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Looks like i am going to have to buy a new car.
Budget of £7'500 to about £10'000.

Looking At something for 08 onwards and would need something that is good on the juice.
Currently driving over 500 mile per week.

Any suggestions for models ??
Any one ever taken a fleet car from England?

I have bought two cars (ex-fleet and auction) in the UK. You can pick up some great deals but you need to have a bit of time/patience to see what models are going for, and figure out whether you are there on a particulary busy day or a quiet one. Its the buyers as much as the sellers that set the price.
Set up an account with BCA and take a nosy for a while. But if you do decide to go for it, the price always carries a risk (a very slight one at that imo) but if there wasn't a risk the prices wouldn't be as good

Lawnseed if you're serious about it I have a friend dealing in them from fermanagh. Also deals in anerobic digesters if you know anyone with a few spare acres. He knows the answers to your questions so drop me a PM and I'll send you his details.

Could you send me the details as well? Thanks

I have been looking into this for the farm, and have been getting all sorts of advice with some companies suggesting a single turbine under 250kw while others are saying its suitable for something bigger (500kw). I have heard stories that NIE have something in their contracts saying that once you go above 250kw, they insist on a SCADA system which would mean they could shut it down remotely at any time therefore severely screwing up any sums you have done on payback etc

Lawnseed if you're serious about it I have a friend dealing in them from fermanagh. Also deals in anerobic digesters if you know anyone with a few spare acres. He knows the answers to your questions so drop me a PM and I'll send you his details.

you would need more than a few spare acres BCB.  About 150 maybe.

With regards to wind turbines, in the north anyway, the Government are offering "Renewable Obligation Certificates" (ROCS) at the minute.  Basically if you produce £20k of electricity to the grid they will add 3 times that value.  This offer will only last for another 2 years then the ROCS will reduce.  If you get a contract in these next 2 years it will last you for 25 years.  That's why at the minute there a large amount of people applying for planning permission for them.

A 250KW turbine in a suitable location may produce about £30k of electricity.  When the ROCS are added to this you could potentially be making £120K a year.  The cost of these turbines is around £400K.  So after 3 or 4 years they are paid off and you can sit back and live the life.

It seems the banks at the minute are more than willing to lend out the initial costs of these as long as you have the planning permission and the wind speed figures to back it up.

Is the £400k figure based on recent experience? Is that the cost of the turbine alone or is their some allowance for civils, meica etc? Would you recommend trying to get planning yourself?

As far as I understand, the first step is getting a feasibility study done, and getting an anemometer stuck up to get solid data (the longer duration the better from what I can gather). Does anyone have any experience of this? How much would this likely cost? Would the banks invest in this stage? Would going with an investor or setting up a company be better?
The way I look at it is, they wouldn't be investing if they didn't have a high degree of certainty that they would be making money and a decent % increase within a few years, so why essentially give them the asset for a small rent sum for the land

Any answers/thoughts on my ranting would be appreciated

I'm looking at putting in either a boru carraig mor 20kw or a olymberyl olive. Has anyone any experience of these? We have 6 single 2m rads, 1no 2m towel rad & 1no 2m double rad. We want the back burner to heat the rooms (trying to use minimal oil). We've plenty of turf & sticks but want to make sure we're getting something suitable & reliable
Any sensible comments/suggestions appreciated

Has anyone any advice on where to get relatively cheap furniture, radiators, doors, stove, bathroom etc.
I am gutting and redoing a older house, to live in for a bit and then renting.
Don't want to spend huge money, but at the same time "you get what you pay for"
Have been told ikea, b&q, homebase but they are not handy for the north west (or not as cheap as I expected)

While clearly a problem in both Scotland in general and Glasgow in particular, just how strong is sectarianism on a day to day basis when you take footballing rivalry out of the equation?

I have lived and worked all over Scotland for many years, and I can say that the Scottish people are every bit as friendly & hospitable as the Irish. The craic we would have at work & socialising between Rangers, Celtic, Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen, Dunfermine etc supporters was great. Plenty of p*ss taking, snide remarks etc but all in good spirits

All in all, in large parts of the society I have never known it to be a problem and would not have been as wary of saying something that could be construed as being sectarian, as I would be at home.

Shamed as I am to say it, large parts of the trouble at games involving Rangers & Celtic tend to have an Irish undertone to it. Be it 1st/2nd/3rd generation lads or "supporters" in town for a boozy weekend. Other teams have a particulary nasty element to their support, but these are basic scumbags who would fight with their shadow, and football is a convienant excuse to be a thug at every opportunity i.e. hearts/celtic game

Due to Rangers/Celtic having such large fanbases it is dragged out as "Scotlands Shame" but in reality its a small hardcore of idiots, which unfortunately a lot of these migrate to the old firm (or the bigot brothers as they are regulary called here) to seek out there kicks

For all the stories and tales I hear at home about rangers fans, I have personally seen with my own eyes Celtic fans doing just as bad. For every fan of rangers that is critised, there is one equally as bad supporting Celtic in my experience. For every salt of the earth Celtic fan, there is a Rangers equivalent.

Most fans of other teams would love Rangers and Celtic to join the English league so they can get away from the circus of everything being about them, and every decision being brought back to some random historical context.

Its every bit as much our shame as theirs

Derek Riordan shoud have been on the list, but an accumulation of himself, Strachan & Celtic cost him what should have been an excellent career. His record (and performances) when he first broke through with Hibs was exceptional.
Still chips in with the odd wonder strike, but a bit sad to see the player he became

If I was you I'd go to some of the auctions. If your looking for nearly new, check out the likes of BCA, or lex etc. They are all over England and Scotland.
It's the same cars the dealers are selling you, only without there add-on %

Look lets not talk about Utd not being in the final. it would be a disaster if Utd failed to beat an totally inexperienced Champions league team at this stage. Schalke are doing crap in the German league and while having form in the CL, Utd should beat them.

Utd can lose these games (Monaco) but they should prevail and set up a good grudge match against Barca. Fergie will have to get his tactics right for that game. Otherwise same result

So you think it was poor tactics that beat Utd two years ago?

No they are the best team playing in the world, Utd need to employ a tactic that will win the game, ultra defensive/spoiling and just win the game. No one cares after a few years how the game was won

If both teams progress Fergie knows Barca will have 60 to 65% possession. Barca will pass Utd to death but Utd have a chance.

United will sit deep with probably Park, Carrick and Fletcher/Giggs across the middle and rely on Rooney to be on song. Barca can be got at as Arsenal showed.It is hard to see Nani starting.

If (and its a big if) Utd & Barca make the final I would think Ferguson would go with (fitness permitting)
VDS
O'Shea Ferdinand Vidic Evra
Valencia Fletcher Scholes Giggs Park
Rooney
The other option would be Hernadez for Scholes with rooney dropping back into the support striker position, to stop barca building from the back. I think you need a balance of energy, pace and ability to keep the ball, otherwise Barca will just win it back within 30 secs

Its been rough, but leading right through just kept piling the pressure on. If he had been in the mix this morning instead of out in front he'd have been better off
He'll be back and be better for this at some stage

Terrible indeed, hope he shows the character to come back from it

+1

Its a long way from over yet. Scott is looking dangerous....

Good man rory, keep the head up!

squeaky bum time

At some stage people have to move on, and with recent events I for one think it can't be a bad thing. Even with an apology it wouldn't be enough for some

Just noticed that the Fermanagh Thread has started to drop down the main board, to be replaced by all sorts. Now that its out of sight, out of mind for the rest of the country I was wondering what the diehards can see happening, what will happen and what they hope?
Can O'Neill drag a couple of younger players through a few rounds of the qualifers? (maybesneak a win againest a complacent Derry). County board have laid there cards on the table, and I can't see them going back no matter what damage it does to football in the county. To lose the likes of Sherry & McElroy in what should be there peak years is bitterly disappointing in my view. What young players in the 18-21 range have the potential to push on?

There is more than enough threads with tit for tat rubbish without getting into it here, on this one.

If anyone doesn't understand people saying they think this is a tragedy/wrong, start a new thread to discuss "hypocrisy" or "republicanism" or what everelse you want explained. Coming onto something like this to try to score points is stupid, sad and low