Jerry_Atrick

This week is the 4th round of the AFL season, but the way they have structired the fixture, which means teams are already having byes since the opening round (hopefully this round is the last), that it is impossible to form any realistic view, with the exception of the obvious stragglers, what the relative form is of teams. So, I will have to sit it out a bit longer before depositing my £50 for the season. However, these would be my picks this early in the week, without studying the team lists: Brisbane to beat Collingwood, though Collingwood can suprise us. £10 and 1.42 North Melbourne to beat Carlton, who seem to clutch defeat from the jaws of victory. Speculative bet as the North Ruck was given 3 weeks for smearing his blood on a Carlton player's face after what was a hit that should have sdeen the Carlton player with at least a one match suspension. £5 @ 2.30 Toss up between Adelaide and the Dockers. Probably Adelaide purely based on home turf. Though, the Dockers have looked very good in the couple of games I have seen. But probably sit this one out. Port Adelaide to account for Richmond. Odds are good enough for a £10 on it. Sydney to beat the Eagles at home. Maybe £5 on it. Eagles have not been bad so far this year and I think have 2 wins. Melbourne at home to beat the red-hot Gold Coast. Very speculative, but I was pretty impressed with them on the weekend with their comeback against Carlton (although, to be honest, Carlton stopped playing). £5 @ 3.4 Bulldogs to beat Essendon, but at $1.00, it's not worth the effort. Geelong to beat the Hawks. The Hawks are running mildly hot at the moment, but they haven't been really tested, and in their opener they were thrashed by a Greater Western Sydney team missing 10 of its normally starting senior list. GWS have had some bad losses since. Geelong aren't terribly good this year, but they always lift against Hawthorn. I would put £10 on it @ $2.45. I don't normally think about it this much before a round, but as I said, there have been byes alreaady so it really doesn't matter at this stage. GWS and St. Kilda have a bye.

Polls didn't seem too far off. It is an ominous sign for politics. Australia needs a centre right party now - oh wait, that is the ALP at the moment.. Maybe Australia needs a centre left party now. In the UK, Labour is deemed far enough right that the Greens under the charismatic (to young people) Zak Polanski are courting the unions to switch funding from Labour to the Greens.. and apparently behind closed doors some unions are seriously entertaining the idea.

Reality is there is good and bad, or more accuratley, positives and drawbacks wherever one lives and whomever is governing. The electricitt prices would probably be more expensive is SA as the generation mix is only one part of the equationl, and it is not that different to QLD and NSW. Yes, renewables have led to short term increases, and this is in part to the privatised ownership (note, the SEC in Vic is rolloing out renewables and it is one of the cheapest states in Aus for electrcity - and the SEC is government owned. There are other factors that are unique to SA: Market structure - lack of competition makes the depp discounts available in other states not really a thing in SA Economies of scale - or lack thereof.. Large area and sparse population.. It justs cost more per person to be on the grid. That has to be paid for. Gas sets the prices in SA as it is the backup generator. More storage will fix that in the long term, but you can thak the Howard government for silly gas prices Aussies pay for their own gas compared to what others pay for it.. and every subsequent government for not fixing it. I think this is the unintended consequence of going renewables in SA. Not great interconnection with other states - means SA can't import cheaper electricity at congested/peal times. Still centralised infrastructure - SA has plenty of sun and wind and using a more decentralisded renewable generation strategy probably would have reduced the problems with fluctuation. SA is still in the RoI phase of the investment, when prices are typically higher to recoup some of the cost and pay back some of the capital borrowing. As we know, investments in technology have an initially higher cost than then reduces over time. Some of your costs in SA are what they are unless a) the population grows wildly, b) investments are made to introduce competition, and/or c) there is a move away gtom gas or the gas fired stations are required less (i.e. increase in renewables - or nuclear - or, indeed, coal). The latter two really are not required as there are differing forms of the former, and increased storage will help smooth thhe load. Of course, you could also state-ise national electricity generation, too, in such a way the people are put before profits.

Here is why Aussies should be whinging louder:

And the rail network is not that bad.. It isn't a European system, though. My point is there's enough public transport, even at the outer to allow a hybrid approach. Car to the nearest decent publoc transport connection and then from there, to where you need to go. One problem - more for those of us who are older is there is no dunny on the metropolitan trains with longer routes.. Don't forget, around the state, v/Line max fares are $10.50 each way.. Although buses hsave to be used on some routes.

London has a population of c. 9.5m; Melbourne has a population of c 5.56m. Yes, there is an urban sprawl as, including the morningiton peninsula now considered part of Melbourne, it is around 5 times bigger than London - according to Google. However, the suburban sprawl doe snot mean we should be solely reliable on the car. Rail loops are one thing. A decent hydrogen bus service is another. Trams also can be built (The line to Bundoora is Loooong, as is one to Burwood). Coming off ICE cars would have put Australians in a much better position -if only the government had foresight - oh, it did, it just chose to be beholden to the fossil fuel lobby groups. At least the government is trying something to reduce the cost. Hopefully, it will return to keeping the IEA's agreement of 90 days reserve. Maybe we shoudl tap our reserve in Dallas.. Oh wait, it was smokescreen thanks to Angus Taylor - the now leader of the oppo. Dog help us

Peopel are whinging because the government - some of whom the people elect and pay for, the others whom the people have no visibilit or accountabilioty of, but the people still pay for (i.e. the public servants) don't seem to be doing what they say on the tin - serving the public - at least properly. We have, since the days of Howerd, run down our emergency fuel reserve and then outsourced it to Texas. We give away our gas to foreign companies and nations (Japan, it is alleged, made USD$1.1bn of reselling our gas!!!), yet we don;t properly charge those entities for ou r resources nor properly tax them, you know, such as places like Norway, Qatar, Saudi and the like. Quite frankly, the way our government and public servants rip is off, the whingeing and whining is very tempered.

The problem is the tolls aren't a tax, but a charge from private companies that, admittedly paid for the infrastrucutre - or some of it - and were awarded significant monopolies that provided a very handsome return - much more than if the government borrowed and paid it back Themn aas per the Mt Alexander Road "calming", the government spent tax dollars to fund roadworks to make alternatives to the toll unpallatable. On another note, on the BBC radio this morning, Albo will be halving fuel duty to help. More and more people want out of the UK and when they hear this, they want it even more.

I use Farcebook for the marketplace, but often eBay and Gumtee are also good. with fewer scams. At a bit of a loose end last night, I decided to scroll through posts. My dog, what a load of toxic bull shite! Seriously, if MSM had posted most of this stuff defined as facts and news, even our tootless regulators would find the teeth to bite. Made Sky/Fox news seem like totally objective and fact ridden.

Great news for you, GON; the Libs have lost a blue-ribbon seat that they have held for 46 years to.. <drumroll please...> Labor.. At least that is what the ABC are predicting: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-29/sa-labor-wins-morphett/106508638

I have decided it is time to get back into flying. Trundling off to Dunkeswell to do my SEP renewal. Although this post should probably go onto the mother site, it was a random thought that popped up inot my head. Will try and book it for Thursday this week; if not, it will be Tuesday following week.

I am about 6 months since my last haircut. I am starting to look like I did in Covid lockdown. I can't pay the same as someone with a full head of hair that takes at least twice the time to cut as mine. So, I wait at least doublew the time I should so there's almost enough hair that I get my money's worth. Haircuts around here are expensive at £10. I normally pay around £7.50

Sounds like the many inappropriate applications of technology to me. I understand the system but it still doesn't answer why it's needed... and poorly designed

The spot Brent Crude price is still less that the peak post Covid and presumably from the Ukraine war. As I understand, the issue is not the capacity to supply as much as the delivery because most of the ME oil comes out of the Persian gulf through Hormuz. So, it isn't even a case of turn around the ships and go another way. I am guessing there are no alternative ports/terminals they can use for transporting non-Iranian ME oil. According to Google. Iran is the 4th largest behind Saudi, UAE and Ira. These three could boost production and send the oil overland to ports/terminals in Saudi if there are any, and ship through the Red Sea., but the Houthis, who are Iranian backed, basically patrol the waters. The obvious conseuences of this energy crisis is a switch to renewabls and electrification. It may also put pressure on Ukraine as the west may well (as Chump has hinted) start taking on Russian oil - ooh.. wouldn't that bre great for his war chest. Recession is likely, and as the western governments have largely exhiaseted their reserves and debt ceilings, creating the soft landing as per the Covid/pre-Covd times is unlikely to be sustainable, but it may well hold off a full blown recession. Chump, though his alienation of his allies, and the growing resentment to the war at home maibkly because oif the inflationary and recessionary impact it will ahve, will put pressure on him to end it soon. He won't want to concede, so he will either find some "pallatble" story, or he will send the ground trrops in, which there are already reports. I can only see it ramping up at his stage.. Chump will want to end it ASAP and won't back down. And one conseuence is it will hit a critical point where allies of both sides will need to get involved.

Why on earth do you need to buy a docket to get a haircut? What happened to just paying for it?

There's no credible evidence for the above post. The NYT websie itself doesn't appeat to report such damage and destruction (there is a report of the Saudi base being attacked with 13 deaths and 300 injuries to US personnel. But the only references I coud find toi the NYT report in the above were some YT and facebook posts, so I am not treating them as terribly credible at the moment. Of course, there could be some truth to it as the US DoW may want to hide the scale of destrcution, but you can bet your bottom dollar - with the scale of destruction - if there were such reports in the NYT, other outlets would be referencing it in their stories - and there are none. Sorry - but both sides of politics can lie... if Occupy Democrats is anything other than a group of people commentating on politics, anyway. It even may be someone purporting to be them.

Since when? Sounds like a British import

I could have done better typos than that

No news is good news they tell us

I agree with most of the above, except if we are to do a tax that takes into account a vehicle tax of the damage done that has to be repaired, then the cost per k would vary per vehicle or attributes of vehicles. And it isn't that simple. Although redicing, the emissions of manufacturing EVs is higher than ICE cars thanks to that battery, and although it has been rediuved from an average of 5 years on normal driving conditions/mileage to 3 years, that is the time, on average that the emissions for whole of life are in balance, after which EV emissions for whole of life drop. Then there is excess weight that damages the roads. But, despite how far emissions controls have come, ICE engines will always spew out toxins/poisons that have an effect on the health of the population and increase health costs, etc etc etc. So coming up with a truly fair formula is very difficult. In the UK, ICE vehicles (outside od trucks/commercial vehicles over a certain weight) are taxed (rego fees) according to their emissions. Pre 2017 HSV Commodores (known here as VXR8s) will be sligged at £720/year. My XC90 is about £400/year. The mini was £260 year. EVs up until the end of this financial year (April 5th in the UK), are zero. The government which is both broke and buying votes at the same time, decided a change so cars post 2017 such as a VXR8 (if there are any) will only pay a higher tax for the first five years of their life, which will equate to something like £700, after which it will reduce to around £245/year. That doesn't seem like a goverment using tax to affect behaviour to meet net zero (but they seem to be more unpopular than the previous Conservative government). EVs road tax went from zero to £10/year this financial year. Next financial year, there will be two tiering of road tax. Those over a certain value will be treated as luxury cars and attain the same tax as an old VXR8. I think the value os over £40k. Those under will be subject to a 3p per mile tax for BEVs and 1.5 p per mile tax for hybrids (in the basis, they will consume petrol/diesel for hald of their journey over the year). At an average of 10,000 miles per year, the road tax is said to average for EVs of £300 and £150 for hybrids. The justification for this is domestic electiricy use is VAT free. They estimated the average distanc per car travelled, the average rate of tax paid, and divided the average rate of tax paid by the average miles per car.. The will work by estimating your annual mileage. When a car is sold, or when it has its annual MOT (RWC), the mileage is already recorded; if they are close, there will be no adjustment; if they are materially different, there will be an adjustment either way - a credit for the next year's tax or you add the difference to the next years' tax. TNote, for the first three years from new, you don't need to get a MOT, so you can submit your mileage or wait to you sell, have your first MOT, whichever comes first, and then you will be slugged or receive a credit. They will eventually roll out the tech to record the mileage - dog knows there are enough camerals already around the place - it would be a matter of a software update I would guess.

I don't know that all states are happy with it: https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/the-gst-is-broken-and-hurting-nsw-and-victoria-badly-20260324-p5tuev.html

Why are you all so critical of Chump. He may publicly be all about fossil fuels and stuff the environment and renewables, but secretly, he is an ardent environmentalist and has shown the lengths he is prepared to go to save the planet by staring a war with Iran. It is about oil, but to stop using it: https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/iran-war-fuel-crisis-gives-electric-cars-long-term-boost-2026-03-24/ We all should be thankful for Chump's extraordinary leadership. (pls take it with the sarcasm it was meant).

I think that is what I meant by I trust London drivers more than Melbourne ones (can't really speak for other capital cities in Aus). In London (and on motorways that are backed up), drivers will shift their cars away from riders to give more space. I have never had one move towards the marker to close the gap. Sometimes, because they are trying to get a view, they are already close to the side of the lane and sometimes they don't move when in that position.. but honestly, they are very courteous to motorcyclists over here. Actually come to think of it, on a backed up motorway, a truck driver I was scooting up on a lane closure and did plonk his semi in my way, but there was so much space at the time, I just went around him. I don't know if he did it out of spite or positioning for a lane merge as a result of a lane closure and didn't see me.

You wouldn't be the first to call me yellow... 😉

Whenever we buy most things, we pay tax - GST.. Maybe we should all get PAYE/PAYG tax decreases? Or at least get the same breaks as companies - Other costs such as transport, more formal clothing (regardless of whether it has a logo on it or not), should be able to be deducted? We should be able to contract ourselves out to a no-tax jurisdiction, and charge ourselves a massive amount for our labour out of the tax haven more than we get in our salary to build up the losses, claim that against our salary as a tax deduction and not pay tax at all... Then we are levelling up the playing field.