lol-lol

The current Mini is a low range EV, there are plenty of EVs available at similar cost which have much greater range where public charging is much more rare and those of us lucky enough to have home chargers we actually only public charge less than 5% of the time so our usual cost per mile for energy is 2p per mile with just the occasional use of a 20p per mile public charge up where we will will just charge for a few minutes to get a few tens of miles to get us home to our super cheap home charge or free destination chargers sometimes. Where as fuel prices are going up due to the Middle East and Eurasian wars electricity prices are dropping as networks such as TESLA v4 charging stations, open to all makes and therefore public charging cheaper. Batteries are getting substantially cheaper year on year whereas ICE cars have to keep getting better to be sold ie EURO7 emissions soon. Euro 7 rules likely to make pure ICE cars become hybrid so their braking energy has no brake dust and car can travel at full speed in EV mode, like the Clio etech does (My Arkana cannot sadly as on MHEV) . UK will follow EU rule of course as it has left the EU for benefits but must follow for such laws as emissions etc.... https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2024/04/12/euro-7-council-adopts-new-rules-on-emission-limits-for-cars-vans-and-trucks/

Israel launches direct missile strike on Iranian airbase which is thought to have the drone and missile production facilities within its perimeter.

I have largely kept mine as it was at 1.5% and now is at about 3% so it is clearly much better to continue to put tens of thousands in my pension pot rather than pay off the mortgage as avoiding the 42% tax and NI is significantly better than the mortgage at a low interest rate. This is despite the UK Gilts and stock market being quite flat. Despite inflation falling another couple of tenths of a percent it has been huge over the last few years and means, I think, that I have revised upwards the amount I need as a lump sum and monthly payment. Tax office is going to be very busy with all the new tax payers and those paying tax in higher bands.

This is the question and to some the answer as well ie how much does one need to live comfortably in retirement and with lump sum and annuity income, or drawdown, at what point does working became basically uneconomic ? It is still just over 4 years until I get my state pension, about £11.5k at the moment I gather, but recent report reckoned 20k is needed for subsistence living, 30k for a few niceties and £50k for comfortable living but that was for 2 people though I do not think it is far off for one person actually. A tax free lump sum can be kept in high interest accounts so it does not erode thankfully due to the current relatively high interest rates. Think I will take about half my current pension pot, which is no 4 pot to me, first was civil service, second pwc and third a tiny one I just get a small sum annually. Only the civil service one will keep up, our better inflation, other two private ones are tragic and will soon look very sad. Without a crystal ball it is a crap shoot. I still have £50k on a mortgage and with the markets now saying interest rates are going to stay higher for longer it is a worry about what interest rate I will be offered for its remaining years. Salary sacrifice in to pension remains one of the best tax avoidance and I look to use it to near the max to avoid 40% income tax and the national insurance tax too. Still paying lots of tax with the allowances frozen but at least the Con government has not only preserved but extended the annual amount one can put in to pension tax free and therefore only pay the lower rate of tax upon removal and no NI !

Volkswagen fail in Europe but do much better in China........

Great win for Ross County against Glasgow Rangers, their first win against them, ever !

Difference is, I think, Russia could well win the war against Ukraine but Iran winning against Israel/USA etc is almost impossible to imagine.

With the new tax year started 8 days ago and the new minimum wage introduced at the start of the month as well many workers will be reviewing their finances and rewards package. One relative is quite happy to see the £1 an hour rise in the minimum wage in addition to the reduced NI contribution. Not many will be happy with the continued freezing of tax allowance, only that government will have more spending power, more monday to spend on military, rather than the NHS as many might hope to get waiting list down. April is an odd time for quite a lot of private employee as it is annual bonus time, from bankers who make get twice their annual salary to others who get about a month or weeks extra pay and this year will lead to them getting big tax bills as their salary is catapulted in to 40 or even 45% tax bands, wiping out of tax free allowance. They may get it back lat in the tax year, I have seen negative tax amounts in payslips which I did not know could happen. Tax avoidance, I predict, will be at record levels with the use of salary sacrifice for electric cars and pension pots. Interesting times with government policies that seem to leave few happy, ie pensioners to name one main one.

Yes about 110-120 ballistic missiles and IDF say 7 got through, Iran claims 14 got through so IDF claiming. Some people need to go back and do some basic maths. 7 in just over 300 is about 2% so about 98% were stopped or about 96% if one goes with the Iran figures of 14 getting thru. Going back to WW2, V1 drones/cruise missiles were much easier to stop than V2 rockets.

Apparently there were over a hundred Ballistic missiles fid by Iran against Israel and also that 7 got though, mainly the ones aimed at the F35 base which the attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria was mounted from. No pictures yet of the Netavim Air Base damage. Some of the ballistic missiles were intercepted outside the Earth's atmosphere adding a new dimension to human warfare. US downed some of the ballistic missiles with its advanced anti-ballistic missile system.

Interesting YouGov poll.... Scale is 2012 to 2024 and horizontal lines are 20%, 40% and 60%. Base line is 0% as can be seen in link. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/04/14/imploding-snp-faces-electoral-disaster-scotland/ Responses to 'If there were a general election tomorrow, which party would you vote for?'

Over 300 drones/missiles fired by Iran the Israeli military report. An Israeli military base hit in the south of the country but no detailed report of casualties except a 10 year old girl hurt by falling debris. Expect Trevor Philips of Sky and Laura Kuensberg Sunday morning programs will be refocused. Some missiles were ballistic it is reported.

Sounds like RAF assets from Akrotiri Cyprus and US naval assets in the Eastern Med involved in combating Iranian drones/missiles incoming to Israel.

Air Raid/ War sirens on in Tel Aviv and missile interception systems appear to be working. Al Jazeera and BBC showing Tel Aviv and Eilat skyline to show Iron Dome, Patriot and David Sling systems in action probably.

New outlets reporting that Ian has launched over a hundred of missiles at Israel, Biden return from his weekend away to Washington DC. Iranian Republican Guard take over 150,000 tonne MSC cargo ship in Persian Gulf. Will Israel fully retaliate with air strike directly on Iran ???