Poppy Sculpture at Fort Nelson

The Poppy Sculpture originally displayed at The Tower of London is now on display at Fort Nelson:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-hampshire-43744699/wave-poppies-sculpture-on-display-in-hampshire-fort

http://www.visitwinchester.co.uk/poppies-wave-fort-nelson

The sculpture will be at the fort until 24th June 2018. 

Litter at the entrance to B&Q

I visited B&Q recently to buy some paint and other DIY stuff. Whilst walking to the DIY store I looked down the embankment between the road entrance and the motorway bridge I spotted anormous amounts of Fast Food takeway litter.

The fact is a lot of it is in a location that would imply that it was thrown there by people in cars visiting the store and not cars passing the store heading for Leigh Park or Walmart.

The packaging is from a variety of sources including Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonalds.

It is sickening, especially as I believe the store provides bins in the car park.

I think authorities need to put in temporary cameras that will capture licence plate numbers and catch the culprits responsible.

As well as that I think the Fast Food businesses identified by the packaging along with B&Q need to get the mess cleared up.

Robert and Jonny talk electric vehicles and rapid charging

Robert Llewellyn and Jonny discuss the Geneva car show and rapid charging EVs.
Have to say that Fully Charged has grown from a small niche video channel into a mainstream automobile video channel, with Rob and Jonny getting invites to discuss and review Electric Vehicles and low carbon tech all over the world. It is amazing how electric vehicle technology has developed in the 11 years this blog has run. Technically it was inevitable, but politcally it is surprising how much has changed. The main problem is Trump and his nationalist policies to desperately prop up the outdated American car industry. But I think (and pray!) that it will be a minor moronic glitch.

Anyway, here is the video:

New Litter Lout Fines and Local Council Powers

Photo I took in 2008

It's taken 10 years since my first post about litter around Waterlooville:

http://lovelywaterlooville.blogspot.co.uk/2008/01/rubbish-waterlooville.html

Today new powers are given to local councils to fine litter louts more aggresively:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-43609325

Fines have been increased from £80 to £150.
Car owners can now be fined for anyone chucking litter out of their vehicles windows.

RAF100 tour will not come to the South

To quote the RAF:

The RAF100 Aircraft Tour will be coming to a city near you this year. You will be able to get up close to a selection of aircraft in Cardiff, Horse Guards Parade in London, Newcastle in Northern Ireland, Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester.
https://www.raf.mod.uk/raf100/about/

I don't see Southampton or any South of England city on that list.
Southampton the birth place of the Spitfire will not see this exhibition!
Apparently the South coast didn't take part in the Battle of Britain.

I am truely shocked!
And just a bit short of being disgusted

My take on Russia and Putin

I have been aware of Russian aggression for many, many years, since Putins rise to power . What puzzles me is why the British government and the public in general have been so ignorant of the way the Russian government (activists and secret service) have been operating.

It has (IMO) ranged from activists and paid Russian contractors taking part in online discussions (including comments on Portsmouth News web site) to election manipulation and cyber attacks.
The online trolling of discussions is a way of unsettling an enemy, similar techniques were used by the alllies in WWII to cause a level of chaos in the Nazi ranks.

I personally had some web site details stolen (from another site, fortunately only a username and   password) and placed on a Russian server for everyone to view a number of years ago. The information probably wasn't stolen by Russians, but the attackers certainly felt that a Russian server was a safe place to publicly display the information.

I had a discussion with someone a few years ago in Waterlooville and for some reason the discussion took a detour to Russia Today (RT). I said that the channel was a propaganda outlet for the Russian government, but the guy was convinced it was all true, primarily because it gave an alternative view to US media. Even back then I had deleted the channel from my Freeview list. The channel was clearly deliberately trying to undermine factual information as well as any bias in the US media.

Today we see that John McDonnell is advising Labour colleagues not to be interviewed by RT.
Why did they think it was sensible to appear on the channel so late in the day?
The channel should have been boycotted by all MPs years ago.

I have to bring Brexit into this post (even if it seems irrelevant). I do think Russia is active in Europe and the UK. I strongly believe that Brexit will greatly weaken our place in the world and Putin wants that to happen. The EU, like it or not is a protective unifying entity that does a lot to keep the likes of Russia, China and even the US in check. With Trump edging further and further into the Nationalist corner of politics and using nationalistic trade barriers to protect old and failing US industries, the UK will only come out it the worse, either by having to do what ever Trump says or by suffering economically with trade protectionism.

Putin is winning the political battle, cyber battle and possible a future physical battle that is aimed at tearing Europe apart. Unfortunately some of our MPs are helping and have appeased Putin by feverishly making out that the EU is the enemy and bringing the public with them. In some respects our media is no better than Russia Today, in fact they are just as ideological and obsessive about the EU as RT is in promoting Putinism.

Bannon condones racism, how can racism ever be a badge of honour?:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-43366657/bannon-let-them-call-you-racist

No one should be surprised

Government supports energy consumption by cutting funding on energy efficient homes:
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43226918

A massive cut by 58% in support for energy improvements in homes. Such improvements help to cut energy bills and reduce carbon emissions.

'Green' David Cameron launched the cuts and it ain't going to get any better with a more extreme (and ignorant) right wing government.