Boiler Burners Part 1

Jason,

When I worked on some EU committees some time ago the difference between the nationalities was striking:

Germans - wanted everything standardised because if it wasn't specified in the standard they couldn't do it.

Italians - wanted to produce a long winded academic paper on every aspect.

British - didn't want anything standardised.

Spanish - couldn't be bothered to turn up.

French - would agree to anything because they would ignore the rules anyway.

Russell

I did ask a retailer why it was so difficult to obtain stuff that seems to be freely available on the continent, USA, Australia etc. His view was that the Health & Safety industry together with the Risk Assessment industry and Insurance Industry, in conspiring to make maximum profits for themselves have ensured that their fellow citizens suffer for their corporate greed. Add to this the classic "jobsworth" mentality of British officialdom and we arrive at the situation we are in. He cited an example of trying to obtain methylated spirit but his carrier had been prohibited from carrying it by insurance risk assessors, notwithstanding the fact that the delivery vehicle by necessity had a fuel tank of diesel at best and petrol at worst.

Mick

I was moaning about the difficulty of buying quite common materials on another post. When I remember buying ether, carbide, sulpher etc. when I was about 12 years old. I think one problem is just that there is no demand now, so no reason to stock it. I was quoted the safety thing for getting meths. and pointed out it can be sent by post. BTW meths. in UK does now have more water added.

The brake pipe I bought in Halfords this week was marked "to be installed only by a qualified mechanic".

Neil

I understand your point Gordon but I sometimes think that this is trotted out as a convenient excuse. As an example, for some time my local newsagent regularly sold out of my title before I could get to the shop where I was usually greeted by "We've sold out" "Why not order more." "There is no demand." "How come you have sold out if there is no demand but you've still got dozens of tabloids on the shelves for which you presumably do have a demand?" Stony silence. Eventually, they did order more and guess what.....they sold out of those as well. This type of occurrence is quite commonplace but, as far as I am concerned, if I want it, there is a demand for it, and I am pretty sure I wouldn't be the only one. Before someone comes on whining about the difficulties involved, it seems to me that the big boys that stock thousands of lines are the ones making the profits, much as I deplore the decimation of the high streets.

Mick

We're off topic, but I remember a short while ago buying a little electric gadget that could have been hard wired into a fused socket or could have been fitted with a three pin plug, in the latter case the instruction went on, it should be fitted by a suitably qualified person. Buggar I thought, missed out on the 'How to fit a three pin Plug' course, thought that would have been a jolly day out.

Wonder how we went on before everything electrical from the shop came with bare wires, and a three pin plug, complete with a 13amp fuse - usually the one fuse you didn't need - coming as an extra to buy.

We'll all be walking round in bubble wrap soon, case we fall over, to pleas 'elf n safety...........

Edited By ChrisH on 09/10/2013 20:48:37