All is not well in the UK's Socialist Utopia

[JimC]

Plugs attached and usually fused/sealed shut. Nanny state madness to me.

Meaning you get a few less house fires each year , items work out of the box against a few pence on top an item?,

Sounds reasonable to me, doesn't matter if you can wire a plug or not, if your neighbour can't and his house goes up in flames

Actually, in this I agree with you. Too many cases of "the cause of the fire was established to be faulty wiring"

Evidence that this is the case please? Intuition won't do it!

I demand my right to burn my house down seeing as how I'm not allowed to shoot people in the UK!

Can't quote stats, but many newspaper and TV reports about house fires locally point to faulty firing being the likely cause...

Of course, some of this may well be down to shonky electricians, particularly in the past, if the wiring is old...

I might try a simple repair on an extension cord I might use in the shed, if it just needs a wire re-attached to a terminal...

But I do not want to be the one confusing active and neutral. I'll leave that to someone I can sue if he stuffs it up...

[MrJonno]

I, on the other hand, improvise, adapt and overcome because I spend my life learning how to do things like plumbing, electrical work, welding, shooting, carpentry, masonry, concrete-laying, horse doctoring, delivering calves, fixing tractors and trucks, growing crops, slaughtering animals, gutting and deboning and preparing said animals, hunting, fishing, flying, shooting, taking photographs, building radios, installing antenna systems, tactical movement and fieldcraft and a thousand other things I've troubled myself to learn how to do because when it comes to the narrow passage, I want to not just survive, I want to thrive

Fat lot of good that will do if you are living on the 15th floor of a block of flats, humanity is urban these days and is becoming more urban by the day. Most of us left rural life behind centuries ago and good riddance. I prefer to know the bus timetable its far more useful than knowing 'tactical movement'

[Thinking Aloud]

I might try a simple repair on an extension cord I might use in the shed, if it just needs a wire re-attached to a terminal...

But I do not want to be the one confusing active and neutral. I'll leave that to someone I can sue if he stuffs it up...

Until a few years ago, over here, it was OK for you to install a new light fitting, or switch, or even wall socket in your own home - I think only those installations in 'wet' rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens needed anything official. The rules changed, and now just about any and every electrical alteration more complex than changing a light bulb has to be signed off by a certified someone - you can do the work yourself, if you know what you're doing (I'm competent enough to do sockets, switches and lights), but you still need the sign off from someone with a certificate. And it costs almost as much to get someone in to sign off the work as it would be to get them in to do the work, so there goes another self-sufficiency...

(At the time the new regs came in, the official colours of cabling changed, so it's easy to see what was done before and after. Unless, of course, you stockpiled the old cabling...)

[pErvinalia]

Plugs attached and usually fused/sealed shut. Nanny state madness to me.

Meaning you get a few less house fires each year , items work out of the box against a few pence on top an item?,

Sounds reasonable to me, doesn't matter if you can wire a plug or not, if your neighbour can't and his house goes up in flames

Actually, in this I agree with you. Too many cases of "the cause of the fire was established to be faulty wiring"

Evidence that this is the case please? Intuition won't do it!

I demand my right to burn my house down seeing as how I'm not allowed to shoot people in the UK!

NZ has less deaths by electrical mishaps per capita than Australia does, despite using the same electrical standards as us but allowing it's citizens to do their own wiring, light and socket installations.

[Collector1337]

I, on the other hand, improvise, adapt and overcome because I spend my life learning how to do things like plumbing, electrical work, welding, shooting, carpentry, masonry, concrete-laying, horse doctoring, delivering calves, fixing tractors and trucks, growing crops, slaughtering animals, gutting and deboning and preparing said animals, hunting, fishing, flying, shooting, taking photographs, building radios, installing antenna systems, tactical movement and fieldcraft and a thousand other things I've troubled myself to learn how to do because when it comes to the narrow passage, I want to not just survive, I want to thrive

Fat lot of good that will do if you are living on the 15th floor of a block of flats, humanity is urban these days and is becoming more urban by the day. Most of us left rural life behind centuries ago and good riddance. I prefer to know the bus timetable its far more useful than knowing 'tactical movement'

I'm grateful I've never had to know a bus timetable.

Like swimming, or any other life saving skill, tactical movement is valuable.

But, not for you. You'd just lay down and die. I laugh at you.

Should I feel bad for you if anything bad ever happens to you? Or, should I shake my head, knowing you were too stupid to save yourself?

[pErvinalia]

Plugs attached and usually fused/sealed shut. Nanny state madness to me.

Meaning you get a few less house fires each year , items work out of the box against a few pence on top an item?,

Sounds reasonable to me, doesn't matter if you can wire a plug or not, if your neighbour can't and his house goes up in flames

Actually, in this I agree with you. Too many cases of "the cause of the fire was established to be faulty wiring"

Evidence that this is the case please? Intuition won't do it!

I demand my right to burn my house down seeing as how I'm not allowed to shoot people in the UK!

Can't quote stats, but many newspaper and TV reports about house fires locally point to faulty firing being the likely cause...

Of course, some of this may well be down to shonky electricians, particularly in the past, if the wiring is old...

I think most of it is because of old wiring. That's what electricians have told me about these things when I had them investigate the failing wiring in my 60's Queenslander.

[pErvinalia]

I, on the other hand, improvise, adapt and overcome because I spend my life learning how to do things like plumbing, electrical work, welding, shooting, carpentry, masonry, concrete-laying, horse doctoring, delivering calves, fixing tractors and trucks, growing crops, slaughtering animals, gutting and deboning and preparing said animals, hunting, fishing, flying, shooting, taking photographs, building radios, installing antenna systems, tactical movement and fieldcraft and a thousand other things I've troubled myself to learn how to do because when it comes to the narrow passage, I want to not just survive, I want to thrive

Fat lot of good that will do if you are living on the 15th floor of a block of flats, humanity is urban these days and is becoming more urban by the day. Most of us left rural life behind centuries ago and good riddance. I prefer to know the bus timetable its far more useful than knowing 'tactical movement'

Have you ever been in a city during a disaster? I was in Brisbane in Australia during the big floods a couple of years ago. Major access routes where blocked, and electricity was out in some places, for up to 4 or 5 days. In that time, the city ground to a halt. People were seriously running out of food and milk etc, and even if you could drive anywhere, petrol was becoming scarce. Living in a city it is even MORE important to have a personal disaster management plan of sorts. Things go pear shaped in big cities VERY quickly.

[pErvinalia]

I might try a simple repair on an extension cord I might use in the shed, if it just needs a wire re-attached to a terminal...

But I do not want to be the one confusing active and neutral. I'll leave that to someone I can sue if he stuffs it up...

Until a few years ago, over here, it was OK for you to install a new light fitting, or switch, or even wall socket in your own home - I think only those installations in 'wet' rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens needed anything official. The rules changed, and now just about any and every electrical alteration more complex than changing a light bulb has to be signed off by a certified someone - you can do the work yourself, if you know what you're doing (I'm competent enough to do sockets, switches and lights), but you still need the sign off from someone with a certificate. And it costs almost as much to get someone in to sign off the work as it would be to get them in to do the work, so there goes another self-sufficiency...

(At the time the new regs came in, the official colours of cabling changed, so it's easy to see what was done before and after. Unless, of course, you stockpiled the old cabling...)

My feeling on this is that it's not a life saving measure, but actually shonky capitalism. Essentially force people to undertake economic activity, as a way to inflate an economy. I simply can't believe that there are significant numbers of people like Jonno in our political systems that want a nanny state to that extent.

[MrJonno]

Best personal disaster management plan in a city is going to be stay of the streets. To feed millions in a city going to hell you are going to need a hell of a lot more than a personal action plan you are going to need martial law. Basically government rationing at gun point. If its that bad the army/government doesn't exist anymore well you're dead anyway so why worry

[Thinking Aloud]

I might try a simple repair on an extension cord I might use in the shed, if it just needs a wire re-attached to a terminal...

But I do not want to be the one confusing active and neutral. I'll leave that to someone I can sue if he stuffs it up...

Until a few years ago, over here, it was OK for you to install a new light fitting, or switch, or even wall socket in your own home - I think only those installations in 'wet' rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens needed anything official. The rules changed, and now just about any and every electrical alteration more complex than changing a light bulb has to be signed off by a certified someone - you can do the work yourself, if you know what you're doing (I'm competent enough to do sockets, switches and lights), but you still need the sign off from someone with a certificate. And it costs almost as much to get someone in to sign off the work as it would be to get them in to do the work, so there goes another self-sufficiency...

(At the time the new regs came in, the official colours of cabling changed, so it's easy to see what was done before and after. Unless, of course, you stockpiled the old cabling...)

My feeling on this is that it's not a life saving measure, but actually shonky capitalism. Essentially force people to undertake economic activity, as a way to inflate an economy. I simply can't believe that there are significant numbers of people like Jonno in our political systems that want a nanny state to that extent.

That's kinda my view on it too. Whatever I do, I have to spend extra money somewhere to achieve the same goal, be it hiring someone to do the work, hiring someone to sign off my work, or paying to get certified myself.

[MrJonno]

My feeling on this is that it's not a life saving measure, but actually shonky capitalism. Essentially force people to undertake economic activity, as a way to inflate an economy. I simply can't believe that there are significant numbers of people like Jonno in our political systems that want a nanny state to that extent.

What % of the population would feel confident in wiring a plug, I honestly don't know but its getting pretty rate for anyone to do it these days. You could have mass education in how to wire a plug or you could adjust your society where that becomes a rare , specialised and mostly forgotten skill. You think its worthwhile spending money on ensuring everyone knows how to milk a cow. Sure a few people need to know how to do it but millions get real?

[Thinking Aloud]

My feeling on this is that it's not a life saving measure, but actually shonky capitalism. Essentially force people to undertake economic activity, as a way to inflate an economy. I simply can't believe that there are significant numbers of people like Jonno in our political systems that want a nanny state to that extent.

What % of the population would feel confident in wiring a plug, I honestly don't know but its getting pretty rate for anyone to do it these days. You could have mass education in how to wire a plug or you could adjust your society where that becomes a rare , specialised and mostly forgotten skill. You think its worthwhile spending money on ensuring everyone knows how to milk a cow. Sure a few people need to know how to do it but millions get real?

Every house in the UK has wall sockets and plugs. Not every house has a cow. It's a matter of useful practicalities - if every house had a cow, then everyone knowing how to milk it would be a distinct advantage.

Mind you, having seen people step into a revolving door and not know what to do next when it doesn't automatically turn for them, I guess I can see the future.

[Collector1337]

I, on the other hand, improvise, adapt and overcome because I spend my life learning how to do things like plumbing, electrical work, welding, shooting, carpentry, masonry, concrete-laying, horse doctoring, delivering calves, fixing tractors and trucks, growing crops, slaughtering animals, gutting and deboning and preparing said animals, hunting, fishing, flying, shooting, taking photographs, building radios, installing antenna systems, tactical movement and fieldcraft and a thousand other things I've troubled myself to learn how to do because when it comes to the narrow passage, I want to not just survive, I want to thrive

Fat lot of good that will do if you are living on the 15th floor of a block of flats, humanity is urban these days and is becoming more urban by the day. Most of us left rural life behind centuries ago and good riddance. I prefer to know the bus timetable its far more useful than knowing 'tactical movement'

Have you ever been in a city during a disaster? I was in Brisbane in Australia during the big floods a couple of years ago. Major access routes where blocked, and electricity was out in some places, for up to 4 or 5 days. In that time, the city ground to a halt. People were seriously running out of food and milk etc, and even if you could drive anywhere, petrol was becoming scarce. Living in a city it is even MORE important to have a personal disaster management plan of sorts. Things go pear shaped in big cities VERY quickly.

^ This.

As soon as the buses stop running, he'd probably just curl up into the fetal position and die because he wouldn't know what to do after the nanny state failed to take care of him.

[MrJonno]

As soon as the buses stop running, he'd probably just curl up into the fetal position and die because he wouldn't know what to do after the nanny state failed to take care of him

If the buses stop working I will go home (100 metres away) and work from the internet (which I have done before). If the internet stops working I don't have a job and as this forum won't be around what would be the point in living?

[JimC]

I, on the other hand, improvise, adapt and overcome because I spend my life learning how to do things like plumbing, electrical work, welding, shooting, carpentry, masonry, concrete-laying, horse doctoring, delivering calves, fixing tractors and trucks, growing crops, slaughtering animals, gutting and deboning and preparing said animals, hunting, fishing, flying, shooting, taking photographs, building radios, installing antenna systems, tactical movement and fieldcraft and a thousand other things I've troubled myself to learn how to do because when it comes to the narrow passage, I want to not just survive, I want to thrive

Fat lot of good that will do if you are living on the 15th floor of a block of flats, humanity is urban these days and is becoming more urban by the day. Most of us left rural life behind centuries ago and good riddance. I prefer to know the bus timetable its far more useful than knowing 'tactical movement'

Have you ever been in a city during a disaster? I was in Brisbane in Australia during the big floods a couple of years ago. Major access routes where blocked, and electricity was out in some places, for up to 4 or 5 days. In that time, the city ground to a halt. People were seriously running out of food and milk etc, and even if you could drive anywhere, petrol was becoming scarce. Living in a city it is even MORE important to have a personal disaster management plan of sorts. Things go pear shaped in big cities VERY quickly.

I think that's very true. I must re-visit ours, which is a bit basic, and stock up on a few staples.

I'll still call the electrician for anything electrical, though...