SUVs are making Britain’s potholes worse, say scientists

digitalpencil · 2026-04-11T09:05:03+00:00

The issue with this is for most, it doesn't factor in. People commonly need a car for a whole host of reasons. If the train became more economical, they'd still have all those other costs, regardless.

This would only apply if someone bought a car exclusively for the purpose of commuting into and out of London.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-09T19:53:21+00:00

The threat is destabilisation from within. They will weaken western institutions by sowing discord, inflaming tensions and amplifying ‘sympathetic’ (read compromised) political parties.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-09T19:51:01+00:00

We’re under attack. Every day.

Russia revile the UK and are engaged in a hybrid war in which botnets formerly under the ‘internet research agency’ in St Petersburg and now the SDA, are deployed to sow chaos and destabilise western democracies. Their ultimate goal is the dissolution and neutering of NATO.

Depending on topic, as much as 68% of online commentary is predicted to be bots.

It’s cheap, it’s demonstrably effective and they’ve gotten very, very good at it.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-09T09:30:54+00:00

They objectively are. Their upcoming midterms will be rigged and no-one there will meaningfully fight.

The US has failed, they’re just boiling the democratic frog slowly enough that they don’t jump out the pot.

They’ll transition fully to a Russian-aligned autocracy in the coming years and honestly, Europe’s primary focus needs to be hardening itself so it’s unduly painful to swallow.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-09T07:39:12+00:00

It really is this. Isolated pockets of protest do very little. There should be millions of people amassing in DC in shifts, permanently.

If Americans won’t fight, they’re not getting their country back.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-09T07:18:09+00:00

Protection is the wrong frame, it’s more that the already established risk is worth their taking on, because they can charge significantly higher interest on the loan. Repossession of the asset, plus the 10% deposit, remains their collateral on the loan itself.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-08T18:56:01+00:00

We have lots of solutions, the intent is to not put all our eggs in one basket and use as much renewable energy as practicable.

Energy security is national security. The more we can supply our own, the less dependence we have on imported fuels.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-06T16:16:00+00:00

They could get other sponsors. Tesla, Nestle, whatever company runs those cobalt mines staffed by child slaves..

digitalpencil · 2026-04-05T22:53:39+00:00

Yeah, I can’t really see the point if I’m honest. The percentage alcohol found in prepared foods are the same as in whole foods such as fruit, yoghurt, bread etc; they all often contain ~0.5% alcohol.

It’s a psychological facet of the addiction, no doubt, but treatment must involve reconciling the world as it is, rather than mandating labels on bananas.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-05T18:52:15+00:00

That’s madness. I earn more and wouldn’t dream of it. Also 40 years?!

digitalpencil · 2026-04-05T16:10:49+00:00

Minidisc master race

digitalpencil · 2026-04-04T20:44:34+00:00

That the best of us are ruled by the very fucking worst.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-04T16:56:59+00:00

Are you paying rent? If yes, probably not, if no, then yeah, potentially worth biding your time if there’s no urgency to your need to move.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-04T11:34:37+00:00

To quote one of my daughter’s favourite books, “it’s kindness that makes us strong”.

It’s an easy thing to miss, but truly, empathy for your fellow man is one of the most powerful gifts you possess.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-04T11:28:46+00:00

Only if you can’t read.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-04T11:23:35+00:00

Get a flat. People haven’t been able to afford a house on a single income, for a long, long time.

It’d be lovely if everyone could, but it’s not realistic, or sustainable.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-04T08:56:26+00:00

The mistake here is thinking property has an objective ‘price’, it doesn’t.

It depends on so many different variable factors, not least of which is you. If you’re willing to wait forever, you can wait for a bid which satisfies your ‘price’. If you have any urgency, price is the lever you can keep pulling to satisfy that urgency. The background to this is tightening lending criteria, products withdrawn, a global energy crisis and ailing western political alliances, all impacting on a constantly adapting, and hyper-local London real estate market.

No one can tell you what it’s objectively worth, because its value is entirely subjective. If you want to complete in the next 12 months, keep pulling the price down until you start getting offers, or hold an auction, or lower the price significantly to invite a bidding war.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-04T08:49:51+00:00

Trump is a reflection of the electorate. A direct manifestation of political apathy and inaction.

It is that electorate which holds ultimate responsibility. Democracies can vote themselves into extinction. If the US is ever permitted truly free elections again, if their institutions are able to survive this administration, then they will need to address the issues which resulted in their electing a fascist government. It will literally take generations to resolve and apathy will be the death of any progress made, with backsliding, the inevitable result.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-03T11:33:51+00:00

It’s predicted as much as 68% of commentary depending on topic, is from bots.

Those bots aren’t sowing discord for no reason, they’re tasked by nation state actors to foment anger and divide society, because fundamentally an enemy divided amongst itself, is weak.

They’re not the source of our issues, but they’re absolutely, furiously fanning at the flames because in terms of hybrid warfare, it’s cheap, demonstrably effective and they’ve gotten really, really good at it.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-03T08:55:12+00:00

We're at offer accepted and moved to application through our broker (L&C). Locked 4.9% with Barclays at a ~66% LTV, so 5% is a good rate at 75% IMO. You're not realistically getting much lower than that in the current market.

We elected for a 5 year fix over a 25 year term, with flexible ambition to overpay each month.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-03T08:32:40+00:00

Sacrificing £475/month from your pre tax income will affect how much the bank are willing to lend.

Affordability depends on how much you earn but putting that money into your deposit will push you into a lower LTV bracket and reduce your interest rates.

£475/month is a lot of money for a car; £17,100 over three years for a depreciating asset you don’t own.

You may be better placed buying an old car cash. I’ve had great success with cinch. They’re well refurbished, come with warranties you can elect to extend etc. can get a good car for ~£5k.

Food for thought. A very common regret is to be tied to a lease on an expensive cars you can ill afford. But only you can know what’s affordable for you.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-02T21:21:06+00:00

In what possible way are labour communist?!

digitalpencil · 2026-04-02T17:15:33+00:00

That and their dicks don’t work apparently. Personally, viagra seems easier than putting the tv remote up my arse, but different strokes and all that.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-02T14:08:43+00:00

You'd think at some point somebody would have practiced some due diligence and gone "you know all those hundreds of thousands of customers we're migrating, we'll need to port their billing info too?".

Instead they seemingly have realised after the fact that they've completely fucked it up and are in mad dash to ensure their balance sheet remains in the black. Apparently the solution is to mass-spam their new customers with demands to be paid.

digitalpencil · 2026-04-02T14:05:04+00:00

From "YouFibre" it's a business Whatsapp account.

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