E U - Latest Idiot Idea !

[Tempus Fugit]

The latest idiot idea to cut power consumption in the home is to reduce the power of vaccuum cleaners

[Keigmeister]

The EU is the biggest waste of time ever. The worst thing the English did was join it. The EU needs the English not the other way around. Look at all the money that goes to Europe. In return the English get nothing apart from stupid rulings against them which they can't challenge because they are no longer a sovereign nation that makes its own laws. The fact they are forcing the English to give prisoners the right to vote is a perfect example. I wonder how long it is till the MHKs sign the Isle of Man away to Europe.

[pongo]

The manufacturers are getting twitchy about this report and using their PR people to feed this back as an anti EU story. But industry leaders such as James Dyson have welcomed the report, as even the Telegraph item manages to point out.

 

"Vacuum cleaner input power ratings have increased markedly since the 1960s. However, the energy efficiency of vacuum cleaners has dropped over the years, in other words, more power does not necessarily equate to better cleaning."

 

The surprising thing which the report highlights is how hopelessly inefficient (ie poorly designed) many vacuum cleaners are. Who knew ?

 

Britain's current best selling upright bagged vacuum cleaner, the Hoover Pure Power, has a power rating of 2.1 kilowatts (kW) – about the same as a typical kettle.

[guzzi]

I have two Dysons, which already appear to be under the proposed limit. As I'm quite happy with the performance of these products, I don't have any worries about the proposed limitation. I also own an A++ fridge freezer, which does the same job with less energy than my old fridge freezer. Energy efficiency is a good thing, and this ought to stimulate manufacturers to innovate to do more with less energy.

 

Unlike Manx people, I have the benefit of a full British passport with residency rights in any EU country, something I value. I am thankful that the UK (not English) government is an EU member.

[John Wright]

For long term business development, economic well being and security and possibly, if we go tits up, subsidy, the sooner IOM is in the better

[ballaughbiker]

+1 JW

 

residency rights in any EU country

Hmm that's a bit of an oversold idea guzzi. It only works if you are reasonably healthy & wealthy. In reality, Manx born can of course live anywhere in the EU as well. (Now expects a chorus of why should we want to?....)

[John Wright]

what is wrong with prisoners having the right to vote, apart from the fact the MP's don't want them as constituents

 

Ignore the fact that voting rights, even in UK, are comparatively recent, 1832, and IOM 1866, and even then it was a property owning franchise, and its introduction was opposed by those who could vote previously everytime the franchise was extended, the only justification of the prohibition of prisoners voting is that we used to strip convicts of their entire civil rights, we called it outlawry, and this is its last hangover.

 

Prison is punishment by deprivation of liberty, not by deprivation of other rights. You can vote on probation, whilst doing community service and whilst on a suspended sentence.

 

If we are sincere in the wish to rehabilitate and release reformed persons at the end of their sentence who will not reoffend we should treat them as humans and not as outlaws or worse. Much crime is down to poor societal skills, especially education and literacy, better we traet humanely, educate and socialise and include in the affaisrs of society, whilst depriving liberty

 

Of course it has become a much larger problem as we have so substantially increased the prison population and imposed ever longer sentences on people who would be better of, for them and for society, left at liberty serving restorative and rehabilitative sentences in the community, self supporting, working and self accomodating and after the initial cost it would be cheaper, short and long term. Prison is more expensive per bed night than social or nursing care for the elderly

[guzzi]

JW agree totally with your comments about votes for prisoners. The song and dance by Cameron is just posing in a political beauty contest. BB OK, but it works for me. Perhaps I should have said residency and employment.

 

I'd be the first to agree that the EU has some crazy, wasteful elements (e.g.common fisheries policy) but I passionately believe that Europe must not return to competing nation states. That is one lesson that the 20th century should have taught every European citizen.

[manshimajin]

I passionately believe that Europe must not return to competing nation states. That is one lesson that the 20th century should have taught every European citizen.

As above.

 

The EU has brought a stability to Europe which it had not enjoyed for hundreds (thousands) of years. Island states are fortunate that they do not share borders - except Ireland and the UK and think what a thorn that has been over the years. The EU has brought real stability to borders.

 

The EU does have some odd bits of stupidity but very often the most stupid thing is the way that national public servants implement the rules. The French, for example, are much more laid back on the precise implementation of EU rules than the UK bureaucrats. Could it possible be that the problem in part lies in the psyche of UK public servants who believe everything in life must have a rule and if they see one implement it 110%?

[pongo]

manshimajin - is that perhaps rooted in the difference between the evolution of legal systems which are based on the spirit of the law vs legal systems which are based on the letter of the law?

[ballaughbiker]

Exaccerly manshim.

 

I retrained as a sparks a year or two back and the UK, Ireland and us changed our wiring colours used since the electricity was, on a EU directive. At the time many thought this change had safety implications as neutral colour of black became a live (phase) colour and blue originally a phase colour, became neutral. Brilliant! That was about 1998 I think and whilst we've all got used to it, it was a bit of a surprise to hear that France, that most EU of EU countries kept its phase colour as red (in fact it can be any colour except blue or green/yellow). OK I can hear you yawning already but it's a typical example of how the UK based its law to the letter of the directive and France and everyone else did what they liked and didn't get excited about it.

 

This rigid adherence to directives gives plenty and endless grist for the EU sceptic mill and tons of raw material for the Daily Wail. The EU has introduced much social harmonisation across its borders (although for some strange reason, central France is still very anti-german.)

[Ringwraith]

For long term business development, economic well being and security and possibly, if we go tits up, subsidy, the sooner IOM is in the better

 

Ha ha, are you serious? That's what the Irish said, and look at them now! Fool.

[John Wright]

and what has what the irish allowed to happen to their banks and building trade got to do with being in the EU exactly? How do you blame the EU, apart from the fact it bailed them out!

[manshimajin]

and what has what the irish allowed to happen to their banks and building trade got to do with being in the EU exactly? How do you blame the EU, apart from the fact it bailed them out!

This could start a long and seperate discussion!!!

 

To add some points and then duck for cover...

 

Interest rates for the euro are fundamentally set based on the needs of the biggest economies not the small ones - when increases in housing prices started to move too fast in Ireland Germany was recovering from an economically difficult period due to reunification of East and West. The euro rates were lowered to suit German needs whereas Ireland could have done with the ECB increasing rates to stem demand not reducing them to fuel it. Now Germany needs rates to go up to handle inflation whereas Ireland needs them kept low to stimulate economic recovery and to prevent more defaults (although latest news on the Irish balance of trade is excellent). So that is one way membership of the EU (and the eurozone) has impacted badly on Ireland.

 

Whilst the Irish guarantee to bondholders was irresponsible one of the reasons that Germany and France have been so eager to push money onto Ireland is that the alternative would be major problems in particular for German banks, which invested speculatively in Irish bank bonds. Better to put the problem of this investment onto Irish taxpayers than onto German shareholders. That does not excuse the utter incompetence of the Irish bankers - but it says that we should also recognise the utter incompetence of German bankers too. If Ireland had not been in the EU I guess it might have been able to default (may do so yet as there is really something of the order of euro 250 billion owing in terms of loans to the government and liquidity loans to Irish banks.)

 

Overall though I do think that the EU were taken in by the strength of the Irish economy, heaping praise on a government that was basically out of control. Maybe if someone elsewhere in the EU had had the moral strength to question what was going on things would have played out differently. Bertie had them all bamboozled!

[manshimajin]

manshimajin - is that perhaps rooted in the difference between the evolution of legal systems which are based on the spirit of the law vs legal systems which are based on the letter of the law?

But which one is which of Common law and the Napoleonic Code?

 

I wonder if it is more to do with the psyche of the two nations showing through in the way the populations and the public servants respond to EU legislation? I do think that the UK tends to create rules rather than rely on common sense decisions.n Much easier to say 'it's against the rules' than to say 'I'm going to make a judgement'. The former your 100% safe. The latter....uhhhh if I get it wrong I could be in trouble.

 

I remain suspicious that the EU is often (not always) the scapegoat for UK bureaucrats not using a bit of common sense.