Mailwatch(ed) Forum

The Kreuzette was uncharacteristically relaxed about one of those 1950s-style coach fuckers coming at us last week, head-on around a blind bend.

We were on a scooter. He had "KILLER" emblazoned on the front.

Bones McCoy wrote: ↑Thu Oct 30, 2025 3:21 pm There are excellent reasons why the inva-car was dropped.
They weren't practical or safe.
Disabled people have equipment to move about and (take a deep breath) families who wish to travel with them.

On 31 March 2003, almost all of the remaining Invacars owned by the government were recalled and scrapped because of safety concerns. These included failing crash tests at Mira in 1974, a high accident rate and poor handling test results.

As built, the Type 70 Invacar had a sliding seat that could accommodate a wheelchair alongside the driver, and space behind the driver for equipment or just shopping. But they were just single-seaters which was an issue. Little crash resistance of course, but there are modern cars that fall into the "quadricycle" category that are just as bad - the infamous G-Wiz and the modern Citroën Ami.

The Type 70s could also do over 60mph...

Boiler wrote: ↑Thu Oct 30, 2025 4:42 pm

Bones McCoy wrote: ↑Thu Oct 30, 2025 3:21 pm There are excellent reasons why the inva-car was dropped.
They weren't practical or safe.
Disabled people have equipment to move about and (take a deep breath) families who wish to travel with them.

On 31 March 2003, almost all of the remaining Invacars owned by the government were recalled and scrapped because of safety concerns. These included failing crash tests at Mira in 1974, a high accident rate and poor handling test results.

As built, the Type 70 Invacar had a sliding seat that could accommodate a wheelchair alongside the driver, and space behind the driver for equipment or just shopping. But they were just single-seaters which was an issue. Little crash resistance of course, but there are modern cars that fall into the "quadricycle" category that are just as bad - the infamous G-Wiz and the modern Citroën Ami.

The Type 70s could also do over 60mph...

Showing my age here.
I recall a TV programme (could have been Nationwide) did an investigation.
They got a rally driver to pilot one (with one of the new engines).
At 50mph the steering lurched about like a Reform supporter at a spelling test.
Just below 60 the front fork twisted dumping the whole thing over onto its side.

I think the backstory was the originals used an old motorcycle engine.
When the motorcycles were discontinued, Invacars were transitioned to a much more powerful engine.
This took the chassis well beyond its designed stress tolerances.

The builders weren't complete idiots, so stuck on some improvements.
But there's not a lot you can do to "upgrade" the delicate human inside.
Especially if they already face physical challenges.

Recall these were the days of leaded petrol, cigs that would "open your airways" and seatbelts were for pansies.

Ah, seatbelts - which bring us firmly back on topic with Reflux.

"Why should we wear them when those fackin Sikhs don't have to wear crash helmets?"

Your man for seatbelts, was Ivan Lawrence MP (Con, Burton).

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/ ... 22a.1786.1

Here he manages to take an arguable point about driving instructors, and ends up here.

The harm to justice caused by this legislation will be far more substantial than we think. When will we realise that every little infringement of liberty, for whatever good cause, diminishes the whole concept of liberty? If life is the only criterion, why did we sacrifice so many millions of lives in two world wars? Why did we not in the Second World War lie down and say"Because millions of people may die, we should let our liberty be taken away before the onset of the Nazis "? The answer is that more important than lives is the concept of liberty.

Me neither.

When Nick Hancock handed over Room 101 to Paul Merton, he appeared as Merton's first guest. One of Nick's choices was "people who can't argue properly". Paul gave the example of someone he'd seen on a TV debate about the monarchy accusing a republican of wanting to "bring back Hitler". Ivan Lawrence might have got a mention too.

Bones McCoy wrote: ↑Thu Oct 30, 2025 5:59 pm Showing my age here.
I recall a TV programme (could have been Nationwide) did an investigation.
They got a rally driver to pilot one (with one of the new engines).
At 50mph the steering lurched about like a Reform supporter at a spelling test.
Just below 60 the front fork twisted dumping the whole thing over onto its side.

You ought to watch some of Ian Seabrook's drives in his. (He's HubNut, as per the YT video). He drove his round Goodwood...

Bones McCoy wrote: ↑Thu Oct 30, 2025 5:59 pmI think the backstory was the originals used an old motorcycle engine.

They did - a Villiers of 197cc, the last to use that being the Invacar 12e. They also kept the motorcycle gearbox which was a bit impractical, so the Model 70 gained a CVT making it a "twist and go" car.

Bones McCoy wrote: ↑Thu Oct 30, 2025 5:59 pmWhen the motorcycles were discontinued, Invacars were transitioned to a much more powerful engine.
This took the chassis well beyond its designed stress tolerances.

The cars IIRC were redesigned. Fun fact: originally the Model 70 was to have had the engine from the original Fiat 500 but Fiat backed out - so they ended up with a Steyr-Puch 497cc aircooled twin.

Bones McCoy wrote: ↑Thu Oct 30, 2025 5:59 pmThe builders weren't complete idiots, so stuck on some improvements.

Fun Fact (ii) - the design of the Model 70 was done by AC Cars - the same company that built the Cobra sports car.

Bones McCoy wrote: ↑Thu Oct 30, 2025 5:59 pm[...] and seatbelts were for pansies.

Both my neighbour and my former motor mechanic friend flatly refuse to wear seatbelts. Both say they're unsafe.

The "Invacar" as conceived by Bert Greeves has a long and interesting history: worth a dive.

The one overarching story here is that Reflux and the six-bob Stürmer would gleefully strip people with disabilities (Erbkranke, as they would put it) of as much dignity as they possibly could.

That's where they would make a start. They are telling us this, quite explicitly.

Niemöller is screaming blue murder.

It's that poster again...

And then we can go after everyone with a blue badge……..with exceptions of course

They could call it the T4 model.

Boiler wrote: ↑Thu Oct 30, 2025 10:30 pm It's that poster again...

I was wondering when it would show up.

I'd like to express my gratitude to you, Boiler, for sharing your expert vehicle knowledge.
I take pride in "getting how stuff works" after a career in engineering.
But it's a real pleasure to have an expert filling in the details.

Keep it up, anything that irritates Michael Gove deserves the broadest possible audience.

Thank you, Bones - that means a lot to me.

A wag on he social media has suggested casting asylum seekers in television advertisements.

Because:

Reform would have to tell us what a tiny fraction of the population they represent.

It's two-way traffic now

A Reform UK councillor has defected to the Tories after becoming "uncomfortable" with Nigel Farage's party.

James Buchan said he wanted to be able to "look my family in the eye and say, 'that's not who I am'" after his former party announced plans to scrap indefinite leave to remain.

The Dartford Borough councillor, who won his seat for Reform in a by-election in July, said the policy creates a "huge amount of fear and anxiety".

He also accused the party of having "a pretty unfortunate way of treating people"...

https://news.sky.com/story/reform-counc ... y-13461586

Yug wrote: ↑Sat Nov 01, 2025 6:55 am It's two-way traffic now

A Reform UK councillor has defected to the Tories after becoming "uncomfortable" with Nigel Farage's party.

James Buchan said he wanted to be able to "look my family in the eye and say, 'that's not who I am'" after his former party announced plans to scrap indefinite leave to remain.

The Dartford Borough councillor, who won his seat for Reform in a by-election in July, said the policy creates a "huge amount of fear and anxiety".

He also accused the party of having "a pretty unfortunate way of treating people"...

https://news.sky.com/story/reform-counc ... y-13461586

Out of the leaky ship, into the mickey-mouse water-wings - which are on fire.

With so much proper news to cover this morning Sky News has devoted almost a hour to Nigel Farage delivering his speech on the economy which the channel is describing as 'Breaking News.' I'm guessing that the Tories and the Lib Dems won't get similar coverage if they make any economic announcements this week.

I wonder whether the UK’s electors are beginning to twig that the Reform UK party is really just a piss-poor Tory tribute act (albeit one whose USP seems to be proclaiming that the Conservative Party is dead).

Virtually all of its leading lights - certainly all of its MPs - are Tory re-treads. And uninspiring re-treads at that, e.g. 30p Lee.

I think Labour is right to attack them
on this front, and especially now that they’re coming out with policies that would have made Enoch Powell blush.

An£ keep reminding them of Farage’s record - shit Brexit, trying to scrap the NHS, all that.

Reform’s account appears to have been hacked by a raving anti-semite.

Abernathy wrote: ↑Tue Nov 04, 2025 3:38 pm I wonder whether the UK’s electors are beginning to twig that the Reform UK party is really just a piss-poor Tory tribute act (albeit one whose USP seems to be proclaiming that the Conservative Party is dead).

Virtually all of its leading lights - certainly all of its MPs - are Tory re-treads. And uninspiring re-treads at that, e.g. 30p Lee.

I think Labour is right to attack them
on this front, and especially now that they’re coming out with policies that would have made Enoch Powell blush.

An£ keep reminding them of Farage’s record - shit Brexit, trying to scrap the NHS, all that.

It does seem its two polling companies constantly pushing them beyond 30 and one in particular that keeps recording mid teen figures (One that has no history before the last election finished). Labour will take a hiding but the result in Wales seemed to suggest the voters know what to do. Even Runcorn should have been cut and dry for them and they won it on what could have been an issue with the post from one or two houses.

BBC of course ran a "what would a reform government look like", I commented Argentina.

Farage has appointed himself spokesman for small business.

The other great betrayal is that is every one of these millions of businesses, every one of these 5.6 million businesses, believed that, with Brexit, the regulatory burden on their shoulders would become less.
I can tell you, a decade on, almost from the referendum, in every single industry, from financial services to fisheries, the burden of regulation and the threat of the regulator is worse now than it was then

Did they all believe that? How about all the ones who exported to the EU, were they looking forward to carrying on, except with less regulation? I reckon at least some of them could see the problem coming.