Queen's Platinum Jubilee and official 96th Birthday

[Newportnobby]

Watched the replay of the concert outside the palace last night. Ok, except I was peeved that the final act was American. 

I didn't watch that bit as it was full of has-beens and wannabees. I didn't watch the service either.
But I hugely enjoyed the pageant yesterday afternoon despite the 'celebs'

[Jack]

The best celeb had tea with the Queen! 

[Tank]

I enjoyed all that I saw. A wonderful Jubilee.  I spent last week at Cub Camp, and we had games and a party for the Jubilee celebration.  The Cubs certainly enjoyed waving their Union flags and wearing their bowler hats! 

[guest10040]

Watched the replay of the concert outside the palace last night. Ok, except I was peeved that the final act was American. 

I didn't watch that bit as it was full of has-beens and wannabees. I didn't watch the service either.
But I hugely enjoyed the pageant yesterday afternoon despite the 'celebs'

some wonderful, BRITISH MADE buses, cars and bikes.

not likely to be repeated, as now we don't actually make anything.

remember when we had a british car industry
a british aircraft industry
a british ship building industry
and
a british military vehicle industry.

Nimrod, MR4, best world beating MP aircraft, nor only cancelled, but also scrapped to make sure it couldn't be revived. now we're buying yankee stuff, nowhere as good but no doubt some nice backhanders.

[Newportnobby]

wonderful, BRITISH MADE buses, cars and bikes.

not likely to be repeated, as now we don't actually make anything.

Oh dear. Ye olde fart's mantra whilst wearing rose tinted spectacles. This is, admittedly, some 9-10 years old but watch and learn please

[Steven B]

Are rose tinted glasses British made?

This has little to do with the Jubilee but please let's put a stop to these "we don't make anything" comments.

some wonderful, BRITISH MADE buses, cars and bikes.

not likely to be repeated, as now we don't actually make anything.

remember when we had a british car industry
a british aircraft industry
a british ship building industry
and
a british military vehicle industry.

Nimrod, MR4, best world beating MP aircraft, nor only cancelled, but also scrapped to make sure it couldn't be revived. now we're buying yankee stuff, nowhere as good but no doubt some nice backhanders.

We have lost the mass markets to other countries who did a better job for the same of less money. Given the choice of a Japanese car that started every time in the cold and wet against a British Leyland car that needed a hammer and can of WD40 is it any wonder?

However, lets not do British engineering a disservice - look in the high-end or high-tech sectors ad we still lead the way.

Whilst we don't have a mass market car manufacturer we do still lead the way in niche and top end motoring - even the likes of Ferrari rely on British engineers and engineering. Staying with four wheels you'll find the likes of JCB exporting millions of pounds worth of hardware each year.

British ship builders recently finished a couple of air-craft carriers and are busy working their way through the last two of a fleet of 7 Astute class submarines. When left to manage a simple car ferry we end up with the farce of the new Cal-Mac ferries.

Whilst we don't build whole aircraft in large numbers, there are plenty of Airbus' that would be missing wings whilst Rolls-Royce is the second largest jet engine manufacturer in the world. RR also dabble in nuclear reactors.

BAE Systems swallowed up most of the military vehicle manufactures. They're the largest defence contractor in Europe and doing quite well for themselves. Ukraine should soon be benefiting from BAE Systems hardware.

Nimrod MR4 was always a bodged job. Taking a 1960s airframe (itself based on a 1940s design) and attempting to fit it with new wings and interior is akin to expecting to be able to take a Morris Minor and expect it to meet today's standards for safety, emissions, reliability etc.

The biggest problem British industry has had is often being inward looking and rejecting developments from overseas. Those companies that kept up with innovation and changing markets. Sadly the majority failed and the British Isles isn't a big enough market to keep large industries going without exports.

Those that did are thriving. There's also more to manufacturing than just the tradition heavy industries. Just about every smart-phone on the market is dependent on a British designed micro-processor for example. Sometimes the ideas make more profit than selling the end product.

Steven B.

[guest10040]

ok,
I give in....

bags I a Jackal, might get wet when it rains, but I could go where I want, and park where I want.....

sorry,
sound like most of britains motorists anyway.

[joe cassidy]

I'm glad no-one mentioned British-made railway locomotives 

Going back to  the Jubilee celebrations, I'm a bit disappointed by the contributions from the "new kids on the block" in the Commonwealth, such as Cameroon and Rwanda ?

[LNER_richard]

Are rose tinted glasses British made?

This has little to do with the Jubilee but please let's put a stop to these "we don't make anything" comments.

Whilst we don't build whole aircraft in large numbers, there are plenty of Airbus' that would be missing wings whilst Rolls-Royce is the second largest jet engine manufacturer in the world. RR also dabble in nuclear reactors.

BAE Systems swallowed up most of the military vehicle manufactures. They're the largest defence contractor in Europe and doing quite well for themselves. Ukraine should soon be benefiting from BAE Systems hardware.

Nimrod MR4 was always a bodged job. Taking a 1960s airframe (itself based on a 1940s design) and attempting to fit it with new wings and interior is akin to expecting to be able to take a Morris Minor and expect it to meet today's standards for safety, emissions, reliability etc.

For the vehicles:  Yes it is true Vickers/ROF Barnbow is history (the big tank factory near where I grew up), but over the weekend I passed (mutliple times, but that's another story) a BAe Systems military vehicle factory up the road in Elgin Oklahoma, of all places! A growing site: it was expanded a couple of years ago.  But why Elgin?  Because it is only a few miles from Fort Sill - a big US army base (big enough for artillery practice).

The Saturday trip up that way, my son and I went to a tiny air show at Chickasha (we had to get out of the house!). As an idea of size, virtually everything flying was a Pitts, but there was a Goshawk on static display (US made iirc, but British design - US Naval trainer based on the Hawk).  The only other jets were a T6 Texan II (turboprop) and a flying BD-5J (tail number 007, albeit a later production model not the one from the Bond movie).

An off topic oddity but the airshow included classic cars - and there was a Morgan 3-wheeler flying an RAF flag! Not exactly 'classic' as it was made in 2021    Unless the rules have changed, no idea how they registered a vehicle like that in the US either.

[honestjudge]

I put it on a different thread, but the Lancaster flew low down over my house on its way to the fly-past.

Awesome-sight and sound.

Martyn

John Teagle was on that. He said he threw his guts up!

[RailGooner]

Somebody really needs to take GBRf's crayons off 'em!

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Smell that paint © Steadfast Fotography, on Flickr

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[Graham]

But who is going to want one when either Dapol of GF get round to doing it in 3yrs time.

[ntpntpntp]

Somebody really needs to take GBRf's crayons off 'em!

I prefer that to what's been done to the poor steam loco