great design. 

And there's no waiting list either, these watches can be picked up on-line or in the High Street. If you like the classic look of watches from the last 60 years then Longines is a brand you should consider. I'm not  into Sport or Divers watches, so Rolex doesn't really appeal to me for that reason for one, plus I rarely have need of a chronograph, although some Longines watches do have this facility. 

The Record is also available a version with a Metal strap

Up for review today is a new old stock L2.821.4.96.4 a watch from early 2022 and essentially brand new, still with the wrapper on the crystal and back. The Longines Record watch was available with a number of different dial colours, the Blue dial in my opinion is one of the best and simply looks great, as does the black too, although Blue dial watches are a favourite of mine - harking back to 1983 and ownership of my first Seiko 5 with a blue dial. This Longines has a blue 'sun ray' style dial which really shimmers in the light, it is great at showing off the detail on the dial face.

The movement is from ETA which Longines as part of Swatch group encompasses. ETA are very highly regarded and their movements have historically been fitted to many watch brands. The movement on this Record is beautifully finished and visible through a glass exhibition back, the dial has a single date window set from position 2 on the Crown and the sweep of the second hand is very smooth which Longines is known for - this smoothness denotes quality -the smoother the second hand travels is usually an indicator of the level of quality of the movement. It is also a Hack watch pull the crown right out and it stops the seconds hand. 

A superb presentation box rounds this off nicely

The Record Chronometer is a lovely watch, this 40mm one I think is the best size as it is not too large on the wrist but larger than the vintage usual c.32-37mm case size watches that Longines made in decades past. 

Although I generally prefer a 42mm + size watch, this watch is easy to read on the wrist and is not too small, it is about right I would say. I wouldn't want anything smaller say a 39mm or less, but this one is great and not heavy to wear.

The drawback I find with the smaller case size vintage pieces is that the dials are not so easy to read, 'oversize' vintage watches of say 38 to 40mm from the vintage era, are rarer and as such command much higher prices on the secondhand market. 

The Spirit 42mm - whilst a nice piece, I personally prefer the simpler 

Longines Record dial design over the the new Longines Spirit

                                           

The 40mm on the wrist the Record is a good size, but not overlarge 

ideal for the Hipster about town in London, New York or California

For those Hipsters amongst you who like the vintage look but might like a slightly larger dial then the Record might suit you, it is large enough without being over large and gives you a vintage look without the limitations of the 32-38mm of the original sized cases.

I was looking at one of the new 42mm size Longines Spirit Chronometers in Blue dial version recently but I chose this older Record model in preference over it - it was just a personal choice. I like the earlier watch's uncluttered dial, simple and functional and less fussy than the new spirit. 

A superb view of the mechanism afforded by the glass window in the case

I think the new Spirit version is nicely done, it has a row of 5 stars on the dial over the Chronometer title, the stars harking back to the old Longines Admiral watch of the 70's, the applied larger numbers on the new Spirit with the cut down 3 on the 42mm Spirit and the red tip to the seconds hand just looks a bit too 'busy' for me.

The Blue sun ray effect dial is so classy - 

understated but shows the dial furniture off to great effect

Given the choice of the two watches, I would go for the more 'stripped down' Record version.  It is a triumph of a modern and slightly minimalist design with echoes of the Bauhaus school of form and functionality of design. Just my personal choice! If I was given a modern Spirit I would be happy to wear it!

With a 20mm strap on the Record watch, finding a replacement strap in the future should be straightforward too. The strap closes in two parts onto a central part and the strap clasp has a central two button release which is very nicely done. The strap is Alligator leather front in blue finish with a calf leather inner in biscuit brown, high quality as you would expect and get from Longines.

The exhibition back on the Record affords a nice view of the automatic mechanism, something which is covered over on the newer Spirit which has a Stainless Steel cover held on by a number of screws to the rear of the case. However, perhaps that is an intentional design feature to give it more of an 'aviator' style and also does afford Longines to use their larger brand logo on the rear of the case to greater effect.

                                                      

                                    The tasteful blue fronted strap really sets off the watch.

                                               The glass exhibition back allows you to see

                                            the superbly finished movement in all its glory!

I first came across the Record Chronometer watch generally as a secondhand item on EBay in Japan and I was very impressed with the design of the watch. I believe there is a larger case size version at 44mm however this 40mm version will be fine for my needs and also in summer use a smaller watch is less heavy to wear when the weather is warmer. This watch is well worth purchasing if it suits your style and appeals to you.

This is a beautiful and stylish timepiece, a masterpiece of manufacturing too. If you are able to buy new or secondhand, I don't think that you will be disappointed by this piece, it is a nice everyday watch or will look stylish at events or social gatherings and is likely to attract interest thanks to the great style and design. Definitely a great one to own! 

Be sure to check out the other Heritage and Master collection watches from Longines too.

Watch Reviews 4U Longines Master Collection Avigation L2.640.4 47.5mm Watch

Longines Master Collection Avigation L2.640.4 47.5mm Watch

A nicely appointed watch

At 47.5mm wide excluding crown, the Longines Master Collection Avigation L2.640.4 watch is quite something. However, even at this size it is not an over heavy pice to wear.

The larger sized watch has gained popularity over the recent years and with a number of small repair shops repurposing old pocket watch movement sometimes with new dials into 'oversize' wristwatch case, no doubt Longines have taken note.

Although second hand, this looks new

This Longines Avigation L2.640.4 Pilot's watch (Avigation - a contraction of aviation and navigation) is based on a pocket watch size movement and as such has no date function, hardly needed in a retro pilot's watch! The watch is a supreme triumph of form and function, easy to read black dial with a large seconds dial at the six o'clock position and large dart hands, coated with lime which are easily visible.

At 47.5mm across the case excluding crown it is an armful, but looks good. Perhaps a little heavy for some as it has a full metal case and back, in fact it has two backs, an inner and an outer, a shame as we cannot see the lovely movement inside unless we are a watch repairer!

Looks good from any angle

Purchased second hand, the watch looks almost as new, it did have an aftermarket strap fitted but I was able to purchase a genuine strap from Longines of the right size, in this case 26mm wide at the lugs which is an unusual size.

This is certainly an imposing watch and although also available with an Ivory white face, I think the black dial is easier to read and certainly for those pilots among us, might suit better for that environment.

Certainly this is a statement piece watch and available for around £1000 - £1800 used depending on condition. I purchased mine from a Swedish seller on Chrono 24 and it arrived safely and as seen in the pictures. 

If you're looking for a larger Longines in a military / aviator style, this I would say fits the bill.

An Ivory white dial version is also available

Mine came without the original 26mm wide strap although

I found one from a later Longines fitted from the Longines site

Watch Reviews 4U Longines Spirit L2.700.4 41mm watch

Watch Reviews 4U the Longines Spirit L2.700.4 watch 41mm case

The Longines Spirit L2.700.4 41mm watch

I recently got the chance to buy this nice Longines Spirit L2.700.4 watch for around £600, an absolute bargain I think. With little sign of use, I think I got a great deal. Great retro styling and nice to wear and a genuine Longines.

The original Longines 1915 design of this watch - this example from the 1920s

has a 16mm strap, fixed lugs and c. 28mm width case

The Spirit 41mm watch is based on a 1915 'Cushion case' design and this cushion case design was also used by the Luftwaffe in 1935 for a series of watches they commissioned from Longines with the black dial. The original 1915 version had an off-white dial.

Also available in a Chronograph version with Ivory or Black dial

This watch has an automatic movement with date and I think that the black dial really shows off the arabic hour markers very nicely, I think the hour markers on the black dial are slightly easier to read than on the Ivory colour dial version. 

A chronograph version is also available with either the Black or Ivory dial, although I like the uncluttered non-chronograph version as I rarely have any use for this complication!

The mechanism is very smooth and the sweep second hand glides around, always a good sign of quality, the less 'juddery' the hand is on its travel, the better the movement. It is also a 'Hack' watch allowing you to stop the seconds hand by pulling the town right out, great for setting the watch against a time signal.

At 41mm across the case without crown, it is a nice wearable size and large enough without being overlarge, but the dial is very easy to read and looks great in the black dial version, much easier to read in my opinion than the white one. 

It is not to heavy to wear either, even with the metal strap fitted, I think the metal bracelet suits the watch very well, giving it a 1930's feel, I noted that some watches of the thirties did have metal straps. The strap is very nicely made and looks very good.

The crystal is super clear and really sets the dial off, the whole watch although used is in very nice condition and just looks great. Although no longer available new unless you can find a new old stock one, these are well worth having.

The clean and simple retro styling looks more expensive than the ticket price, the whole thing looks good, the bracelet is nicely finished and snaps shut with a side button release. I can't really fault it, perhaps a glass exhibition back would be nice to see but that is just a small point.

Some might mourn the cropped '3' where the date window sits but this is also a moan on the new 42mm Spirit model. (The new Spirit models are very different and Chronometer rated.)

For a watch that likely cost about £1800 new and although it doesn't have the box or papers, it is a lovely piece to own and wear. I love the styling too, perhaps not for everybody, it appeals to me and is a lovely example of a modern Longines that is reasonably priced.

This watch came with a Longines leather strap too

but I have the metal one on it at present

The original metal strap - some watch brands had metal straps in the 1930's

A tasteful logo and brand name sets this off and it closes nicely

The rear has a metal case back with the Longines logo, 

many similar watches have a glass back to show the movement

I find the metal bracelet really does suit this watch

the crystal glass is so clear and crisp and really makes the dial look pin sharp

A slim watch and not too heavy to wear, 

features a Longines logo on the crown too

Based on a 1915 design, this is a lovely piece to own, 

stylish, retro looking and a quality watch -

what more can you ask for?

This is one of my favourite watches to wear.

Watch Reviews 4U The Seiko 5 Blue Dial 7009-4040 Automatic Watch Japan review

 A look at the Classic Seiko 5 Blue Dial 7009-4040 model Automatic Watch

Seiko 5 Blue 7009-4040 On a leather strap

The Seiko 5 Series designed in the early 1970's from Japan is rightly a design classic and as it approaches its 50th anniversary, I'd like to do a review on what is probably my favourite version of the Seiko 5 watch.

Clean and unfussy, the Stainless back on this model

has been updated with a glass back on the modern version

I first came across Seiko watches in the early 70's - my uncle had come back from working in the USA and purchased a Seiko watch there which fascinated me. 

I hadn't seen anything as modern looking before, my grandfather's old Oris manual wind seemed so  old fashioned and uncomplicated in comparison. The Seiko with its alarm was just like something from outer space!

 

Striking blue dial and simple design

My first Seiko I owned was a Blue dial Seiko 5 7009-4040 with a Blue dial, purchased in 1983 for over £90, about 2 weeks wages then. It served me for over 12 years until the dial became disconnected and I should  really have had it fixed.

It was a tremendously accurate watch and I was just lucky to have chosen a design classic that worked as well as it looked. Powered by a Seiko movement, it was just a simple but modern dial and case design and was worn daily. 

I couldn't fault it and although I prefer larger 40mm + size watches now, this one is still a favourite even at the c. 37.5mm case size, I can read the dial easily and that suits me. Which Is why I have a few in my collection!

With the famous multi-link strap

The watch had an adjustable metal strap and I had to take a few links out of mine to get it the right size but it was very comfortable to wear, although some complained it caught the hair on the arm and pulled a bit. The bracelet was a nice multi-link design and seems better quality than the modern SNK version of it.

This design looks modern even now

The 'hair trapper' bracelet

The modern SNK Version of the old Blue 5 7009 series

Likely due to popular demand Seiko has brought a version of this old Seiko 5 to a new market. Still with the same sized sub 40mm case about 37.5mm, it looks the part. 

Now powered by a Citizen Miyota automatic movement, you still get a dependable and accurate piece that looks the part.

This modern SNK incarnation looks the part and is now Miyota powered

Seiko has obviously had its eye on the retro market in vintage watches and has likely seen the retro appeal of the Seiko 5 as a reason to effectively reissue it or responded to customer demand. Having owned both the original and the modern, the modern one stands up very well.

However, I have managed to find a few original 7009-4040's in Blue dial finish so I have gone 'back to the roots' and now have a few of those. The new version has a special 'wave' patterned guilloche dial which is nicely done, but the old classic blue is what appeals to me.

The Longines Master collection 40mm watch

A £2000 watch with similar styling to the old Seiko 5 in Blue

In conclusion, I have owned a good many watches over the years and in my opinion the Seiko 5 series ones I have owned have and continue to be in the collection because they are so good. The SNK ones are a more modern take on the old 7009 but still stand up very well in comparison. In the 1970's Seiko had a lot to prove and their quality of design and manufacture still shows - quality sells and these old ones are still popular.

If you get a chance to buy an old Seiko they are well worth having and are now truly vintage in their own right, servicing is fairly inexpensive and will keep your watch going for some years. Plus the sabres situation is still good.

The sad loss of Terry Hall and a profile of the immense talent of the Fun Boy Three

The Fun Boy Three -

 a very talented collection of performers from the early 1980's

After leaving Ska band the Specials, Terry Hall along with Specials Lynval Golding and Neville Staple formed the Fun Boy Three. Augmented by six female musicains, they produced some notable hits and propelled Bananarama to fame in their own right.

Back in about early 1983, the British Pop music scene was changing - the energy thrash of punk had given way. Things were changing in the political world and being redefined after the shock of safety pins and anarchy. 

Rockabilly was making a comeback, in some cases with Cod 'in the style of groups', fresh sounds of performers such as Elvis Costello, the Jam and the New Romantics movement filled the void where the musical nihilism of punk had finally bitten the dust.

Ska became a new musical flavour the Specials fronted by Terry Hall were at the forefront of this new sound. I say new sound, Ska had been around earlier but this was new, multi racial groups like the Specials and the Selector were now bringing this music to a new audience.

They probably did more for racial harmony, no pun intended than any political comment. Their audience was everything from the skin head, the young black, the young white, the Mod - the difference here was that they could all come together at a ska performance and no one got hurt or insulted.

Adopting a more commercial sound were those nutty boys from Camden, Madness to those of us back then were still charting as were a few other groups of the genre like Bad Manners. Like the Specials, they recorded the back catalogues of Ska classics from artists like Prince Buster and Dandy Livingstone.

I found Ska was a great sound, I found Reggae boring and ponderous, but Ska had a great energy, it was great music and it has endured.

Groups on the other side of the musical coin like the Police, Depeche Mode, Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran were bringing new sounds and dynamics to the scene, producing great material that was selling singles by the bucket load in those pre-internet days mainly using synths and new musical technology to get their unique sounds.

The Fun Boy Three emerged from the ashes of the Specials and suddenly launched into the pop charts with some notable singles. But this was no ordinary pop band, performances on music shows of the day like the old grey whistle test, Top of the pops, Razamatazz and the Tube showcased the band to the greater population.

Immediately they seemed very much of the moment and musically different. Things were changing generally in Britain back them, the dismal days of the 1979 winter of discontent were fading. Britain was going forward again. There seemed to a new optimism and in some quarters, money about again and the pop video was becoming a major marketing and sales tool and the FB3 fell right on their feet by producing some great videos.

The FB3 as I said were something different, their most notable songs from the time were the singles The Tunnel of love and Our lips are sealed. I heard Tunnel of Love on top of the pops and it immediately stood out for a number of reasons and I knew it was going to be a hit.

A lady named June Miles-Kingston was on drums who would later go onto work with the Communards, but take a look around at the rest of the band and the 6 musicians behind the FB3's Hall, Golding and Staple were all women. In those days, all girl groups were rare, rarer were all girl groups who played instruments and could really play them. And they could. It is a shame that this musical entity did not go onto produce more music.

With Caroline Lavelle on Cello, a rare instrument for pop excepting forays by ELO, Annie Whitehead on Trombone, Bethan Peters on Bass, Nicky Holland on Keyboards (and arrangements) and Ingrid Schroeder vocals and keyboards, this provided a solid base to the group. There had been nothing like this musical shopping list before.

There was no shortage of musical talent here, they were all extremely competent players, a video for the whistle test filmed at the Regal Theatre Hitchin in 1983 of the band playing live demonstrates just how good they were live. 

No second chances here, plus the sound crew did a great job with the levels, the video looks a bit grainy now but the quality of the performance is there even over thirty five years later. And the music is first class. Watch June on Our lips are sealed watching Terry Hall for the vocal cues. The band is really together on everything.

When you look at the pedigree of the players, most if not all are still performing today and have enjoyed enduring careers in what is sometimes a difficult business. That says a lot.

The FB3 are mostly associated with probably two songs from their catalogue, or at least these are the ones you hear on the radio most:

Tunnel of love - as a song is dramatic, a descending figure theme marks out the whole song a bit like Waterloo Sunset, but in this case the chorus continues the descending theme rather cleverly. It has drama and an urgency about it and that's just the music. Dig into the lyrics and it moves into quite mature territory for pop songs of the time.

None of your throwaway 3 minutes of fast food Hamburger pop pap here, but something darker and a bit more gamey like a piece of Venison. Sometimes musicians sound good in their own right, but together on this track, that rare and magical thing occurs. This a quality song that has endured because it is just quality.

You know a hit when you hear one. This has that quality. Its that thing you get where you have great musicians who sound great together, great musicians that can work together and produce great work. 

All the musical elements in this track are there, the intelligent use of the instruments, the arrangements, the way they are played and the solid base for the singer are here and working. The first time I heard this I knew it was going to be a hit, when I saw it played live, I was amazed. It had star quality written all over it. 

This song charted about the same time I started writing my own material and songs like this were obvious templates of how to construct and create what I call 'interesting' music, to learn from. 

Our lips are sealed is the other track to feature on airplays frequently since it was recorded. A Terry Hall composition with Go-Go's singer Jane Wiedelin from 1981, it was covered by the Go-Go's and later by the FB3. 

The Go-Go's version is a more poppy rendition of it, whereas the FB3's is more meaty and dark. It has been played live on TV shows around the time it was released and still continues to get airplay. The songs lyrics allude to darker issues than many songs, something Terry Hall has revealed in more recent times. 

The FB3 were no one or two hit wonders by any means, they produced albums and did a US tour before Terry Hall disbanded the set up and went on to form the unfortunately short lived Colourfield pop concept. Good pop bands don't stand still, they develop and evolve. 

'Thinking of you' the Colourfield's best known hit is still played today and then Terry Hall just seemed to disappear from view, although he did go on to work with artists like David A. Stewart of Eurythmics and Ian Brodie. 

The track is very much a unique song, it does not fit any conventional box and like Tunnel of Love, it really has some clever composition.

The highlight of the FB3 for me is that their brief musical career really did produce some outstanding music. But the fact you have highly talented musicians isn't any guarantee of this working. I know from my own experience playing in bands since 1980 that 'best' doesn't always work. 

Its a question of finding players that fit, players that can work. Pop music unfortunately for its creative side does sometimes bring out the ego problems. A good band that leaves the ego outside the venue is going to work. Having played in bands for a long while, you just know if there is something amiss. Sometimes you just have to leave and start with something new. Sometimes you just get a collection of people that just integrate and fit, then it is a pleasure to perform.

Pop music over the last 60 years has produced some great music, artists and some real rubbish. But just once in a while a group comes along with a great signature sound. The FB3 was one of those. Sadly it was a fairly short lived affair, but then again, maybe the best things are brief and only have a limited shelf life before they go sour or stale, worse still carry on the same old stodgy formulaic type of material for years. Groups like the Police only had about three good years and then folded, but they left a great musical legacy still played today on the radio.

The FB3 are really worth checking out, its just a shame that we can't see this line-up again with some new material. But then again, music can be a bit like a Venn diagram, where at a certain point, certain people intersect and make good music. Then it moves on.

Terry Hall didn't let the grass grow under his feet. And then there were 3 again. And then the Specials reformed. 

Sadly we recently learned that Terry had died after a short illness, however, he had a recent resurgence of live performance and good music never fades. We have a good musical legacy of Terry's work with various groups to enjoy.

Just Stop Oil Activists will fail and are only alienating the public with their actions. The world is an Oil-based economy.

 

Just Stop Oil - are they on a road to nowhere?

The agenda of 'Activists' from the XR and Just Stop Oil camps is doomed to fail because they are only alienating the public with their actions.

Never mind the Rolex.... or the Aston, Bugatti, or Rolls Royce....

Childish vandalism with Orange paint and the politics of envy - won't wash in our democracy. Targeting a shop selling Rolex watches because they are a 'luxury item' serves only one purpose - the publicity that goes around the world from this 'toddler tantrum criminal damage' gives Rolex lots of free publicity worth thousands of pounds and increases sales.

Aston Martin, Bugatti et al whose showrooms have been similarly desecrated and damaged also get the wealth of free publicity and as a result of the tax gleaned from the sale of their luxury products, taxes are generated which often go to help the poorest and provide education, social care etc. for people who are often unable to access private education for example.

No place for 'anarchy in the UK' here

These 'Activists' have a right to their views as we live in a democracy, but they should exercise them at the ballot box, anarchy on the streets is straight out of the out of the hard left's 'class war' handbook from the 1917 Russian revolution, but we don't tolerate that sort of thing here.

This 'no future' rhetoric of some of these 'Activist' acolytes is childish babble of the indoctrinated and easily led, some of us lived through the Cold War and the Irish Troubles and with the threat at anytime of annihilation from nuclear weapons an ever present threat for over 45 years in our lives. 

We did not stop 'having a future' or living our lives. We got on with our lives. In my view, some of these followers are being groomed and indoctrinated into being scared. Anxiety is a new industry created to control and they are falling for it. Stalin used to refer to 'useless idiots' - draw your own conclusions here.

Vandalising artworks is not working either, nor will any intent to slash or damage them in the future. When these people get a criminal record, they may find in the near future that it stops them getting jobs or accessing services and will not be the badge of honour they think it is. When potential employers search social media and find their candidate's 'activism' handiwork on video, they may well think again about shortlisting them for a job.

Policing the rabble

The Police are quite able to enforce the law with regard to persons obstructing the public highway and move them on without any delay - as these 'activists' think this is their only way to get their message across lack of action is exploited and angers the public.

This 'Activism' is no ordinary protest and is a well established pattern of disruption that has been on-going for sometime. The Police are aware of the agenda behind this protest and should take swift and decisive action. 

The Police need to move these people on right away as soon as they encounter them. The public are losing patience with these individuals and it will not be long before someone is injured or killed if violence erupts - because the ordinary public are losing patience and any sympathy with these protestors. 

Those interfering with motor vehicles such as people that let down tyres are guilty of tampering with a motor vehicle, an offence that carries a maximum life sentence in prison, which they may not appreciate.Until they are sentenced.

The environmental joke

Yes, the people that let down 4x4 tyres, besides the criminal offences racked up, perhaps do not realise that to renew these vehicle tyres if damaged, entails new tyres being obtained and fitted  - these being Tyres that are made 80% from Oil.

The paint used in their childish daubings is likely Acrylic - most of which is obtained from - Oil.

Britain has reduced its C02 by 40% from 1990's levels - surely enough and more than others have done, so why do these 'Activists' choose a soft target like Britain which is and has done a lot to sort out its emissions, so why do they not go to the 'difficult' places like China or Russia to make a nuisance of themselves?

They likely won't go to China or Russia because of the way they treat protestors there, China is the place where the majority of emissions are happening. China is producing at least half of the world's emissions alone, figures suggest. Not Britain, a mere 1% on a good day.

While we are here, the CO2 in the atmosphere is 0.05% of the total gases yes, half of one percent. Did you know that?

Oil makes the world goes round - that is the reality

The reality is the world is an oil based economy. We can and should have been producing synthetic fuels for some years if we are genuinely looking to move away from fossil fuels, the technology is available for us to produce synthetic transport fuels to replace Petrol and Diesel that are CO2 Net Zero. Yes, you read that right. We can do that and now. 

Electric vehicles are largely a smokescreen - they produce more problems than they solve and are based on finite Battery ingredient resources - which China largely controls. The production of the batteries causes massive environmental damage for the benefits they produce and the batteries are a major fire hazard.

These vehicles are not the future - in the early 1900s there were battery and Petrol / Electric vehicles but they were soon made obsolete by the internal combustion engine. Face it, they haven't even unified the type of plug required to charge the batteries. A schoolboy error if ever there was one.

Although the EU has outlawed the sale of new fossil fuel engined vehicles in 2035 Germany has cleverly sought to amend the legislation. 

Porsche has developed a CO2 net zero Petrol that works in new and old vehicles ironically as a bi-product from the 'Green' industry, as such the German 2035 treaty 'allows' Germany to continue to sell Internal Combustion engined vehicles 'that can use other fuels' - such as their 'Green' Petrol for example. This fuel will also work in older cars too.

The "Green" power from Electricity is mostly produced from heating water to make steam to drive turbines. When Gas the majority fuel used to do this and the Nuclear power isn't enough for the demand, Diesel generators back that up. 

E10 Ethanol Petrol is not 'Green' - it does not perform as well as straight unleaded fuel and you can lose up to 120 miles range per tank full - more fuel to do the same? Ridiculous. Era added to Diesel as an additive also reduces the economy of larger diesel vehicles. Another bit of 'Green' lunacy.

An electric car battery lasts perhaps 6-7 years, the car costs half as much again as an equivalent Petrol or Diesel car and has to be scrapped as the battery can't be renewed. The 20 year life span of a Petrol or Diesel car with a clean burning engine produces less emissions than the 3 battery cars you will need to obtain parity of working life.

Oh and don't forget burning wet wood biomass that is 'Green' because it is renewable, it produces way more CO2 than the Coal it is supposed to replace. All the while the Biomass derived from cutting down CO2 processing trees in America, which are then chipped and shipped over the Atlantic to Britain by oil burning ship, burned wet, whilst it takes 10-20 years to replace the sacrificed trees is sheer lunacy. I have been saying this for sometime and suddenly people are waking up to this. At last.

The bottom line on the JSO 'activists'

The reality is that their actions are in some cases unlawful and by alienating the public, they are not gaining the support they crave - and they wonder why this is? 

It isn't rocket science - stopping ordinary citizens working or going about their lawful business is both unlawful and counter productive. The standing vehicles in jams or having to divert uses up more oil rather than less. Another own goal.

People are heartily fed up with the results of the actions of these 'entitled' few protestors and the 'Activists' far from gaining support from the public are generating resentment by 'going down the wrong road'. Indeed, they often themselves have CO2 footprints that are very large when you track their social media exploits and travels around the globe.

The Police need to take positive action for the safety of these 'Activists' before someone is badly injured or dies. 

I have no issue with legitimate protest that does not impede the progress or passage of people who wish to go about their lawful business. If they wish to change things, the ballot box is the place, not anarchic street protests.

However, it seems that these people are not content to stand at the side of the road to get their message across, they have to stand on it and cause damage. By doing this, they have crossed a line and as such sympathy to their cause is almost entirely lost along with the patience of the ordinary citizens who are inconvenienced..

David Davis for Prime Minister - the obvious choice?

 

                                          David Davis - the right choice for the top job

David Davis famously called for Boris Johnson to go in the wake of the 'Partygate' scandal, but why did this experienced politician not himself stand in the contest for the premier's job?

David Davis is a sure contender in my view and the obvious choice, a man of the people, having come from the ordinary streets, he is surely a politician that knows the price of things in the shops, but also the value of things too. 

Without the benefit of an elite public school education, he might be seen as a true working class Tory, who really knows the score, has seen life as it is and not enjoyed the moneyed buffer that many of his party have. He represents the ordinary but aspirational voters.

With so much going for this politician, we wonder why he did not stand for the top job in the wake of the Boris Johnson resignation? 

He is the sort of common sense politician that is needed, if only for a temporary leadership tenure until the next election in 2024 if that is what he wanted. The country needs him.

We are not living in calm times, there are many challenges today, not only the cost of energy or the Ukraine war. We need the common sense approach of a politician like David Davis as a leader today and in the next few years.

The alternative possibility is a Labour government. As Mrs Thatcher said 'The problem with Socialists is that they eventually run out of other people's money' - we cannot afford Labour's borrowing hand over fist to 'invest' or just pay the bills, we need low taxes and growth to fund our future nor more debt.

Unfortunately, the 'Green' agenda is literally costing us the Earth and the transition to other energy forms is being attempted too quickly and without the sufficient new infrastructure in place to make it work and be affordable. 

It is often being forced on voters without any mention of it in the party policy or election mandate.

The recent COP27 conference has been largely a talking shop of hot air, achieving little since COP26 except to show what a giant free for all jolly the conference is.

It is now time for a sensible man to lead British politics and policy and in my view David Davis is that man.

The time is overdue for those in Government to have professional experience in their post, the days of the 'enthusiastic amateur' flitting from department to department with no actual experience of the job are surely over.