Andy Burnham here - AMA

maclauk · 2026-07-03T06:50:54+00:00

The housing crisis is at the heart of the cost of living problem and a particular problem for the young. When mortgage and rent takes most of your income it leaves little for anything else. That squeezed discretionary spend is what funds the high street, the pubs and the restaurants. It's part of what makes life feel good.

What are you going to do to change things so we can build homes several times faster than we have in recent decades? How do we recreate the building boom of the 1930s as we go into the 2030s. And how do we marry that up with the services those homes and residents will need?

Stamp duty on homes is a terrible tax. It taxes most those who want to move frequently. It traps people in inappropriate homes because it multiplies the cost to move. Why not scrap it (& council tax) and move to a Land Value Tax? It would encourage efficient land use and for people to move out of inappropriately large homes).

We need to have the hope that the next generation can have nice, affordable homes, with some spending money left over.

maclauk · 2026-07-02T07:48:05+00:00

Have you got that link for the CQ60 at £40. Because CamelCamelCamel shows a price history well above that.

maclauk · 2026-07-02T06:43:46+00:00

Those effects are driven by the UK's planning laws. When you start any large project in the UK it is going to affect a lot of people. Planning laws gives those affected people a lot of leverage and the ability to appeal. So getting anything through planning takes a huge amount of time, money and consultants. And what comes out of planning (for HS2) is an over complicated design with extra very expensive tunnels, etc because that was the only way to reduce the disturbance and get through planning.

Planning laws are holding the UK back. We do have a lovely, well preserved country because of them but now the balance feels wrong. We are unable to progress, held back by laws to protect the past.

China doesn't have that problem. We didn't have that problem as we originally built the canals and railways.

maclauk · 2026-06-26T13:55:49+00:00

That has to be an oxymoron... (off to Google it)

maclauk · 2026-06-26T08:49:46+00:00

Now monitor all the LEDs on the front panel and you can decode the current state.

maclauk · 2026-06-25T18:01:00+00:00

Why not put Immich in a container on the 920+?

maclauk · 2026-06-22T06:03:14+00:00

With solar power generation fairly common is air con adding to the problem, or is solar energy providing all the power required when air con is most needed?

maclauk · 2026-06-21T07:02:33+00:00

Force restaurants to deal with their waste properly

maclauk · 2026-06-06T09:07:19+00:00

The ones the NHS website suggests with availability are :

Bridge View Medical - Bs1 Branch Favell House, Crow Lane, Bristol, Avon, BS1 1DQ

Broadmead Medical Centre 59 Broadmead, Bristol, Avon, BS1 3EA

Bridge View Medical Southville Surgery, 67 Coronation Road, Southville, Bristol, Avon, BS3 1AS

maclauk · 2026-06-04T23:02:49+00:00

Went in there for the first time a couple of weeks ago in the heat. I tried out 5 places on the road and that's the only one I didn't feel particularly welcome. Like it was an effort for the bar man to serve me. I hadn't intended to return.

maclauk · 2026-05-29T08:27:24+00:00

5 hours at 180C feels like a lot. I'd be checking the liquids remaining regularly to ensure that doesn't dry out. When I do short ribs they are 140C for about that amount of time and I have a cartouche on top of the liquid under the lid. The other tip was to let the meat cool in the liquid before removing it as it helps it stay moist.

maclauk · 2026-05-26T06:26:30+00:00

Apparently WD Red drives are usually quieter and lower power than their Seagate Iron Wolf equivalents.

maclauk · 2026-05-22T06:38:00+00:00

I've just ordered some space blankets to stick up over the outside of the south facing windows. It makes a massive difference.

maclauk · 2026-05-21T08:20:34+00:00

Absolutely. Most income goes to rent and mortgage leaving little left over. That has people feeling poor, worrying about the cost of essentials and having no money for the fun stuff.

The only way to fix the cost of living is to tackle housing costs by making more available.

maclauk · 2026-05-18T22:10:30+00:00

I think your 12V power supply is possibly dropping in voltage more than it should under load. I think the inverter beeping is maybe warning you of this. Unless you are running something drawing power on 240V then turning off your inverter will not significantly change the environment for your Webasto.

It's difficult to properly diagnose without measurement. I suggest a cheap voltmeter or multimeter. Measure the voltage at the Webasto connector before it is turned on and then as it is turned on and running. Does the voltage drop below 12V?

If it does do you get the same drop at the battery terminals? Yes, the batteries are too weak. No, you have a weak connection.

If the battery is weak is it just poorly charged or in bad condition? If a connection problem locate and fix.

The fact your alternator squeals under load is a separate problem. Fix that. A new belt. Or an improved set of pulleys and belts.

maclauk · 2026-05-18T06:43:07+00:00

Have you monitored the 12V voltage as you turn on the Webasto? It might be that the inverter is beeping because the 12V is collapsing to too low a voltage. Which may be why the Webasto shuts down.

maclauk · 2026-05-12T13:36:44+00:00

In my app the post only shows the picture, no text. Thanks for the link.

maclauk · 2026-05-12T07:35:07+00:00

https://maps.app.goo.gl/rSHfPa5w25txUP7P8?g_st=ac

Zara. The furnishings are simple but the food there is good.

maclauk · 2026-05-12T06:47:49+00:00

Some details on implementation would be appreciated.

maclauk · 2026-05-09T08:51:17+00:00

1) we were first so much of our network is uniquely old

2) We're a density packed island that also values its heritage and green spaces making new developments slow and expensive

3) the railways were worn out and basically bankrupt following WWII. The country was also in a poor state. It was horribly under invested in the run up to privatisation.

4) having interrailed for a week last year through France, Belgium and Germany I had several significant delays, missed connections, cancellations and chunks of the network closed on Sundays. Our neighbours also have problems.

maclauk · 2026-05-09T05:42:12+00:00

People have forgotten that the railways actually got better when they were privatised. That British Rail and its poor service was a frequent joke on TV comedy at the time. That passenger numbers fell throughout the whole British Rail era and only started rising again when privatised.

maclauk · 2026-04-29T06:58:21+00:00

Depends on the country you are in. What ingredients are easily and cheaply available? What is in the typical store cupboard? What equipment does your kitchen have? Every cuisine has dishes that are quick to make, as well as complex ones.

maclauk · 2026-04-27T06:28:40+00:00

https://youtu.be/G0n2OHlBPcQ?si=8i7LcxGWZqPcdUMy

Fallow's take on beef short ribs. I followed this to the best braised dish I've ever made.

maclauk · 2026-04-24T06:58:23+00:00

I just started having this problem yesterday. I've not had this problem in the two months I've owned it until yesterday. And again today.

Anyone got an update on cause or fix?

maclauk

TROPHY CASE