United Kingdom

You members decide for yourselves..and again...for your own reasons....

As much as I can I believe in a device called a "Manual Override"....and so done at my discretion.

Such an device is often labor intensive but not dependent on much outside your own disciplines and so learned over time...sort of a separate individually owned and applied skill set if you like. It goes with you wherever you are.

But this kind of thing often involved extensive learning and postponed gratification. Prestaging or pre positioning.

Such is the case with the lockpick set I carry constantly in my back pocket....also the lock shims...

Such is the case with teaching myself to read and send morse code....a skill today quickly going obsolete....but I know that morse code will work under harsh conditions when microphone will not......if...the person on the other end can also read it.

Teaching myself to modify certain tools ....to make them fit into tight spaces....and or even do something for which they were not originally designed.


In short one is making ones self ...options not dependent on too many others..

Of if you prefer ...the law of the minimum. Put another way...a certain degree of self sufficiency.

Don't get me wrong here....this does not make you better than others....what it does is make you different....from most television and or movie trained people.


When you have worked in dangerous occupations....wherein certain disciplines and or skill sets are involved...Panic is not a usable or admirable option...

And hence...my nightmare dream of being stuck on that famous desert island with some 400 people who only know how to text message!!!

What a horrible nightmare...Horrible......Now that nightmare tends to lead me towards panic though I know it is not the solution.!!!!!


My non Ishmaelite .02,
Watcherchris

 

Cash will work for a while. Then old pre-1965 silver coins. Gold will get you killed. Next, barter (but I'm not bartering needed items -- NOPE!). Then, if things go Mad-Max, it's the survival of the young most strong and most armed (stacks of ammo, multiple weapons per person, and extended magazines).

.

 

I can't speak for the UK, but here, there will be a narrow window of time when cash will be taken post-SHTF.

When societal matters get hinky strange, I'll spend my paper money -- maybe fill up more fuel tanks. During that period, I will NOT take paper money for services rendered. Why? Because in a week or less, paper money will just be toilet paper. Many preppers are going to do this -- things start getting bad, but stores and gas stations still have product and still take national currency, POOF!, dump the cash on whoever is dumb enough to take it. Panicked government will be requiring merchants to use the national currency (physical or electronic) in the pretense that their fiat funny-money still has value.

If a regional power grid goes down, then credit card and electronic money transfers get trashed. In this situation -- not a national SHTF catastrophe, mind you -- cash will be taken for goods and services. Individual businesses and medical facilities will be running on their generators; however, money transfers will get zapped as well as all web services. In these circumstances, on-hand cash will be very handy.

Do not however keep too much cash at home, even if you have a fire safe. Anybody finds out that you have too much cash and they'll come to steal it. This action of theirs will draw-down your ammunition reserves ... if you know what I mean. Too, there's the matter of getting rid of heavy biological waste.

I'm glad that generator sales are doing well. I'm VERY glad that we bought our newest one when we did, this due to prices heading up due to demand.

=================

"Reasons Your Business Needs a Backup Generator"

https://unifiedpowerusa.com/reasons-your-business-needs-a-backup-generator/



The "big" generator shown above is small compared to generators used as back-up power in places where I have worked. One place had a diesel fuel tower to feed the generator that was made for railway locomotives. Some places cannot / must not be without power, so engineering gets very, very obsessive about backup electricity and its quality. You can't have surges, nor drops, no input EM noise, nor radiated EM noise, ... that juice just has to be clean, clean, clean ... and always available.
===============
=============

 

I feel sorry for the Chavs, how will they get their food now

 

Speaking of paying cash, are there a lot of robberies at ATMs in England? I read that some hoodlums predate on the elderly there in the UK. On this side of the pond, you'd better have an armed friend on your six o'clock if you go to an ATM at night. In large cities, people just don't use them at night unless the ATM is inside of a store. If you are a burly male ready to fight, it will do you no good. Criminals run in packs.


"Britain's most shameless crooks: Thieves watch elderly withdraw cash from ATMs before pickpocketing them on London buses - as Met launches crackdown to tackle the heartless gangs"

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...aunches-crackdown-tackle-heartless-gangs.html

"Shameless criminals are roaming the streets of London to watch the elderly and vulnerable take money out of ATMs before following them onto buses and pickpocketing them.

"The rise of the heartless tactic has become so commonplace on the streets of the capital that the Metropolitan Police has launched a special operation to crackdown on the rampant gangs.

"Figures show the Met has received 919 reports of this type of crime and over 74 per cent of the victims have been over the age of 60."

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Why Americans are increasingly getting their carry permits. Police are unable to stop the massive amounts of violent crimes, which means that if you can't protect your own self, "too bad, so sad".

"Frightening Texas 'jugging' incident caught on camera amid nationwide increase in violent robberies"

https://abc7chicago.com/what-is-jugging-bank-crime-robbery/13824582/

"Jugging" is when criminals wait as unsuspecting victims withdraw cash from an ATM, follow the victims to their destination and, in many cases, rob them at gunpoint.

Police in Dallas say Texas dad Mark Gardner was a victim of bank jugging, coming face to face with three armed men as they surrounded his car with his stepson in the passenger seat.

Desperate to get to safety, Gardner then took off, dragging two of the suspects who had latched on to the door handles.




Search result for ATM robberies:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=america+"atm"+"armed+robberies"&t=newext&atb=v320-1&df=y&ia=web

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"Single mom of two shot dead using ATM in Chicago suburb, suspects linked to string of armed robberies"

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/othe...nked-to-string-of-armed-robberies/ar-AA1jARll

"A single mother of two was shot dead while using an ATM in a Chicago suburb — allegedly by a pair linked to a string of other armed robberies.

"Jonnie Angel Klein, 32, a mom of a 14-year-old boy and 10-year-old daughter, was at a Chase bank ATM in her hometown of Worth when she was accosted around 3 p.m. on Saturday, ABC 7 reported.

"Klein was then gunned down in the brazen attack while she was withdrawing cash, police said.

"Family members told WGN-TV that she had just gotten off work before heading on the fateful errand.

"Two suspects — Tamara Jailynn Johnson, 22, and Jason Jerry Joseph Johnson, 23 – were arrested the following day after an investigation by the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force. It was not clear if, or how, they were related."




===========================================

As illegal immigrants from other continents flow into England, the number of knife crimes will grow higher and higher.

I read an article a couple of decades back that stated when a thief uses a knife, he is more likely to stab the victim as opposed to using a gun and shooting the victim. Knives are scarier and they should be, because a knife-wielding crook is much more likely to hurt you than a thief with a gun. This phenomenon could be changing here in the States due to criminals losing all fear of law enforcement.

=========================================

Police in England are simply quitting (happening on this side of the pond, also) -- low pay for a dangerous job. Who could blame them. When it hits the fan, there will be no police protection. It'll be every man for himself.

"More than one in five police officers planning to quit, research suggests"

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/mark-rowley-police-federation-london-b2515374.html

"The Police Federation of England and Wales said around 22% of respondents to its annual pay and morale survey signaled their intention to quit, up from 18% the previous year.

"More than 9,000 left the service in the year to March 2023.

"A total of 28,070 responses from 29,085 officers were analysed as part of the survey, out of more than 145,000 from the rank of constable to chief inspector who are members of the federation.

"Eighty-five percent of those polled said they are not fairly paid given the dangers they face in the job, with 15% saying they had suffered one or more injuries in the past year.

"And 18% said they never or almost never have enough money to cover essentials.

"This followed a separate poll earlier this month by police finance provider Metfriendly which found that a fifth of officers had skipped meals to save money in the past year."

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Old Gzr: Citizens of England, sharpen your pitchforks!

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Do forgive, the following video is just silly. I was amused by it. Think of it as fun and not any sort of realistic how-to video.

 

I know and it's absolutely disgusting. The 'free Palestine" mob do not seem to be intelligent enough to separate Israel from Jewish people. Most UK Jews have no ancestral connection to Israel and came to the UK just before, or after, WW2 from Europe and have never set foot in Israel.

 

It's much more common than people think. My late Uncle came to the U under the "kindertransport" scheme just before the outbreak of WW2

 

Ever so glad he made it!

Doesn't all this sound like a return to NAZI-ism! People have utterly forgotten history.

NAZI =

Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterparte

National Socialist German Workers' Party

Is it any coincidence today that the Socialists take the side of the terrorists vs. the Jewish people. The Leftists say that they oppose Israel, yet their vitriol spews out against Jews in general. Interesting that the woke Left takes the side of the Muslims (as did the NAZIs) who persecute homosexuals and treat women like chattel.

Seems the "most educated" of this day are in fact the most ignorant. They most assuredly are being taught some perverted view of history -- if taught History at all. Their professors are 90% socialists & communist -- apparently, the propaganda stuck.
.

 

Ashkenazi versus Sephardic????

Am I even supposed to know this history .....and more ?????

Agree with lonewolf....failing to learn from history ..is to repeat it.


Watcherchris
Not an Ishmaelite.

 

Humans of teenage years on up until death in their 70's can remain adolescents.

Some "adults" are not adults -- they are perpetual adolescents. They think with their glands and not with their brains.

This maturity retardation cannot be repaired.

In any significant SHTF scenario, these non-grownups will perish.
.

 

Wow Lonewolf......

I don't worry so much about all this fear generated by todays Intelligences...wise men." about the Russians as do I about economic collapse of so many western nations.

And with economic collapse goes social collapse and western governments are woefully unprepared for this as is the average individual in western nations.

The key word here is as you aptly stated...."without government help.

When that transpires it will be mass chaos across the land...of these people becoming undisciplined predators...onto others ...most of whom are themselves also woefully unprepared.


That...lonewold...is the same to me as my nightmare of being stuck on that desert island with some 400 people who only know how to text message.

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!


Also as more and more people here become unemployed ...you see more and more people panhandling in front of stores and in the mediums at intersections where people must stop for the signal lights.

I am concerned that this will only increase and with it the desperation...

I mostly go about my business armed/heeled. with a GP 100..but am thinking of adding this walking stick....as my knees are becoming themselves...high mileage....very worn out..

I have two of them but thinking I need soon to start carrying them in my vehicles...and or with me and my high mileage knees.

Survival Cane Tactical Walking Stick - Buyer Shopping US

This is a serious piece of kit....and heavy too.





Watcherchris
Not an Ishmaelite.

 

Four part BBC UK television series Victorian Pharmacy is well worth viewing, now available on YouTube

 

Being on this side of the pond, I know that only in rural regions will there be some semblance of social order post-SHTF.

Currently, when urbanites visit this region, they are taken aback by how total strangers come up and begin conversations. Flat tire? Several people stop to help. Road accident, locals come out and direct traffic. Cop starts to lose a fight with a thief, local guys step-in and beat the crap out of the thief. Small fire, locals stop and form a bucket brigade (been there, helped out). Outsiders find us odd. That behavior however can instantly flip 180 out of phase -- from friendliness into rage. Cross the locals and you are in deep sh##. Plus, nobody forgets. During a SHTF situation, even without pay, deputies will continue to do what they can. Don't get me wrong, they'll take care of their own first ... especially family and Church members. Post-SHTF, nobody will put up with thievery of any sort -- against their own, against their neighbors, against stores. People will be angry and will shoot looters for sport, just to watch them drop. I know my people.

In US cities, this comradery simply is in massively short supply. Post SHTF, what bit that existed before will instantly vanish.

I image that in the UK, rural people are much like here in the US. However, I don't know. Let me know if this is still true. Again, during WWII, prior to the invasion of Europe, my dad and his mates were treated splendidly by the local English rural folk.

I also imagine that the rural folk of England want the central government to stay the hell out of local affairs.
.

 

Before I purchased houses in South Wales to rent out my research showed people staying a lot more than 6 months

"It found that most private renters had rented from private landlords for a continuous period of three years or more. In total, 18% had been private renters for three to four years, 24% for five to nine years and 30% for ten years or more."
https://www.justlandlords.co.uk/new... English Housing Survey,in the 2016/17 report.

People are renting longer for a variety of reasons but my guess is they simply can't afford a mortgage plus there is a shortage of rental stock in many parts of the UK. Zero hour contracts and minimum wage bands means many people simply can't be even considered for a mortgage. Things will get worse for many brit renters as illegal immigrants are being given priority for housing over local people.

London, New York are finished, mass immigration is destroying them and other cities will follow. For those who can't wait for the STHTF I fear that day will be here within a few years... we're going head on toward social collapse IMHO

 

Here in the USSA, people are fleeing the cities right now.

So many are moving into rural areas that we are now unable to move back to my rural area further south. This is a knife in the heart for my wife and I.

The cities are getting uninhabitble pre-SHTF. If it's not happening in the UK currently, then the phenomenon will be occurring very soon ... not years from now. Crime, expenses, social disorders of every ilk, ... people won't take it, they'll leave, are leaving.

This actually isn't a surprising / new phenomenon, it's been happening for a few years now.

The highest percentage leaving London are moving to the South-East. The South-West destination comes in 4th place. (Other cities? I don't know.)


"London's mass exodus: where are they all going?"

https://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/londons-mass-exodus-where-are-they-all-going.html

"1: South East - 35.69%

"4: South West - 11.11%"


"Why I’ve got to leave London to become a homeowner "

https://www.mouthymoney.co.uk/saving/why-ive-got-to-leave-london-to-become-a-homeowner/


"The rise of woodland off-gridders: ‘It makes more sense than a nine-to-five’ "

https://www.theguardian.com/society...dders-it-makes-more-sense-than-a-nine-to-five


"Londoners can't resist the calling of the coast"

https://www.muskermcintyre.co.uk/articles/londoners-cant-resist-the-calling-of-the-coast


Back six years ago in 2018:

"Record numbers of Londoners are moving to Devon - here's why"

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/record-numbers-londoners-moving-devon-1773578

Begin quote

Torbay had the highest net gain of people from London in Devon, with 310 more people moving from London to the area than went the other way.

North Devon had a net gain of 240 Londoners. Some areas, though, bucked the trend.

Plymouth and Exeter saw 170 and 190 fewer Londoners move to their areas, respectively, than went the other way.

That’s likely because both areas have a university, meaning graduates may look to move to London for better career opportunities.

But house prices in our region remain substantially cheaper than in London.

The average home costs £255,207 in the South West of England - some 47.3 per cent cheaper than the average £484,584 it costs to buy a home in London.

Overall London is hemorrhaging more people than ever, suffering a net loss of 106,620 people to other parts of the UK in 2017.

Some 225,690 people moved to the capital while 332,310 left.

That’s a huge increase from the net loss of 50,670 people some five years earlier in 2012.

End quote
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There are always a few "wannabe" soldiers looking to be heroes.

 

Well looking on Rightmove which is an internet real estate site I would say that there are a greater number of higher end country properties coming onto the market than there have been in years. I put this down to all the city people who bought homes out here during and after the covid lockdowns getting sick of the mud, bad weather and poor facilities that the countryside has to offer. Townies who were used to +200 mb/s internet connection getting frustrated with getting less than 10mb/s while trying to work from a home office in the sticks… I think they’re all turning tail and heading back to civilisation, Waitrose stores and paved footpaths.

 

If I’d known that would work I would have been towing a muck spreader around every rush hour for the last four years to get rid of them sooner

 

They could go Starlink, but that's not cheap. But then, everything London is a pain. Tax, tax, tax, ....

Let government die.

 

They will certainly get short shrift if the Russians capture them.

 

Planning to stay put on said Easter weekend...or holiday....

I have no idea as to when Easter weekend is taking place...reckon I should look it up.

Any traveling or long distance will be done on this computer or by my Ham radio



Ok...looked it up on line....this coming weekend..the 31st of March.
No matter...I am not interested in keeping one day above another as they all belong to Him and not me.

That is one reason I do not keep Christmas...as well.

I don't think my Lord would be happy with a holiday dedicated to a sale at the local department store..et al. Same with Easter....not interested in that treadmill....rat race..

When I figured that out and started thinking outside the box...I stopped a lot of that stuff....daykeeping ..putting one day above another...


Watcherchris
Not an Ishmaelite.

 

That makes it even worse

 

Very likely.

 

Here's the thing though. After that incident will people be as keen to go there and spend their money? Possibly not. So not only did those businesses lose money on that day, there is a high probability they would lose some customers and hence money on subsequent days. They pay the Police to uphold law and order, if they fail to do that they are costing those companies money. Why are questions not being asked about it?