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PatrickJSmith

Listed below are comments made by PatrickJSmith between Friday, 10th October 2008 and Monday, 8th December 2008.

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Festive Germans still prudent 8:01pm on 08 Dec 2008 Reply to 23

Quote: "You can't STILL be blaming Thatcher for this, surely?"

Reagan and Thatcher told the bankers do what you like. Blair got New Labour elected because he adopted many of Thatcher's policies. I lived in Northern England, and saw what Thatcherism did. Yes, I do blame her and I blame the rest of the fools for going along with it for so long. It's about time people realised what was trickling down on them in a Trickle Down economy.

English politics seems to oscillate between the Tories and Labour, which are just two sides of the same coin.
Still as someone once said, "Well, if you don't like it, leave!" I have.

A good case in point was my first job, which was in the Netherlands. Although, I was taking home less money, I had more money after paying all my bills.

Quote: "Why don't you smell the coffee" I'm a tea drinker, East Frisian.
Festive Germans still prudent 11:46am on 08 Dec 2008 Just for the record, German cooking is very good. I'm an Englishman living in Baden-Wuerttemburg and the food, wine and beer here is very good.

Perhaps the differences in approach between the UK and Germany are because they have two different economies. Germany has a manufacturing economy, whereas the UK has a consumer economy. The UK needs to get more people spending. The Germans realise they have only to weather the storm. After all, the recession is predicted to last only a year.

Of the two approaches, Germany's is by far the most sensible. In a recession, government revenue falls because there are less taxes being paid. Cutting taxes and increasing spending seems downright reckless.

As an Englishman, I am glad I live here in Germany where the old English values of moderation and saving for rainy days are still practised.

I never liked Thatcher, her policies were based on greed, selfishness and recklessness. Her politics are now bearing their bitter fruits. Brown would be better funding British businesses and research.
All of a sudden... algae is everywhere 3:30pm on 10 Oct 2008 In response to SaneScientist.

Thank you. I can agree that it is carbon neutral, and this seems like a good route to take.

My issue (I mean that in a friendly, enjoying debate way) was with the statement: "Oh, and algae can help fix climate change too."

So if we burn algae, we have a carbon neutral fuel. But if we dry a lot of it and bury that in a disused mine have we got method for reducing atmospheric CO2?
All of a sudden... algae is everywhere 12:24pm on 10 Oct 2008 Some comments

Quote: "The algae draw down huge quantities of carbon from the air as they grow and convert it to biomass - which we then either eat, or burn as fuel."

If we burn it, won't it form carbon dioxide? If we eat it then won't we form methane ultimately?

Quote: "Put simply, his plan is to take algae, grow them in controlled ponds in a mixture of salt and fresh water."

What would be wrong with using salt water? It might even be a good coastal industry.

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