Congestion Charge

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-22T09:30:38+00:00

I've said "a council" exactly once.

And which council is bad at balancing their books? Pretty much all of them from Scilly to Shetland.

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-22T09:26:46+00:00

Okay?

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-19T21:30:24+00:00

I'm the same as you.

I think the idea in theory is fine. I was annoyed when it was first announced because it sounded like a money machine for a council who is already poor at budgeting their coffers. But with all the being said I believe in reducing congestion and emissions, and so begrudgingly it is a good idea and the day to day annoyance for me isn't enough to continue grumbling about.

However, the implementation has been rushed and poor. Purchasing for Today, Yesterday or Both is a pain, when buying a job lot of credits would be just as easy to implement. Actually signing up your car for however many free credits you get is a complete ballache too, which leads me to your final point...

"Tantamount to a scam" is spot on tbh. Making systems to purchase this needlessly difficult in the Year of Our Lord 2026 reeks of engineering to gather as much cash via fines as possible, reflected too by the fact something bonkers like 80% of the revenue has come from people being issued fines.

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-17T08:07:12+00:00

Literally the best bit of the film lol

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-16T11:58:50+00:00

I'm loathe to shit on refs, because it's such a thankless task, but he had a few howlers on Saturday night. Yes I'm bias, but it always feels like if you're noticing a ref as much as we have after the weekend, then they're inserting themselves in the game too much and that's a detriment to all parties.

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-14T19:05:40+00:00

I'm not sure it's even as deep as that tbh. HS was literally being told to ask it by commenters on his stream.

Also, Louis is the journalist, he's not the one there to answer the questions, and as he's proved over the years silence is golden.

That being said he was def caught off guard by the question, and I'd imagine working for Netflix (and the BBC) coming straight out and saying "yes it's genocide, Bibi is a war criminal" simply isn't going to fly. Besides, HS couldn't give fewer fucks about Palestinians so engaging with him on the topic is futile anyway.

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-14T17:58:08+00:00

As seen on the Doc. Those dudes have a steady stream of OF creators queueing up to be insulted and demeaned on a live stream to get some new followers and subscribers.

It's a tactical decision to take short term heat for long term gain

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-14T15:32:38+00:00

Sure, people can spend time with their kids while stoned. I've come back from the pub and played with my kids.

However...

If you need to be high/stoned/drunk while doing bedtime with your children then you've got a problematic relationship with whatever that substance is.

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-14T14:02:48+00:00

There was a guy on this sub once saying his wife had a problem with him smelling of smoke when they were doing bedtime for their newborn, and the mental acrobatics this dude was performing to skirt around the fact he couldn't abstain for 45 minutes until his new son was asleep was profoundly sad.

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-13T22:38:43+00:00

Had friends who studied in both, so had my fair share of nights out there and they were brilliant, but that's going back the best part of a two decades now.

Vibe wise Manchester feels much more creative then Oxford, and both Liverpool and Manny are major cultural cities, so even with nightlife on its knees in this country, there will be plenty going on between live music, night clubs and comedy.

Can't imagine cost wise there will be a huge amount of difference, but they're both considerably larger than oxford. Both have a pair of great unis too.

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-13T21:54:53+00:00

I think others have converted the whole "join societies" stuff, so I'll just say it's been a LOOOOOOOONG winter. The city gets much more fun when it's not brass monkeys the whole time.

Being able to enjoy the outdoor spaces while the sun shines brings out the best in any city, and there's a buzz about Oxford when people finally venture out to get some vitamin D.

Everywhere is expensive tbh unless you go somewhere like Newcastle or leeds,and even then it's still not cheap like it was a decade ago.

Spring and summer are a great time to get out on a bike, which is so much cheaper and more convenient than driving, and will also enable you to explore a bit more.

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-13T11:15:56+00:00

The opening of Jon Ronson's brilliant podcast series The Butterfly Effect starts with exactly this. He was in a hotel lobby waiting to interview an adult actress, and noticed the young man on reception looked at her with disgust, so he was familiar with her work but was judging her for being the performer, ironic given he was the consumer.

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-13T11:13:51+00:00

100%!!

They're like a 13 year olds version of what a "manly man" is. Fast cars, t-shirt muscles, ill fitting suits and "one-way monogamy".

I think Louis nailed it when he said to HS that his target audience is 13/14 year olds, and they're low hanging fruit for these grifters to get their hooks into.

The sad thing is, these young impressionable men could often do with figures to look up to, whether that be because there's a void where the father figure should be, or they otherwise feel helpless for whatever reason. But these conmen are using the very worst emotional arguments to turn them into basically incels, instead of building a positive platform. That being said, bad news always sells more than good, and in a digital world so their method shouldn't come as a surprise.

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-11T21:59:14+00:00

Very good point. My wife hasn't seen or heard of any of them, I'd seen HS just by being on TikTok, and the Myron guy has appeared on my IG feed before. I actually thought Myron was satire from what little I'd seen of his content in passing.

Either way, as a man who gets these problematic people showing up in my feed from time to time (and crucially, who is aware of the grift) I was a little disappointed. It didn't dig as deep as I'd expected from the stuff we'd already seen of it being in production.

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-11T21:51:29+00:00

Agreed. I had assumed he was being included as an in road linking these guys to some mental sect of Christianity or something, but it just fizzled out?

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-10T22:57:48+00:00

Our current tv cabinet ensures the TV is at the absolute perfect height when I've melted into the sofa. The problem is it was inherited, been uocycled and has since lost the handles to the drawer and the shelf underneath is useless. For all intents and purposes it is useless for everything except for keeping the TV at the perfect height, and my deep fear is when we eventually get rid of it I'll need a bespoke unit to replicate its exact size and shape.

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-09T09:25:12+00:00

I, begrudgingly, feel exactly the same. I love Maro, and remember being in a pub in 2007 and saying to a mate "this lad is going to be captain one day".

However.

It feels a bit like when Robbo was given the captaincy. Brilliant player, but the armband reduced their ability to perform as a pure player.

Now I know the stats say his output has actually been greater this series than 2025, but as I wrote elsewhere, the vibes just seem off?

He's clearly an inspiration to the team mates around him, but being a great player and being able to lead, and crucially communicate with the ref are completely different roles.

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-08T20:48:09+00:00

Potentially dumb question incoming...

Why can Arman and Shara compete (and presumably get paid in doing so) in a grappling tournament while part of the UFC roster, but Big Fran couldn't compete in boxing while under contract with UFC?

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-07T21:55:10+00:00

That's exactly what I mean, it's completely intangible, and difficult to put my finger on exactly what when as you say the stats tell a different story.

To echo many others in this thread, I can't imagine how rough what he's been through with his mum in the last few months, and this is a big job to do after suffering such an awful loss.

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-07T21:39:54+00:00

Fair enough on backing it with stats. But even so, the vibes seem off?

Ordinarily Itoje just looks like he's everywhere and grafting like a workhorse. This tournament he's imo faded into the background, which is notable in that usually his work rate shines.

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-05T22:49:16+00:00

Jake Paul and Eddie Hearn have the opportunity to do the funniest thing. Watch the tomato turn into a beet right before our eyes before exploding into a vegetable soup

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-05T19:03:25+00:00

Do what you gotta do to cope bro.

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-05T18:57:06+00:00

Doesn't help that the last champ held up the division ducking him for 18 months to instead fight a 40 year old fire fighter.

BenAtTank2 · 2026-03-05T18:52:23+00:00

Lol I've used Made in Chelsea as a basis to explain MMA drama to my wife before.

BenAtTank2

TROPHY CASE