Vive la difference!!! (trackworld)

I claim to have an eco conscience

(not as massive as some, but probably above average on STW, which means pretty high on a national scale)

but if I won one of those 9 figure euromillions jackpots I would be doing all the globe trotting gas emitting conspicuous consumption things we all claim to despise in a desparate attempt to spend it all.

I ride MTBs on man made trails!

I've always had new cars, on (whispers) finance. The idea of bangernomics and cars as white goods just doesn't appeal to me. Some of the brands I've had would mark me out as a certain-kind-of-person by some on here as well, but I'd like to think would be wide of the mark.

Guns. I enjoyed firing guns in my youth and if I lived somewhere where they were easily available I'd have several. I had a business trip to North Carolina about 5 years ago and really enjoyed firing a variety of handguns at the range. I also find the technology fascinating from the German invention of hammer forged barrels to the way the AR system keeps the forces on the bolt carrier group in line to the guide rails in the upper receiver. At the same time I can see why they were (largely) banned in the UK.

Other than that I'm an STW stereotype although I don't have or want a camper van. I'm a computer manager / programmer and drive an Audi. I used to have a wood burning stove but not anymore. I do make my own sourdough bread though.

I wouldn't admit to anymore than I have already admitted to.

FFS as far as I am aware of I am the only person on STW, out of however many hundreds of members there are, who openly admits to not supporting the EU at the time of the referendum and still not supporting it now.

who openly admits to not supporting the EU at the time of the referendum and still not supporting it now.

There were over 50 more or less regulars who said they'd vote leave on the original Brexit thread and you weren't one of them, Ernie.

Six who have never declared a change of mind still post very regularly, a few occasionally and some have come back with new pseudos but don't go anywhere near the topic. It caused quite a shake out though, a higher proportion have gone than for those who said they'd vote remain. Very few have changed their mind, just two spring to mind.

On topic: me? This is a public forum.

I don't think I have anything much not said on here.

I have a sneaky love of disco and a wee sneaky bit of country rock.  I grew out of metal music by the time I was 18 and I have seen many of the great 70s metal bands but my god metal is so dated now.  Spinal tap killed it for me

Edit.  I am the least argumentative and opinionated person in my extended family.

I am careful with my words Ed :

and still not supporting it now.

I am aware of people who said they would/did back Leave but I don't know anyone else apart from myself who is still open about being opposed to the EU.

There are at least six Ernie who post regularly, I'm not going to name them but they remain opposed to the EU.

I'm very careful with my answers.

I’m not going to name them

You don't seem careful about reading my words! I said, "still open about being opposed to the EU".

I am sure that there are considerably more than 6 people out of all the STW registered users who are opposed to the EU!

As far as I'm aware I am the only one still prepared to take flack by being open about it. If there is anyone else, which is obviously perfectly feasible, then I am surprised that I haven't noticed them.

I’m not a big fan of the EU, for what it’s worth. I’m just even less of a fan of the Tory government. So when asked to ‘take back control’, I looked long and hard about who would then gain said ‘control’ and thought, ‘nope’, give me Brussels any day.

(I know that we (Whitehall, rather) still actually had plenty of control…)

I’d love to live in Arizona or similar, surrounded by desert, ride motorcycles with no helmet, own 12 guns, six dogs and and a pickup

I think we all would and we all don't for similar reasons.  I'd like a few crossbows too.

I love doing massive skids on my bike.

Dogs are brilliant.

then I am surprised that I haven’t noticed them.

They don't spray it all over the wall like you, Ernie, it's in their continuity of negativity towards the EU having said they'd vote leave on the original in/out thread. Have a look through the Starmer thread and you'll find a couple of leavers from the original in/out thread supportive of Stamer's recents refusal to consider rejoining and dismisal of a Swiss style deal. Another reiterated his views in a jocular manner whilst on holiday in the EU. You might miss stuff because you rarely venture out of politics threads. 😉

Edit: as for always having been leave, you are one of the last forum regulars I assigned to the leave camp, and that was a long time after the referendum. You were very discrete on the issue for a long time.

I know that globally we are heading for some proper nasty extinction level stuff potentially with the climate but...

I love the long and excessively hot summers!

There. I've said it.

I’m not a big fan of the EU, for what it’s worth. I’m just even less of a fan of the Tory government. So when asked to ‘take back control’, I looked long and hard about who would then gain said ‘control’ and thought, ‘nope’, give me Brussels any day.

(I know that we (Whitehall, rather) still actually had plenty of control…)

Very similar to my views at the time. It was clear they had no idea or plan if Leave prevailed, and unusually, I was right!

I'm another who would like to have a supercar and access to a (controlled) gun range, just to see what it was like. And I'd be happy to pay whatever the "green tax" on those might be.

And I'll say my parents/family did well in Thatchers Britain, we weren't affected by the destruction of manufacturing etc. Luckily I've matured enough to take a wider view nowadays rather than "I'm alright jack"

With me it's cars, right now we're tearing apart a poor bashed up mazda 6 to put its engine into my formerly 2-litre mx5 so that I can waste more fuel and do more effective skidz. Once we're done with that, I just got an ej257 out of an sti, which we're going to put the bottom end of into my daily driver Legacy along with a turbo swap and a 6 speed from another legacy I scrapped, realistically shooting for 350bhp in the first iteration so that I can, uh, drive at the speed limit to trail centres doing 20mpg (and occasionally overtake someone at the speed of light)

On the other hand I do sort my recycling so that balances it all out, right?

I don’t like flag waving and am not a fan of nationalism… I don’t really like the whole nation state thing but I think I’d vote for independence for Wales if we were given the chance.

I’m told it would be a stupid thing to wish for and that Wales is too small, too poor, too stupid, etc. but then again it looks increasing like we wouldn’t have much to lose.

I love the long and excessively hot summers!

Fancy a house swap for August?

On the other hand I do sort my recycling so that balances it all out, right?

You already know the answer to that and as for the mashed potato thing 😉

tomhoward
Full Member

Dogs are brilliant

I tend to be anti dog ownership… anti dogs on beaches; especially chasing wading birds in the winter and disturbing ground nesting birds in the spring. I also dislike dogs on shared use cycle routes.

But. I admit….

I’d love to go on a long husky tour in somewhere snowy….

Centralist scum here. Also proper full on **** the tories remainer that is proud to work in UK manufacturing (so I have some real world grasp of the damage Brexit has done).

I like fast cars almost as much as I like bikes. Oh and I actually ride bikes (about 10000KM/yr).

Dogs are ace - particularly spaniels but I like cats too 🤣.

So I'm not sure what STW tribe I fit into but I do like it here...

While Mick Lynch would be excellent on the stand up circuit, I can’t help wondering if he is just hastening the day when the railways are nigh-on fully automated employing virtually no one.

And I enjoyed him squirming on his Brexit support and the bonfire of workers rights on the radio the other day.

I secretly wish that the Merc I 'had' to buy last summer had been the v6 version despite it being less economical.

I think we all would and we all don’t for similar reasons. I’d like a few crossbows too.

And a banjo 🙂

De du dum dum dum dum dum

Whilst I can't be doing with the current trend for "Britishness", flag waving, nostalgia. White washing the past etc', I bloody love a Spitfire and will happily watch the Battle of Britain movie whenever I catch it on Tele.

Bandits, angels 15. Tally ho.

I'm a climate scientist. I really enjoy the warmer summers and milder winters we've been having.

(I have mostly lived in Scotland and the north of England though. Warmer, not warm!)

despite being a lifelong pacifist I have a variety of weapons hung on the wall of my hallway including some poison blowpipe darts

I bloody love a Spitfire

And most military hardware, purely from a technical POV. Hate war and all that nasty business.