Silly Season Again

[david63]

Looks as if it is silly season in the EU again.

From the 1st September 2014 you will no longer be able to buy a vacuum cleaner with a motor over 1600 watts and from the 1st September 2017 you will not be able to buy one over 900 watts - storyhere

OK I am all for saving the planet but what effect is a few minutes of a vacuum cleaner going to have? Surely there are areas where some real savings could be made - and anyway what's the point when half the world totally ignores all of these "initiatives"?

[Jan Rosser]

I read that report too David and thought has the world gone mad I did buy a new cleaner earlier this year with a 2300 motor so well outside the permitted limits - it's a German make - let's hope it lasts

[Stephen]

And if it's a Dyson they should all be made with silencers on them. Yes, they're powerful, but they make enough noise to wake the dead.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Does it not occur to these loonies at the EU that if you have to use a less powerful vacuum cleaner the chances are you'll have to use it for longer to achieve the same cleaning effect? So in the end it will have the same impact on the planet because it's kWHours than count, not kWatts.

[david63]

Does it not occur to these loonies at the EU that if you have to use a less powerful vacuum cleaner the chances are you'll have to use it for longer to achieve the same cleaning effect? So in the end it will have the same impact on the planet because it's kWHours than count, not kWatts.

How many times do we have to tell you to stop using commonsense and logic

[Ray Scully]

I don't know, some people can see no further than the length of their noses

Perhaps the reason is to force the manufacture of more efficient motors. New central heating pumps now use a fraction of the power they used to but still do the same job. Likewise it is legislation forcing the manufacture of more efficient cars etc.

Ray

[towny44]

Looks as if it is silly season in the EU again.

From the 1st September 2014 you will no longer be able to buy a vacuum cleaner with a motor over 1600 watts and from the 1st September 2017 you will not be able to buy one over 900 watts - storyhere

OK I am all for saving the planet but what effect is a few minutes of a vacuum cleaner going to have? Surely there are areas where some real savings could be made - and anyway what's the point when half the world totally ignores all of these "initiatives"?

Slight subject change but just had a visit from my nephew who lives, works and pays taxes in France with his french wife and family, but does not have the right to vote unless he becomes a french subject.
I'm not 100% certain but I imagine that EU citizens living and working here would be able to vote without becoming a UK citizen.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I don't know, some people can see no further than the length of their noses

Perhaps the reason is to force the manufacture of more efficient motors. New central heating pumps now use a fraction of the power they used to but still do the same job. Likewise it is legislation forcing the manufacture of more efficient cars etc.

Ray

They'd do more for global warming if they reduced the amount of hot air generated in Brussels and ceased the ludicrous process of transporting the whole thing to Strasbourg once a month.

[Dennis The Menace]

If they have weaker suction, will Stephen still have to have his Hoover removed from his naked person by A&E whenever he "accidentally" finds himself attached, very firmly, to it ?

Or will 3 or 4 burly neighbours, specifically sequestered for the task, now be able to successfully manage the decoupling, assuming they can get a decent purchase of the "equipment" involved wtf:

Just wondering

[Stephen]

Who's been talking

[Manoverboard]

Time to get a ' just in case ' replacement motor for the jolly old Henrietta me thinks

ps ... why can't they just mind their own business or simply make stupid rules for boring Belgium ... ?

[jay-ell71]

ps ... why can't they just mind their own business or simply make stupid rules for boring Belgium ... ?

Hear, hear!!! Makes you sick.

[Delboy]

Half the power, twice as long to do the job, half the the time the equipment lasts. It's all about money.

My son has two German Shepherd dogs, his white one sheds hair like anything, and being white is easily noticeable, funny enough his long haired one sheds very little hair.

He has a Miele industrial cleaner which hoovers it up no problem, our Dyson does not touch it.

This is not going to stop at hoovers,

[RB1961]

I got rid of my Hoover as it was only collecting dust!

Sorry couldn't resist

RB

[wolfie]

I wonder if the same restrictions, regarding power, apply to cordless vacuum cleaners. If so, then Mr. Dyson has shot himself in the foot for supporting this directive from the EU.

[Mervyn and Trish]

My son has two German Shepherd dogs, his white one sheds hair like anything, and being white is easily noticeable, funny enough his long haired one sheds very little hair.
This is not going to stop at hoovers,

No clearly not. They'll ban white dogs next!

[Mervyn and Trish]

I've just done the sum by the way. If I replace my vac with one half the power to get under the EU reg, even assuming it can do the same job in the same time, I'll save about 0.3% of my annual power bill. That should save a few polar bears!

[Capt Black]

So after certain dates I can't go out and buy vacuum cleaners that generate over a certain amount of power.

I can however, go out and buy a motorbike or a car with terrifying bhp capability, drive within posted speed limits on public roads, but also take it to a track day (or Germany) and thrash the living daylights out of it!!! but

Will the EU ban the Porsches, Astons, Suzuki Hayabusas etc because they are also too powerful??

[Mervyn and Trish]

You make an interesting point about flogging your gas guzzler down a German motorway where they, of course, have no speed limits. But the dear old EU wants us to impose 60mph limits on parts of ours to reduce pollution!

Of course what we should do, which would be far simpler than trying to renegotiate the terms of our EU membership, or leaving it completely, would be to do what the rest do and just put our fingers up at any rules that don't suit us.

For example, did you ever see a Spanish home with 9 different recycling/waste containers lined up outside?

[david63]

Will the EU ban the Porsches, Astons, Suzuki Hayabusas etc because they are also too powerful??

Of course they will not ban them - just make them put smaller engines in them

[Ray Scully]

For example, did you ever see a Spanish home with 9 different recycling/waste containers lined up outside?

Our friends who live in Spain don't have any recycling containers, as they take their waste to the waste compound on their Urbanisation (Estate) were they sort it into a plethora of skips.

Ray

[oldbluefox]

Of course what we should do, which would be far simpler than trying to renegotiate the terms of our EU membership, or leaving it completely, would be to do what the rest do and just put our fingers up at any rules that don't suit us.

Why not? Everybody else seems to do it.

[Silver_Shiney]

I've just done the sum by the way. If I replace my vac with one half the power to get under the EU reg, even assuming it can do the same job in the same time, I'll save about 0.3% of my annual power bill. That should save a few polar bears!

An interesting article I came across the other day...

Ian Rutherford Plimer is an Australian geologist, professor emeritus of earth sciences at the University of Melbourne, professor of mining geology at the University of Adelaide, and the director of multiple mineral exploration and mining companies. He has published 130 scientific papers, six books and edited the Encyclopedia of Geology.

In response to the question "Where Does the Carbon Dioxide Really Come From?", he says

"Okay, here's the bombshell. The volcanic eruption in Iceland . Since its first spewing of volcanic ash has, in just FOUR DAYS, NEGATED EVERY SINGLE EFFORT you have made in the past five years to control CO2 emissions on our planet - all of you.

Of course, you know about this evil carbon dioxide that we are trying to suppress - it’s that vital chemical compound that every plant requires to live and grow and to synthesize into
oxygen for us humans and all animal life.

I know....it's very disheartening to realize that all of the carbon emission savings you have accomplished while suffering the inconvenience and expense of driving Prius hybrids, buying fabric grocery bags, sitting up till midnight to finish your kids "The Green Revolution" science project, throwing out all of your non-green cleaning supplies, using only two squares of toilet paper, putting a brick in your toilet tank reservoir, selling your SUV and speedboat, vacationing at home instead of abroad, nearly getting hit every day on your bicycle, replacing all of your 50p light bulbs with £5 light bulbs ..... well, all of those things you have done have all gone down the tubes in just four days.

The volcanic ash emitted into the Earth's atmosphere in just four days - yes, FOUR DAYS - by that volcano in Iceland has totally erased every single effort you have made to reduce the
evil beast, carbon. And there are around 200 active volcanoes on the planet spewing out this crud at any one time - EVERY DAY.

I don't really want to rain on your parade too much, but I should mention that when the volcano Mt. Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines in 1991, it spewed out more greenhouse gases into
the atmosphere than the entire human race had emitted in all its years on earth.

Yes, folks, Mt. Pinatubo was active for over one year - think about it!!!!

Of course, I shouldn't spoil this 'touchy-feely tree-hugging' moment and mention the effect of solar and cosmic activity and the well-recognized 800-year global heating and cooling cycle, which keeps happening despite our completely insignificant efforts to affect climate change.

And I do wish I had a silver lining to this volcanic ash cloud, but the fact of the matter is that the bush fire season across the western USA and Australia this year alone will negate
your efforts to reduce carbon in our world for the next two to three years. And it happens every year.

Just remember that your government just tried to impose a whopping carbon tax on you, on the basis of the bogus 'human-caused' climate-change scenario.

Hey, isn’t it interesting how they don’t mention 'Global Warming' anymore, but just 'Climate Change' - you know why? It’s because the planet has COOLED by 0.7 degrees in the past few years and these global warming bull artists got caught with their pants down.

And, just keep in mind that you might yet have an Emissions Trading Scheme - that whopping new tax - imposed on you that will achieve absolutely nothing except make you poorer. It won’t stop any volcanoes from erupting, that’s for sure.

But, hey, relax......give the world a hug and have a nice day!"


As "proof" of devastating global warming, Attenborough has often used a photograph of a polar bear perched on top of a small chunk of ice and bewails the "fact" that these animals will soon be existent unless we change our evil ways. He ignores the fact that polar bears are strong swimmers so the lack of a bit of ice wouldn't matter to them, and that the population of bears is actually rising. The photo is many years old and artic sea ice has increased considerably since it was taken.

The climate has been changing ever since Noah's flood and there is nothing we can do about it. The "green tax" is a massive con to raise more taxes. It's time the pillocks in the EU started legislating on useful matters instead of wasting our time and intruding on our free choice by making diktats about what we can and cannot buy.

[Frank Manning]

That is true. It has been known for some time that mankind is a relatively small contributor to CO2 emissions, but maknkind is a major factor in deforestation of the rain forests which nature usues to redress the balance. Leave the trees alone and equilibrium will be maintained.

I think some of these EU jobsworths are just that; and justifying their pensionable cushy numbers on the biggest gravy train on the planet.

[Mervyn and Trish]

And of course mankind is the major contributor to "green" taxes, so it's unlikely the government will ever relent on its drive to save the polar bears by raising revenue!