Roadsternut

A movie National Guardsman patrolling a crime ridden city. Of course, a work of fiction. Maybe inspired when British soldiers were asked to play at being cops, supporting the police in Northern Ireland, leading to the longest continuous deployment in British Army history, and things like Bloody Sunday. I had a good friend in the RUC (he was on the scene in Warrenpoint in 79 picking bits of Paras out of the trees, something he said haunted him until taking early retirement after being shot on the job) recounted a patrol going back to the station in their police Land Rover. At that point, soldiers used to ride with the police in their vehicles, but weren't under police command. A motorist failed to indicate at a junction, so on came the blue lights. The driver seemingly took no notice, and drove normally. The police were going to let it go, it was near the end of shift, until they heard someone cocking their weapon and muttering they knew how to get their attention...... A numbskull squaddie, who was told in no uncertain terms, to stop. I'm not sure Operation Banner caused the Troubles, but I don't think it helped. People in Northern Ireland, whatever their tradition, are entitled to the same rights and responsibiloties as any citizen. I was an Englishman over there, towards the end of the troubles. You quickly get used to the soldiers taking a bead on you with their SA80s, the random checkpoints, being searched everytime I took a ferry to Scotland. This being America, with troops on the street facing people with lots of guns. It just takes one Jody the Weekend Warrior, or a citizen off his meds exercising his Second Amendment Rights, having a loose trigger finger. In the UK, widespread disorder, when it happens, is dealt with, adequately, by specialist officers deployed from other constabularies. During the Marching Season, you see cops, in fireproof outfits, sitting around all day, in the backs of their wagons, waiting for trouble. They are generally not PSNI, but probably from Yorkshire, Manchester, Strathclyde, London etc. This doesn't happen in the US, as the police from one State don't have jurisdiction powers in another State (ie. power of arrest). Seems to me a simple change in laws, maybe even deputise police officers, can provide surge support during periods of unrest. This would be far less contentious. And the police are properly trained.

Who called you a Nonce?

I guess given the earlier comment, why the term "left" or" leftie" is used on this forum to frame members, you must be the Nazi/fascist.

Good for you. The Russian communists are evil and manipulative. Look at those Sleeper Agents they infiltrated into all levels of US society. Commies the lot of them, but outwardly, American and conservative. I believe they also recruited Americans and other nationals early on, getting them to pose as conservatives later in life, with true loyalty to the Party.

Yes.

Hmm, training religious conservatives how to fly planes on US soil didn't end well in 2001.

When did you let support for the Communist Party lapse? People lost their lives, families lost their breadwinners, yet you think its time for a celebration.

Morbidly obese man provies he is a real man. Not sure what the cops were doing when moving off just as the tagless cars show up.

Anyone who supports Putin is a communist.

I really doubt its the fault of the employees. It's the Russians, or their proxies/useful idiots/supporters.

Given how Russia has targeted key Western assets with arson, sabotage has to be high up on possibilities. The plant had just received a $120m order from the Army for TNT, for use in 155mm shells for Ukraine. Apparently this will cause an immediate 30% shortfall for the Army. https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4313336/ https://eadaily.com/en/news/2025/10/11/shortly-before-the-explosion-a-plant-in-the-usa-that-produced-shells-for-the-armed-forces-of-ukraine-received-a-large https://www.counterterrorism.police.uk/group-convicted-after-russian-ordered-arson-attack-in-london/ https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-discovers-russian-espionage-tool-sanctions-gru-officers-over-cyberattacks-2025-07-18/ https://www.csis.org/analysis/russias-shadow-war-against-west https://www.mirasafety.com/blogs/news/the-sleeper-agent-threat?srsltid=AfmBOoq4IDaKAn-JE8LUvD_zo7HlOh5QqDWHmF1pyoZd_Bdd8cXsaAB7 Russia has been at it for years, and gotten away with it, eg, the 2014 attack on the Czech ammo warehouse at Vrbetice, orchestrated by GRU Unit 29155, who were also responsible for the Salisbury nerve agent attacks. Hopefully Woke defenders of Russia won't be chipping in to say its impossible for them to be involved. Need to reactivate the unit tasked with hunting these sabateurs down. They were disbanded in March.

Overall, I have moved from a sceptic to being quite positive, looking at the latest models (ignoring the trite fake photos, videos). AI is achieving astounding improvements in healthcare; everyone on this forum will benefit in the next 5 years from AI assisted treatment, whether that's improved cancer diagnostics, therapeutics. Mammography diagnostics has moved from being right 50% of the time, using humans to check mammograms to 75% correct using AI. AI is achieving reductions in readmission rates; all those little checks after you leave hospital mean something if you are going back downhill, because you were let home too soon. BUT, I am worried about a AI investment bubble, and collapse, similar to thr Dot.com bubble. I've just got back from a conference, in medtech, where the mood was quite downbeat about investment money being sucked from healthcare, and other areas, into "AI", where it is an obvious wildwest about who has developed the best model. Partly this is driven by politicians who have become more risk adverse in some areas (healthcare) they think they know about about (eg the ignorant RFK), but dropping all skepticism about areas they clearly are clueless about (eg, Trump's ridiculous use of the term "Project Stargate" for an AI wheeze).

No law was broken. She merely was unable to secure asylum status. And her last appeal was not 20 years ago. Your representation of the woman appears libelous, based on statements from ICE, and numerous reliable reports. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgq63lgn7zo It is a useful to us all, wherever we are, that while we think the Law of the Land is blind, its always prejudiced and vindictive. If you live in Thailand now, as a foreigner, you have no rights. The Thai government can legitimately declare, without need for justification, that any of us are criminals. They can declare us persona non grata. They can inform our government of behaviour that we might think is private. They can even make up stories, and leave us to deal with the consequences. You might think that you are law abiding now, but it just takes one word from someone you upset for your world to come crashing around you. Your government can remove your passport without reason. Your government can take your money, and there is not a thing you can do about it. Rights are but a mirage, and invented by people who believe in sky fairies.

SNG Barrett, Berkshire Jag, David Manners etc etc. Then excellent used parts from the likes of Autoreserve. Jaguar, through Jaguar Classic, do pretty good online service for OEMs. The supply chain for X308 and older is still largely UK based. For the X350 onwards, it went overseas. The X350 has a particular problem because it was Ford era. For old Jags, sharing some bits with Mondeos and Focuses 20 years on ought to be be good new, from a cost of ownership perspective. In 2020, JLR canceled the Ford supply agreement, and then failed to back fill the loss of Ford engineered parts. So supply is drying up. I'm told their warehouses do still have a lot of parts, because the X350 didn't sell well, but the latest Ransomware attack is the nail in the cotton, and stock might end up scrapped, because they have no idea what it is. You've picked a 1990s supercharged car and are shocked to find its complicated, pretty much like any 1990s supercharged car was. If you were a car dealer of experience, I am surprised you didn't realise that. There is a reason why turbocharging became more popular with the OEs than a blower. I deliberately steered away from the 400hp X350 XJR, preferring a short-stroke XJ8. The XJR might provide the thrills, but also a lot of pain. Its a 10 hour job to replace a £25 valley hose. People, lile you, are buying what were £60-70,000 cars 20+ years ago, and expecting to run them on a Ford Fiesta budget. Which is why all of these Jags, 7-series, A8s, S-Classes end up with rock bottom values. If you had gone for a regular XJ6, you might have a car thats more suited to your technical abilities and/or budget. It might be a rare car, but that's meaningless in Thailand. One of my MX5s was a M2-1002; only 100 of these were made, taken off the line as bare shells, and hand finished by M2-Inc with full hide leather, alcantara covered dash, with Yamaha walnut inlays, matched to a Mazdaspeed tuned motor and breathed on chassis. An utter delight to drive, with Mazda's interpretation of a luxurious but mechanically stripped back sports car. Worth a lot of money in Japan, because its so rare. Just a MX5 in the UK M2, because there is no market for it (6 M2 Inc cars made it to the UK; 2x M2-1002, 2x M2-1001 Clubmans, and 2 M2-1028 Superlegarres. One 1028 ended up being shipped back to Japan, both 1002s and one 1001 are in Italy, and the last one is unknown) . Mine ended up as part of the Miataland collection in Italy (former head of Ford Italy is a big MX5 fan, and has the world's largest collection, as part of a MX5-themed resort). As for the hose you illustrated that has blown your mind, I just see a hose. Nothing complicated about it. I found a XJS to be a piece of P*ss to work on, no special tools nor knowledge needed. I find the so-called specialists and motortrade like to talk up the supposed complexity, I suppose to keep them in business.

My Jag is a X350 XJ8; lovely car and extremely advanced in its day (all aluminium glued and riveted shell, well sorted AJV8). These are starting to get good money as well. And I'd argue full of character as well. No good though in Thailand; parts are tricky to get even in the UK now (and the JLR hack probably means complete lack of support now from the factory, which was bad before). The X300 though is a different kettle of fish. Its a heavily revised XJ40, essentially, which itself has a lineage to the original XJ, with lots of bits from a Jaguar parts bin. The AJ6 is unburstable. I wouldn't touch a X308, unless its had a new block, because of the Nikasil lining issue. I had a 6-cylinder XJ-S before (stripped and rebuilt the rear IRS in my shed, without a manual). These are simple cars to work on, so I am always puzzled by Americans complaining about them. But then, American mechanics seem to frequently struggle with anything foreign, particularly European, and then blame the car, rather than, perhaps, their trade schools (a friend was on a Bombardier contract in Texas, and brought a non-running Triumph Spitfire as something to tinker with in the hotel carpark. I was a car that the local mechanics had given up on, so he was expecting a challenge, and was shocked to find all it needed was a carb rebuild kit). Parts are easy to get for the X300. You don't need a specialist mechanic, just a good mechanic.

I signed up to the forum to find out a bit more about this rule. Originally I thought it might be a way to get at least one of my cars over to Thailand, but the discussion confirms my doubts. One of my cars is a 1995 Eunos Roadster, which is a bone fide classic. Where I am, its not worth 2 million, much like Stags, MGBs, Midgets, Spitfires etc. Its a rare model, and I even had it signed by the designer of the original Miata, the late Tom Matano (and I've had a lot of these over the years, including a rare hand built version now in an Italian collection). But its never worth 2 million. And for 900,000, I can get a car already in Thailand, and have full use of it. Like this But I wouldn't pay 900,000 for one. The other car is a 2004 XJ8, which for various reasons, wouldn't be a great idea in Thailand (the NA MX5 is mechanically simple, easy on parts, and very easy to work on), but that's for another thread. Like many I suppose, I spend time on Thai FB Marketplace, trying to understand what is available and a sensible price (upto 250k), and I find it fairly depressing. I already have a new car in Thailand, so its just looking for a hobby car. Ironically, in the past, I've had a MB 190, a BMW E46, and these are dirt cheap in Thailand. I've had an Alfa Romeo 147, and I see the closely related 156 is available in Thailand for suspiciously sensible prices (maybe I know too much about how they eat through bushings to go for that again). I'm suprised not more Mk1 Escort 2 door shells are being exported out of Thailand. I know most of these are basically wrecks, but Mk1 prices have gone crazy, and now you can build a new one from scratch, as long as you can get that 2-door chassis plate..... 140k for this rusty heap, but its 2-doors, not 4 doors