The rise of Christian Nationalism in the US and Canada, removed whatever religious genes I once possessed. I want no part of something that can be twisted the way they did. It was bad enough that religion was once used to control the government and the people. Now the roll has reversed - particularly in the US - and the Government is using religion as a 'sidekick' to control the people.  "One Country. One God. One Religion". Jefferson would be rolling over in his grave.  https://www.monticello.org/encyclopedia/thomas-jefferson-and-religious-freedom MAGA's quote a lot of things Jefferson said or wrote.  But they never quote this. Jefferson believed in a complete separation of Church and State. So did Benjamin Franklin. 

Just in case anyone can't see similarities between Hitler's rise to power, and someone more recent.... I personally think Trump is playing a long game where he's attacking "the left" to the point that he might push them to "take up arms against a tyrannical government". (The true intent and purpose of the 2nd Amendment.) Then he can invoke the Insurrection act, and cancel the November election, and possibly the 2028 election. And stay in power.  Of course I could be way off base. 

The world needs more Carneys.  Good, sensible, old-fashioned statesmen (and women) are in very short supply. Political systems that dictate (more or less) that only two parties can really gain traction (US and UK being notable examples, shamefully don’t know enough about Canada) are always going to tend to cause polarisation. But getting those prospering from the system to change it to their disadvantage is never going to happen!

Not completely analogous, but sometime towards the end of first agent-orange affliction I read Atwoods “A Handmaidens Tale” I didn’t like it. I don’t usually mind a bit of dystopian fiction. But this was too close for comfort, even then. I have the sequel but no urge to read it! Religion can be a force for the good. Seems to me that more often it is the opposite though. I don’t have the religion gene.

Confessions and regrets. I was a card carrying member of the Reform Party of Canada back in 1993 when they almost won enough seats to form the official opposition. At the time, I also fell for the Christian Nationalist agenda. They were closely tied together. Just as the MAGA's are in the US.  In 1997, they won enough votes to form the official opposition. They really hammered the Progressive Conservative Party. After that there were attempts made to "consolidate the Conservatives". First the "Conservative Alliance" and then "The Conservative Party of Canada. The problem is that rather than merging what we called "small C Conservatives" and "large C conservatives" and ending up with a centrist Conservative party, the party leadership has been constantly Ex-Reform Party adherents. And they've constantly picked leaders - like Pierre Poilievre - who pretended to be centrists but were still pushing far right ideology.  The result is similar to the US. The CPC is now run by far right conservatives and I believe only around 35% of Conservative voters support that. That's why the Liberals won with Mark Carney. A lot of centrist conservatives want no part of the "Maple MAGA" crap Pierre is pushing. We've seen what it did to the US. I lean Conservative but I'm truly glad Carney won after seeing him in action.  I truly hope the UK Reform Party doesn't do the same to the UK. I'll hazard a guess though that UK Reform might well split the Conservative vote, and imploded or not, Labour may win again.  It's sad to see such rifts developing between the left and right, in the US, then in Canada, and potentially in the UK in the future. Heavily divided politics is a curse IMO. Nothing gets done for the people, while politicians on both sides spend all their time blaming their opponents for the current problems. Rather than fixing them. Maybe getting older has made me wiser as I regret past affiliations with far right politics and Christianity 30 years ago.  Or I've gotten to the point I just don't give a damn anymore. 🙄  

I’d say that the occasional smoke signals indicate the pump may have had a tweak. Nothing excessive though. 

Rimmer sell rubbish but are good on delivery charges. Moss sell better rubbish but charge heavily for delivering it. Try the TRShop next time.   Roger

Thank you Steve, you filled me with both terror and then the answer - phew. Sadly our rather delicare bodies will wear out. But some of ot can be sorted.   Roger    

Can someone tell me what the Moss Rimmer shipping policy is based on? I live in France and needed a couple of small parts so I thought just order them from moss France, all going well till I hit the order button and the shipping charge from Paris to where I live in France was 27 euros! Being tighter than a ducks nether region I wondered what it would cost from Rimmers UK. Even with me paying the import duties up front and a 2-3 day fast delivery rate it was still cheaper to buy from Rimmers in the UK! 🙃😳by over 15 euros for a few small parts 🤔