Frickin_idiot

Fingers and toes crossed here!

Whatever you say about Trump - he went in there as a novice and trounced the lifelong Politicians at their own game. Clinton was absolutely the wrong choice to stand against him. Had they chosen Sanders they’d have stood a better chance IMO. Trump will win again.

Any sign of a 2020 Lotus Festival?

1.0 Austin Metro City - cheap to run and reliable but rusted away. 1.6 Capri Laser - possibly my favourite car, finished in black, utterly reliable and when it departed at 18 years of age and 100,000 miles plus was utterly sound bodywork and mechanically. Capri 2.8 Injection Special - quick, comfortable, great sounding and utterly reliable. Escort RS Turbo - nice car, a real pleasure to drive. Sapphire Cosworth - tuned to 375 BhP it was insanely fast but dangerous to drive in the wet and troublesome!- had to go. Dolomite Sprint - tuned to 150bhp the car was a real sleeper. mk 6 Escort TD - slow but reliable and cheap to run. 3.2 911 Supersport - looked the business but heavy and antiquated to drive. I cannot fathom why these cars are so sought after. 1997 Escort GTi - 120,000 miles of trouble free motoring. A decent everyday car. ka 1.3 - cheap and fun to drive. cmax 1.5 diesel - Owened twelve years and apart from servicing the only cost was a replacement battery. Utterly rock solid. s2 Exige S - loved that car, wish I’d kept it. Evora 400 - the grown up lotus, not used as much as it should be but it is everything you need from a car. Still own. Mini Cooper - my everyday car. Tiny boot, rear seats less usable than the Evora but a fun little car.

The government are only interested in promoting smart meters because they fully intend on introducing time of use taxation.

I’ve owned two Lotus - one nearly new the other new. I haven’t received marketing material or satisfaction surveys etc. It’s an area that can be improved with little spend.

When the politicians decided to "tweak" the state pension they should have taken the opportunity to bring their own provisions in line.

A wonderful looking car.

According to a recent report Wales receives £245 million pounds more EU money than is paid in - hardly a massive EU hand-out.

The Heads of the Valleys dual carriageway is still a work in progress - although it is an area that I don't frequent. I don't believe that Wales thinks that it is any more of a special case than the other regions that you mentioned but it does explain why areas such as this may be more open to changing the status quo. The area was completely destroyed during a 10-20 year period, as were many parts of the north of England. Just because the same problems have been inflicted on other regions doesn't make it right. The Welsh and Scottish Nats rightly point the finger at Westminster for not taking appropriate actions to rebalance the economy - more could and should have been done. That said I do not believe that the Nationalists would take the appropriate steps to increase the competitiveness of their respected regions and I do still believe in the union.

Speaking as a person born, bred and living in Wales I feel somewhat qualified to add my view to the subject. I can understand the desire by some for independence, the Welsh economy was hollowed out in the 70's and 80's and there is still a lingering resentment towards Westminster. The area in which I live was devastated and has not even come close to recovering - things that we have lost: Countless mines, several steel plants, many automotive part manufacturers, chemical industries, pharmaceutical manufacturing and research, a myriad of support industries - not to mention the complete and utter destruction of the railway infrastructure. The devastation inflicted on the area in a condensed time frame didn't give the economy, or the people, time to adapt and it has left a wasteland. That said, my friends and peers in no way want the Welsh Assembly - it is seen merely as another talking shop and a further layer of useless Politicians talking and ultimately achieving nothing. The Assembly have recently pulled plans for the desperately needed M4 relief road having spent £114 without laying a single inch of tarmac - truly staggering. Those that are in work, earning over the average wage shudder at the though of the Welsh government wielding their newly gained tax raising powers - you can be sure that they will hammer those that are in work on an average wage and above. I don't believe that leaving the UK will solve any of the problems that Wales has. From my experience those calling for independence are either part of the Welsh Crachach, Welsh language crackpots or the young who have no real skin the game. On a side note I am perplexed as to why the Scottish and Welsh nationalists are somewhat encouraged despite their vile anti English rhetoric, yet English nationalism is frowned upon. Double standards of the highest order in my view.

Purely from a UK perspective I am hoping that Lotus are working on the dealer network, the number of outlets and quality of showroom doesn't compare to other premium brands.

The Evija is of importance as it gives the brand a true halo car. For a company that has been out of the mainstream for quite some time this is an important vehicle.

I wish that this was the case, I live in an area that has had a Labour MP for over 100 years. In that time the area has been destroyed economically, and as a consequence socially. If they put Rose West up for election here, provided that she wore a red rosette she'd get in with over 60% of the vote - it really is that crazy.

Brexit is a minor impact - if at all. The Thomas Cook model is outdated - 500 plus shop in an age where most book holidays online and a company saddled by huge long term debt. Ultimately, a company that did not adapt to change.