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This, right?
tl;dr referendums are fucking stupid.
As a Swiss, I have to disagree. They are dangerous, even in a country accustomed to them like Switzerland, but if used correctly (and integrated in the political process correctly), they can be quite useful.
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I fully agree, those are two big points. As much as it's stupid to just ignore the impact something will have on the economy, part of that is definitely due to how 'the economy' is being handled in media: it's all about big companies making profits we don't notice the impact of, stock values going up we don't profit from, big CEOs getting bonuses we could only dream of. It's not entirely surprising that people don't really buy the impact some changes to the economy will have on them, as much as they're being told that there will be one.
Though that ties in to what @JWestland said - why do these people show distrust when they're being told the economy has an impact on their everyday life, but they are receptive to the immigration 'crisis' being bigged up? Is it just because it's easier to sell physical people as the enemy, and possibly to feed into some latent and not-so-latent xenophobia?
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I don't think you're wrong, clearly that is the case for a lot of people. But logically speaking, why is that so?
Considering that the quickest way of angering a large number of people in the UK is to raise the price of a Greggs sausage roll by 20p, or to raise parking charges, one would think that something potentially having a direct impact on the price of goods, and their salaries, would be extremely relatable. Whereas 'taking back control' - what even is that supposed to mean? 'Controlling our borders' - the UK doesn't even have a border like the southern US one where you have a large number of people trying to get through every day, so who exactly is feeling so directly impacted by this that the importance of the economy pales in comparison?
I think a possible answer to that is that to a lot of people, 'the economy' is a bunch of large companies that have been shown to do very well almost regardless of what is going on otherwise, and that don't pay taxes properly etc. Meaning that if you warn people about an impact on the economy, they might not really make the connection to themselves at all - and most (including myself) couldn't care less whether Starbucks makes a few million less in profits next year.
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I agree with regards to the bike, but luckily there's no risk of me getting the 'best possible' bike anytime soon - I can't afford that. I just need something that's independent from my commuting bike, doesn't carry mudguards, and will not keep me from getting to work in case I crash it. Not sure I'll get into actual road racing, for example I'm not sure the strategy element of it is what I'm looking for. As I said, I'll see how it goes! For now, I'm just enjoying my bike rides. :)
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Thanks, that is a very nice fork, but unfortunately too expensive. Also it would be wasted on my bike!
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Still haven't found anything, so far the steerers were always just a bit too short...
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Thank you, especially for the quick help with a spanner when my chain dropped! (I did carry the tools I needed, but getting stuff out of those roll-up saddle bags and putting them back takes absolute ages - especially with cold fingers. So this made the process a lot faster)
Regarding the gear ratio, it is definitely on the high side for this ride as I noticed up the steepest part of the hills! I actually did think at some point I'd have to get off but then some better climbers passed me which gave me some extra determination...
I'll see about racing, it's not something I've been thinking too much about so far, though I am not against the idea. I am currently trying to build up a TT bike, and I'll see whether that might lead into it.
Eager to see the pictures in any case!
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What you didn't see: my woolen hat also slipped over my eyes at the same time, making it a bit of a guessing game to stay on the road at all. Luckily my grandma used coarse wool so I could kind of see through it. Apologies to whoever went "woah" as I swerved a bit to the right just as they went past.
Yeah. That wasn't the safest thing I ever did. But you live and you learn, right? If you live. :D
Also congrats on making it all the way through, you looked like your legs were in a bit of pain in the pub - it takes determination to hang on and push, but on the other hand being in a group helps with that as I know from my rowing days, when I was racing in Fours and Eights.
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Yes, but in a published magazine...
Fixed gear commuter in London. Honk if you like my filtering.