‘Tis indeed, y’bilge rats!

Ahem…Arrr!

What has that to do with talking like a pirate, arr?

I interviewed an old chap, years ago, who had been in the Royal Navy in WWII and served on board a gunboat; his vessel had been sunk and he was recovered by the Italians somewhere in the Greek Islands. He joked that the worst part of his incarceration was, having had to discard most of his own clothing whilst in the water, being re-equipped with British Army uniform that had been captured in North Africa. There is apparently some difference between the salute that the navy gives and that of the army, so he was forever being given a dressing down for not giving the correct salute by pongo officers…

How will they know that a vehicle is taxed? Will it be a case of the police getting lucky and catching a passing untaxed car on their registration number recognition cameras (if it is one of the motoring cops so equipped) or is there going to be (but maybe there already is?) a network of similar cameras positioned to catch untaxed vehicles all around the country?

Yes, ANPR cameras will be the main weapon in detecting untaxed, uninsured and untested vehicles. I’ve got no problem with that; it is about time these vehicles and their owners were chased off the roads.

Really? Let us hope that the address on record is the same as the vehicles usual location, since those without tax, insurance and/or MoT might also have ‘forgotten’ where they live…

I have noticed more fixed roadside cameras that are clearly not designed to catch speeding; maybe these are for catching untaxed vehicles?

Me too, but when comparing a fixed camera that is alongside a Gatso I wonder whether it is nothing more than a traffic counter: it is not as big (you’d assume that they’d need to provide similar proof to that required from the speed camera, yet it is nowhere near as big; not a great problem I’d imagine, since the tech has probably shrunk enough to be able to provide such evidence, but worth thinking about), and it appears to be fixed and without the ability to have physical content (drive, cards or whatever) removed and replaced – might it dispatch info wirelessly without need for hard attachment?

Listening to local radio phone-ins is fantastic for those who want a laugh.

Apparently anyone who takes their tax disc off display, from their windscreen, has something to hide and needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law!

(In the same show: “I’m not saying that all Muslims should be locked away in prison camps, but…” and “prepaid benefits cards should only be allowed to be used for the purpose of basic foodstuffs and any attempt to purchase a luxury item should see a percentage reduction deducted from the following weeks allowance so that they understand the value of money…“. I tell you, local radio phone-ins are an excellent way to hear the base fears and xenophobic tendencies of your generic Little Englanders!)

Most here know my opinions on Clarkson.

Indeed, me too, yet while I hate to drag myself into a Top Gear thread…for what reason did they feel the need to ship three old cars (presumably) from Britain to South America? Are there no old cars in Argentina, which would have been cheaper to buy and dispose of after filming was finished?
I have to say that Clarkson and co have brought it upon themselves: their previous actions (I’m guessing that Top Gear is broadcast in Argentina) cause people to believe the kind of stupidity that makes coincidence seem unlikely. Is it actually possible that, for example, the whole episode would have gone off without some quip about the Falklands war because that is the sort of thing that you can imagine them joking about, complete with knowing glances to the camera and their trademark schoolboy smirks…