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Not my words... but an interesting analogy for taxes, using beer. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For those of you reciting the 'Tories defend the rich' argument, read this. It's worth it, I assure you. Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to £100... If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this... The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing. The fifth would pay £1. The sixth would pay £3. The seventh would pay £7.. The eighth would pay £12. The ninth would pay £18. The tenth man (the richest) would pay £59. So, that's what they decided to do.. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve ball. "Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by £20". Drinks for the ten men would now cost just £80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes. So the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men? The paying customers? How could they divide the £20 windfall so that everyone would get his fair share? They realised that £20 divided by six is £3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by a higher percentage the poorer he was, to follow the principle of the tax system they had been using, and he proceeded to work out the amounts he suggested that each should now pay. And so the fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% saving). The sixth now paid £2 instead of £3 (33% saving). The seventh now paid £5 instead of £7 (28% saving). The eighth now paid £9 instead of £12 (25% saving). The ninth now paid £14 instead of £18 (22% saving). The tenth now paid £49 instead of £59 (16% saving). Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But, once outside the bar, the men began to compare their savings. "I only got a pound out of the £20 saving," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,"but he got £10!" "Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a pound too. It's unfair that he got ten times more benefit than me!" "That's true!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get £10 back, when I got only £2? The wealthy get all the breaks!" "Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison, "we didn't get anything at all. This new tax system exploits the poor!" The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had their beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill! And that, boys and girls, journalists and government ministers, is how our tax system works. The people who already pay the highest taxes will naturally get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas, where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier. David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D. Professor of Economics.

First things first, CONGRATULATIONS TO ROB on the birth of his grandson We missed our absent friends, cats and beasts today @Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO @AndrewBClarke @LukeW. We gathered in Matlock and someone asked what we were doing today, my reply was 'we are going to frighten Luke' as we were going up the Winnats Pass and last time he never made it due to a breakdown. He must have heard me as he never appeared, no problem, we were just a bit worried that you were ok, and we didn't want to set off without you. Trevor was early Martin was next Soon followed by Rob Making 4 cars and 5 people in total meeting at Sainsburys Time was marching on so in true Top Gear style we left without Luke It was the xmas market in Bakewell and the easiest alternative route was through Chatsworth, but guess who else had their xmas market on, so we had got an inventive alternative route if necessary. Martin had done a traffic check for me and the roads were showing red on google maps around Bakewell, so the plan was deployed. We found many miles of lovely empty roads, the eagle eyed can pick up the road stretching for out miles behind us in this next photo. Everybody was either AT the xmas markets or AVOIDING them, I guessed, which was great for us. Martin had good fun wiggling around the bend near Conksbury Bridge and we all soon arrived at Winnats Pass All the way up to the top We went on new territory to Trev, Martin and Rob, which included the very interesting hairpin next Before turning up to Edale and going steady down Mam Nick, taking in the views. On our return journey we came back up this way and it is an amazing bit of road, we didn't take in the views on the way up. The view was a bit murky today though Down we went When is a Westfield not a Westfield, when it's a grit bin To arrive at The Rambler Inn, again a new place to everyone but a favourite of ours It was surprisingly warm today but we still sat next to the real fire Only one thing beats a real fire and that is lunch next to a real fire Time to trap on, so you can all get home before it gets too dark, we set off to destination cake. Back up Mam Nick and still missing out Bakewell we quickly arrived at The Blue Lagoon cafe. Rob had to be back home and came with us most of the way before peeling off down the Via Gellia. I had arranged for our parking area to be available and we assumed our usual position I ordered the drinks, returned to photograph our cakes but they had all gone, this driving must make everyone hungry, so here is my white chocolate and cranberry traybake and half of Glen's cherry and walnut scone It's surprising how much fun can be had on a murky day with filthy, wet roads but you are in a Westfield, so what's not to like. The company has been excellent, it's really difficult to talk to the general population about Westfield's so perhaps the best bit of a car meet is that everyone knows what the heck you are talking about. Our only Duratec in the Peak District is in Martin's car and there is a whole new subject there to talk about, every engine has it's own little quirks and it's great to learn about them. Our car has had it's first test drive and the ride height is good and the damping is good, thanks to help from this car club's members. Next weekend (30th Nov/1st Dec)is possibly Donnington Hall OR a run out Weekend after (7th Dec) is the GBS factory visit - tin tops welcome Weekend after (14th/15th Dec) is a run out Weekend after (21st/22nd Dec) is the Santa Run Then the days get longer, yeah

I was there to observe TangoMan up to his usual mischief, before you arrived. Though he was hurt that you didn't look up as you entered and say hello?

Thanks Guys for your posts, fixed up now with this beauty!

Didn’t have enough time to get to the Peak District today but managed a good 2 hrs out .The mudguards I made up the other week are proving a great addition ,a nice dry arm again with no doors.

Yes - Just need to arrange to get the car over to SBFS. Weather has been awful and I then snapped my throttle cable. Once i'm back on the road i'll get it over asap 🙂

If you think Broadband is expensive now, just see how much it will cost when it’s free!

The most sensible thing I’ve read on the forum!

I was the Stage Commander on the Crychan Stage of this event on Friday (having travelled to Wales on Wednesday afternoon and set up my stage with a handful of capable helpers on Thursday). The Roger Albert Clark Rally is a bi-annual event that is a highlight for those of us whose affections lie firmly with rally cars of the past. Though I was based at the stage start, I watched the cars (140 or so starters) head off round a tight left hand bend and the commitment of the fastest crews is a sight to behold. The rally is currently a straight fight between Marty McCormack and Jason Pritchard who are driving these Escorts faster than the greats did in period. The advent of pace notes in the forests some years ago and how drivers nowadays commit to these notes is a large factor, plus 40 more years of understanding Escorts and developments within the mechanical side of the cars (whilst retaining the ethos and concept of the cars mean better tyres, better braking performance and stronger, torquier engines add a further edge. Yes, the event entry is dominated by the Ford Escorts but so it was "in the day". One highlight for me this year was seeing Gregoire de Mevius (a top class Belgian driver in the 1980s/1990s) in a Toyota Celica Turbo, rear wheel drive Group B Car. I didn't think I would ever see another one of those in competition and there it was launching sideways into a stage in front of me! Other cars included Ford Anglia, Cortinas, SAAB 96, 99 and 900, Volvo Amazon and 242, Porsche 911, Opel Ascona and Manta 400s, Skoda 130L, Talbot Sunbeam Lotus (as I have a road going example, I have a particular soft spot), MG Maestro EFi, Chrysler Avengers, Datsun 510, Triumph TR7V8s, Fiat 131 Abarth Rally, Nissan 240RS. As I type this, the first two cars (Marty McCormack and Jason Pritchard's Ford Escort RS1800s) are separated by only thirty three seconds after 150 miles of stages (and 422 road section miles). Fog has had quite an effect on the rally - the first Radnor stages on Thursday evening were almost impassable because of it and a combination of this, then an incident meant that only one of the two planned passes ran. My worst ever fog drive was in a course car on a Wales Rally GB in Radnor where I was only able to get up to 35mph, following the tyre tracks of the car in front of me (I could only see 20 yards or so) and, in hindsight, that was rather foolhardy! Thursday evening was every bit as bad! At least when it is foggy in Radnor, you don't see the many large drops off the edges of the roads in there. More fog in Kielder Forest yesterday evening saw the gap between the leading protagonists yo-yo as is often the case in difficult conditions. There are still nearly 140 miles of stages in the Scottish Borders still to run today and tomorrow morning (with another 390 road miles). The event is using Facebook as its major information resource https://www.facebook.com/RogerAlbertClark/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/RACRMC The event website can be found at: http://racrmc.org/roger-albert-clark-rally/index and live results at: http://results.djames.org.uk/results/index.php?EventID=575&e=575 When you consider that a "normal" British forest rally would have up to 45 miles of stages and less than 100 link miles in a relatively short day, the magnitude of the RAC can be appreciated - 290 stage miles / 800 road miles / four and a half days. If you are in the area and have a chance, go out and watch. You won't be disappointed! I'll be keeping an eye on things electronically today as I empty out the rally stuff from my car and return fire extinguishers, spill kit, hand held radios and over 300 wooden stakes to the Oxford Motor Club garage! Simon

Today's blat cast, after another 9 mile trainer powered tarmac survey : Roads damp, puddled and wet leaves everywhere Air cold and damp- though I've ran without hat or gloves, so will checking pics later No chance of Rita's suspension falling off, given the collective focus it's had this week 33% chance of a 'battle of the odo's' winner attending 0% chance of Bagpuss making an appearance 0>50% chance of guest appearance by TangoMan 110% chance of fun, laughter, good food, great roads, views and company Have a great day

Not sure this is how our UK taxes work as this is based an American tax system from the turn of the millennia when Bush was wanting to drop taxes by 20% (ref Snopes) - good parable though 😁 I reckon in our version, Comrade JC would increase bar tariff by 20% with 9 & 10 taking the hit and then redistribute that so that the first 8 pay nothing. Won’t be long before 10 goes to another bar and then the others look to 9 to foot the bill - he can’t and the bar goes bust.

Yes you were also missed @Weekend Warriorin the Peak District today, wasn't it warm! The Bloodhound is looking smart with the new mud flaps, a necessity at this time of year.

Thanks guys

For discussion. I'm not trying to argue with or insult anyone... Working class people want something "better". They decide to haul themselves up by pursuing better education and better employment and ultimately working for or owning and running successful businesses. And then vote Labour because of working class "tradition". I don't understand that at all. There are many who would like to improve their lot by becoming business owners or being promoted to such positions but lack drive or ambition or enough education to do so. BUT drive and ambition also require an environment that will help foster them. The Tories generally initiate policy that favours business. EVERYONE who works, be they CEO or tea boy should recognise that if the business has more money left after tax, business rates and all the other expenses of running a business (and they are extensive) then they should all benefit in some way with improved salaries or improved working conditions or bonuses or "something". The problem, as I see it, is that many business owners see the extra profit as theirs and do not share equally with their employees. Some keep it. Some re-invest in the business which is good but most people don't see this as a benefit to them which is a shame. What we want is a bit more money in our pocket. Re-investing in new computers and office chairs is nice but it doesn't help with this months mortgage payments. But I digress... It is then a simple leap to the argument that the Tories make policies to line the pockets of the fat cats whilst ignoring the "poor". I say the policies are sound, it's the Board of Directors that need a little education. But it's their train set. They can play with it any way they want and they can take it home with them if they want. Yes the "trickle down of wealth" which is often bandied about does work but often not in the immediate way we would hope. I am sure the hope is that we all immediately have an extra few quid in our pockets. It just doesn't work like that and it has nothing to do with Government business policy. The Labour Party jump on the "Tories favour the rich" because they know that there are millions of people who still believe in the class system and who think of themselves as the "working class" and Labour play in to that. They also go after minorities for the same reasoning. Get enough small groups under the same banner and suddenly it's a big group (Instinction Rebellion for example). But whilst they are under the same banner they aren't all looking in the same direction and that's a problem when power is granted. Labour policy seems to me to be that if the companies can't behave "responsibly" towards their employees then they will do it by imposing more tax and spending the revenue on "everybody" in the guise of "improved public services that benefit everybody". The trouble is that most workers don't consume a great deal of public service (I am excluding the NHS here which is sacrosanct) and many of the services thought of as public are in fact private, like buses and trains, gas, electricity and water, and even more are locally funded by council tax like libraries, refuse collection, road repairs and so forth. So with Labour the workers still don't get pay rises or bonuses or improved conditions because the company can't afford it because of the tax burden. The beneficiaries of the improved public service funding is perceived as benefiting only those without jobs (yes they need help and I am not saying we should not help those less fortunate than us) and this creates an imagined imbalance where we hear every day that "I'd be better off on the dole". This is not true of course but the perception is exactly that. With a Labour government if staff were to leave a job to start their own business in order to improve their lot, the tax burden is a real obstacle should they begin to become even moderately successful. And as soon as anyone is even slightly "successful" there are plenty who see the head of a small business as "millionaires" and immediately label them as fat cats just because they see them in a nice Audi or BMW (probably leased) and wear a suit to work. I can't help with the question of who to vote for. I struggle with Labour because of the simple fact that Corbyn is the most left wing leader of a party that we have seen for a long time. Nationalising anything that has been privatised would cost billions and would likely drive service levels back to the 60's. Beeching anybody? And nationalising broadband is a thin and somewhat laughable attempt at vote grabbing. He may well have said free PG Tips for everyone. Decimating ANY multi-billion pound industry just because you can and you have a parliamentary majority is not a good idea and anyone who can't see that should not be allowed to vote! That said, the promise of "taking back control of [insert industry name here]" would undoubtedly get shelved after a commission investigating the feasibility of nationalising [insert industry name here] found out that we can't afford it anyway, so the revenue raised from more tax is spent on feasibility studies that tell us the bleeding obvious and nothing changes except that all the money has gone to politicians, their cronies in quango's, and government appointed accountants/lawyers/Judges who ran the feasibility study. So who is benefitting from Labour policies? Politicians, their cronies in quango's, and government appointed accountants/lawyers/Judges. The same is true for the Tories of course it's just that Labour seem to be able to get away with it, at least to my eyes. The Lib Dems are just a joke. The party with Democrats in the name wants to revoke something the majority voted for. Dumb. But they will pick up votes from disgruntled Labour supporters who due to "tradition" can't bring themselves to vote Tory. This is common and never changes anything. The best chance they had was the coalition with the Tories and look how that turned out. The one thing the Lib-Dems crusaded on, their line in the sand was an end to tuition fees. They did not deliver. Even "in Government" they didn't have the clout or the political will or couldn't fudge the numbers enough to deliver. They're just weak. The Tories I think have some forward thinking. They won't tax us back to the stone age. They privatised lots of industry and they're sticking by that decision. Reducing the tax burden for those who benefit the most is a great idea. If we have more to spend then we tend to spend it and when we do, VAT is poured back in to the government coffers so revenue is not lost but we can buy the things we want that provides the dopamine rush that makes us feel our lives are better. In general the standard of living in the UK is much higher now than when I was born in the 60's. How much of this is down to the various policies of the various governments is debatable of course but for most of my life the most significant changes that have made a difference to MY life have been made by the Tories. And I think if an honest review of general prosperity and quality of life was made based on the last 30 to 40 years I believe that the more right wing policies are the ones that show real results for the majority of the population the majority of the time. The below clip from "The west Wing" whilst USA-centric, at least shares a principal. The top x percent of UK earners likely pay for a significant proportion OF the UK government in tax, so, as Sam says, lets not call them names while they do it. Cos if we tax them to the point where they take their money somewhere else, who pays then?

A week to go 😁

Built by Ashley Ponder and of the last 3 years been in Northern Ireland.

0% chance of Little Beast making an attendance. 😞 No doubt you will all have a great day.

The red Lancia is run by a client of mine, in fact we’re actually working on a job for him at the moment!

OMG! The difference. The A048’s are great in the dry but the grip and confidence the SP3’s give you in the damp. Now to be sensible 😂

Spent the morning campaigning with Steve Baker, really don’t want to lose this one. Lots of support and only a little abuse.

Here you go @CosKev, ask for one for Xmas....

Sorry to leave you hanging! Had a mad couple of weeks here. I'll try to get a couple of posts up over the weekend to catch a bit back!

@corsechris.. My brother said to watch seven wonders at the exactly the same time as you. I have plex, some stuff on there is 4k...just watching The Secret Life of the Zoo... Awesome except my dog keeps barking!

Managed a quick blast before sunset... Moody skies over Bristol last Friday