I dare say the EU are responsible for the fact I can no longer buy 40/60w softone bulbs for love nor money.
Yes I've tried the expensive Philps energy saver alternatives = FU to the EU.
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There seem to be some on eBay without too much trouble. There's a load of nasty cfl things here but some traditional ones too.
www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/softone-light-bulbs
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>>There seem to be some on eBay without too much trouble. There's a load of nasty cfl things here but some traditional ones too.
S'funny how they didn't show up when I did a search recently for '40w softone bulbs' obviously the 40w bit put the mokkers on it for some strange reason.
Thanks for that Cc, I never realised I could get pastel-coloured low-energy jobbies.
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>> I use these:
>>
>> www.diy.com/nav/decor/lighting/light-bulbs/led_bulbs/-brand-Diall/Diall-LED-GLS-60W-Equivalent-Light-Bulb-13238650
>>
>> Excellent light quality, two of them easily light a big room.
>>
Interesting that nowhere in this link does it specify how many watts it actually uses!
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>>I use these:
www.diy.com/nav/decor/lighting/light-bulbs/led_bulbs/-brand-Diall/Diall-LED-GLS-60W-Equivalent-Light-Bulb-13238650
I've yet to buy any LED's funnily enough, apart from the twig lights in the inglenook.
I like soft subbed lighting in the lounge which (A) is better for watching a Plasma TV and (B) its a trifle flattering to the missus sans makeup.
:}
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>> = FU to the EU.
>>
Count me in for some of that
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But Dutch plates are also "out of step" with the visual similarity of many EU plates - different format, and yellow back and front. Ditto Luxembourg. Living in the middle of Europe as I do and seeing so may different plates, it's quite clear that there is only a visual similarity between the different countries, the detail is often quite different.
And the administration is quite different. Here in Austria, plates are owner-based, not car based. And the knock-on effect is that if you move house to another administrative district, you get new plates with a different registration number. And you can own several vehicles with the same registration number, but only use one at a time (you only get one set of plates and you move them between vehicles).
Real harmonisation would be a nightmare!
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>> Real harmonisation would be a nightmare!
>>
Hasn't ever stopped them before!
8o)
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Who gives a stuff what UK Number plates look like? I mean, really who cares?
I agree that the EU needs to find something better to do with its time, but I suspect that this might be media sensationalism. There seem to be an awful lot of "may", "could" and "might" in the articles, which seem to have become firm more definite in the headlines.
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>> Who gives a stuff what UK Number plates look like?
People who live in the UK? :)
Nah, doesn't bother me.
Last edited by: Focusless on Thu 10 Apr 14 at 12:31
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What's to get het up about?
In my lifetime we've had five different formats of plates:-
123 ABC and 1234 AB
ABC 123 and AB 1234
ABC 123 A
A 123 ABC
AB 12 ABC
Three different colour formats:-
Silver on black
White on black
Black on white front, Black on yellow rear
As far as I'm concerned it's no big deal.
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Doesn't matter to me either - I can't see them when I am driving.
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I agree that the EU needs to find something better to do with its time, but I suspect that this might be media sensationalism. There seem to be an awful lot of "may", "could" and "might" in the articles, which seem to have become firm more definite in the headlines.
The paper in the link delights in anti-Europe articles and slants. If you read the article carefully you'll see the base directive is reasonable, but this is one persons possible amendment.
Not saying we don't need to watch out for such things though.
Last edited by: Slidingpillar on Thu 10 Apr 14 at 13:13
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Don't be silly SP, I mean why would we need UKIPs if all this stuff in the Express and Mail wasn't true and exactly as presented?
Oh, hang on.............
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>> Who gives a stuff what UK Number plates look like?
>>
A Dyfed-Powys police officer (whose parents were almost certainly unacquainted) was so concerned the other week about what my number plate looked like that he charged me the princely sum of £100 for the privilege of conforming to the recognised standard.
I sincerely hope that he goes through life finding all toilet doors permanently locked against him.
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you didn't know the rules?
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>> you didn't know the rules?
>>
Of course I knew the rules. I also know that a police officer is allowed to use his discretion and issue a ticket ordering me to get it changed within 14 days, without financial penalty for a first offence.
Hence my annoyance.
For the record, the plate was by no means illegible, and it ain't a private plate either.
Last edited by: Harleyman on Sat 12 Apr 14 at 18:22
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>> >> you didn't know the rules?
>> >>
>>
>> Of course I knew the rules. I also know that a police officer is allowed
>> to use his discretion and issue a ticket ordering me to get it changed within
>> 14 days, without financial penalty for a first offence.
>>
>> Hence my annoyance.
>>
>> For the record, the plate was by no means illegible, and it ain't a private
>> plate either.
>>
You didn't fail the attitude test, did you?
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>> You didn't fail the attitude test, did you?
>>
Absolutely not. Thanks to years of training in the army, as a recruitment consultant, transport manager and HGV driver (all of which offer good experience in the art of dealing with total sphincters) and also by dint of the fact that I'm a very nice bloke anyway, I have perfected the ability to be civil and co-operative towards members of this country's law enforcement agents. Even if I do think they're being complete twonks. ;-)
Incidentally, I was down at the Swansea H-D dealership today (first anniversary open day so free tea and cake) and was discussing this with a bike cop from the South Wales force.
He asked me the same question, and when I told him I'd been OK with his colleague he opined that the bloke had been a bit OTT in his opinion.
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Maybe I'm missing something but doesn't the company that supplied the plate have a duty to make sure they comply with the current regs, and if they don't shouldn't they being paying your fine.
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>> Maybe I'm missing something but doesn't the company that supplied the plate have a duty
>> to make sure they comply with the current regs, and if they don't shouldn't they
>> being paying your fine.
>>
The plate I had (approximately 3/4 of the prescribed size) is sold as a "show plate" and people who supply them do tend to show a caveat that they are not intended for show use. I bought mine like that so I did so at my own risk.
Just so's you all know; many bikers have these slightly smaller plates, most of which are no smaller than the perfectly legal ones fitted to pre-1973 machinery. The main reason is that the "official" size of plate is now disproportionately large and to be honest looks plain silly; it's not just for aesthetic reasons on many Harleys though because the plate is fixed at the bottom rather than hanging down, and it's easy to catch your foot on the darned thing as you get on the bike.
If I had been using these plates to avoid detection from speed traps etc then I'd understand the police actions. As it is, it just strikes me as heavy-handed officiousness which is completely counter-productive, as it disinclines a normally willing citizen from going out of their way to assist the police in future.
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Ok, so you knowingly and deliberatley bought and fitted an illegal plate. Was this done on the assumption that a: the law does not apply to you, b: you didn't think anyone would notice c: you assumed you would get away with it when stopped?
Had you been given a warning, would you have gone out and bought and fitted a legal plate?
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I did that as well....bought and used an undersized plate on a bike of mine for years....makes me a marginally bad person....I was threatened with a ticket from a Traffic Cop....unlike Harelyman I wasn't nice with him.
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>> Ok, so you knowingly and deliberatley bought and fitted an illegal plate. Was this done
>> on the assumption that a: the law does not apply to you, b: you didn't
>> think anyone would notice c: you assumed you would get away with it when stopped?
>>
>> Had you been given a warning, would you have gone out and bought and fitted
>> a legal plate?
>>
>>
>>
>>
You do come over as overweeningly pompous sometimes Z. Presumably you never break or even bend the law, glass houses and stones etc. Next time you're on walkabout, have a look at how many plates, both car AND bike, don't meet the exact criteria. Most coppers would have a field day if they put their mind to it. Thankfully most of them are not as anally retentive as the one I came across.
And in answer to your question, no; because I'd already got it at home, it comes out once a year on MOT day. The vast majority of bikers do the same if they've got a smaller plate.
As I said earlier, I've no gripe about being caught. It's the sheer pettiness of the scenario that grinds.
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>> As I said earlier, I've no gripe about being caught. It's the sheer pettiness of
>> the scenario that grinds.
>>
It might seem petty to you, but a line has to be drawn somewhere, otherwise there would be anarchy. If you start 'bending' the rules you leave the field wide open for abuse and corruption.
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I agree. The reason why we have number plates and the size and font is specified by law is for the very good reason that it makes identification of a vehicle easier following an accident. That does not seem petty to me.
Laws are not some sort of menu form which you choose to pick the ones you wish to comply with and ignore those that don't suit.
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>> It might seem petty to you, but a line has to be drawn somewhere, otherwise
>> there would be anarchy. If you start 'bending' the rules you leave the field wide
>> open for abuse and corruption.
>>
>> I agree. The reason why we have number plates and the size and font is
>> specified by law is for the very good reason that it makes identification of a
>> vehicle easier following an accident. That does not seem petty to me.
>>
>> Laws are not some sort of menu form which you choose to pick the ones
>> you wish to comply with and ignore those that don't suit.
>>
Come on down off that moral high ground the pair of you; you'll get altitude sickness. :-)
It's illegal to have faulty lights on a vehicle; I see that every day.
It's illegal to pull a trailer displaying a different number plate to the towing vehicle, or none at all; I see that every day.
It's illegal to use fog lights when it ain't foggy, or use no lights when it is. I could list another dozen transgressions which I see on a daily, or even hourly basis on the roads, many of which have far worse potential consequences to safety than a dodgy number plate.
What I do not see is Messrs. Plod enforcing these. In fact they blatantly ignore them.
I've also checked the definitions of anarchy and fail to see the connection between having a slightly too small, but legible, number plate, and a state of civil disorder. With all due respect your reaction is as far over the top as the copper's was.
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>> I could list another dozen transgressions which I see on a daily, or
>> even hourly basis on the roads, many of which have far worse potential consequences to
>> safety than a dodgy number plate.
>>
>> What I do not see is Messrs. Plod enforcing these. In fact they blatantly ignore
>> them.
Confirmation bias. I "follow" my local roads Policing team on twitter, and there's stuff on there every day about busting people for such things. Even a foreign lorry driver busted for illegal hours the other day (22 hours straight!). Something the Daily Mail reading fraternity would no doubt claim never happens.
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"
Come on down off that moral high ground the pair of you; you'll get altitude sickness. :-)"
Look, you knowingly broke a law which you regularly deliberately flout. You complain about the fine on the grounds that others haven't suffered a similar fate. You accuse other of claiming to be morally superior because they happen to believe perfectly sensible laws should be respected.
The rule of law requires those subject to those laws to abide by them without the intervention of the police or enforcement by the courts. Without this consensus there is no law. You are showing a contempt for the law albeit in a fairly minor way. Others break the law in more substantial ways and justify it with exactly the same excuse you are using.
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Mon 14 Apr 14 at 17:50
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>> You do come over as overweeningly pompous sometimes Z. Presumably you never break or even
>> bend the law, glass houses and stones etc. Next time you're on walkabout, have a
>> look at how many plates, both car AND bike, don't meet the exact criteria. Most
>> coppers would have a field day if they put their mind to it. Thankfully most
>> of them are not as anally retentive as the one I came across.
Not pompous, I break traffic laws every day.
>> As I said earlier, I've no gripe about being caught.
But you are, you are griping and whining and moaning and whinging like an old woman. If I get caught breaking the law I'll take what comes my way with nary a murmur.
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>> If I get caught breaking the law I'll take what comes my way with nary a murmur.
Gritting your teeth as the Bosun takes the Cat out of its bloodstained bag?
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>>
>> But you are, you are griping and whining and moaning and whinging like an old
>> woman. If I get caught breaking the law I'll take what comes my way with
>> nary a murmur.
>>
I'm getting it off me chest, one of the great things about an internet forum.
I am willing to bet though that if you get done by a copper for something as trivial, for which the fine is disproportionately high (which if I'm being honest is what peeves me most) you will have a moan about it, even though it might not be on here.
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>> is what peeves me most) you will have a moan about it, even though it
>> might not be on here.
Wel -l I can't now can I! ;)
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>> I'll take what comes my way with nary a murmur.
You dirty rotten liar.
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>>I sincerely hope that he goes through life finding all toilet doors permanently locked against him.
Excellent curse. I shall no doubt re-use it and claim it as my own.
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Oh yawn ruddy yawn - more rubbish crap stiring by the media and of course our national party members get all hot under the collar and start howling like brainless pack dogs - it's really quite tiresome and pathetic. Read my lips - It's not going to happen!
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Stranger things have happened under the EU so don't write this off as bunkum just yet.
www.businessinsider.com/eu-directives-law-2011-12?op=1
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I'm trying to wonder why I should care if the style of number plate is changed.
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I don't care either, though I would like to see some indicator of national identity on the plates. For example, the French could have a white flag, the Germans a Panzer tank while we'd have Pippa Middleton's bottom.
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The fact that it's in the Express tells me all I need to know about the story's lack of veracity.
They must be short of the Diana/Madeleine McCann 'news' that normally fills their pages.
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The fuzz were out in force round these parts today mainly pulling bikers. ( sunny Sunday afternoon in rural Cheshire so pretty standard issue ) I'm not a ( motor ) biker and I suppose I don't really want to be misinterpreted as especially encouraging any absolutely total brain out behaviour on the public highway but there was a small part of me which at least hoped that as much attention was being devoted to the detection and apprehension of well, y'know, 'criminals' today...or is that not how it works?
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Sun 13 Apr 14 at 22:27
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There's a fairly recent Harley near me that sports an undersized plate, silver on a black background. I tend to think the rider's trying to say to plod 'pull me over'.
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Plenty of fast bikers out today between Ribblesdale, Clitheroe and St Anne's. At least a dozen ton up boys on NSL roads. Strangely I was driving slower than normal because of the sheer volume of bikers on certain roads.
Some nice motors in St Anne's...couple of Maseratis, soft top Bentley and a handful of Astons.
Just in case anyone was wondering why I went to SA, 'twas to take my old Mum on holiday. Glad to get out of the place actually. A local place for local people. There's nothing there for me.
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I went to meet a buddy in Betws y Coed - I haven't seen it as busy bikewise there in many many years....I eyeballed three Police vehicles. One a plain Audi A4 in black doing hand held laser from Junction 5 A55 (westbound) - take note if making progress to the ferry on a deserted dual carriageway. The other just following a very tidy overtake on the A5 in the Ogwen valley....and the other as I parked on a pavement in Conwy - he was smiling broadly (or baring his teeth). Hopefully there were no casualties yesterday.
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I've owned and run bikes when I worked in Brazil and in Italy and hired them on hot holidays. Can't see the point in having one here though to be honest. Too wet, cold and regulated to make it worthwhile most of the time. Not to mention the Darth Vader outfits.
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Number plate changes are never retrospective, so it doesn't matter.
If you don't like the design features that come with the new car, don't buy one.
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Plates - Dog
