[paul cotter (OP)]

With Musk's recent remarks concerning the riots in the UK, I believe he has become the greatest plonker that I am aware of. I am also beginning to think he has "a leak in his attic", an expression used by the late Rod Serling in the twilight zone(a series of surrealistic short stories on tv circa 1960).

[alancalverd]

Lots of people make all sorts of predictions of doom every day. The problem is that lazy journalists tend to quote those of a few people who issue press releases - it's easier than working for a living..
Given that half of the population is of below average intelligence or knowledge, you can safely ignore half of what you read or hear via journalists.
The problem is to decide which half.
My rule is that all politicians are liars, all economists are incompetent, and everyone is driven by greed.
So when Musk talks about politics, he definitely falls into the "ignore" category on two counts: proven greed and lying. Just like Goebbels.

[Petrochemicals]

With Musk's recent remarks concerning the riots in the UK, I believe he has become the greatest plonker that I am aware of. I am also beginning to think he has "a leak in his attic", an expression used by the late Rod Serling in the twilight zone(a series of surrealistic short stories on tv circa 1960).

It is easy to berate him, but he is an autistic computer programmer who is swept up in the internet fever himself, only trouble is he is rich and the rest of the frenzied internet takes notice, just like you and kier starmer. He comes out with all sorts of mad behavior, he told people recently tesla was not a car manufacturer.

Elon should be barred from twitter really, by his court appointed guardian.

[alancalverd]

Elon should be barred from twitter

But he owns it, idiots subscribe to it, and journalists rely on it as a substitute for news.

[paul cotter (OP)]

I noticed that just after I posted this question the term I used for Musk was censored. I just used the diminutive of "Richard Head". Strange, as I am quite sure I have seen naughtier words used without censorship. Any way it doesn't bother me as the theme was not lost.

[Pseudoscience-is-malarkey]

...half of the population is of below average intelligence or knowledge...
My rule is that all politicians are liars, all economists are incompetent, and everyone is driven by greed.

Where do you place yourself?

[alancalverd]

I've made mistakes but never knowingly told a lie. Moderate success in business implies competence, applied towards reasonable aspirations rather then outright greed.

[Bored chemist]

The guy seems to pose interesting problems for categorization.
The classic Right winger loves Musk, but hates the electric cars he makes
The classic Leftie does the opposite.
It's a contradiction either way.

[alancalverd]

I would have thought that driving a very expensive car that consumes unnecessary quantities of scarce raw materials and is subsidised by  the poor, would have appealed to a latter-day Mussolini.

[Petrochemicals]

I would have thought that driving a very expensive car that consumes unnecessary quantities of scarce raw materials and is subsidised by  the poor, would have appealed to a latter-day Mussolini.

Did you hear the latest green idea is to get the gas users to subsidise the electric, to make heat pumps a less expensive purchace. They are more expensive to run seems to be the consensus, not by a long way, but given that the price of electric reflects the price of gas due to carbon burned, you have to wonder whether they are a wise course of action.

On electric cars I would wait until sodium ion becomes mainstream, cheaper more abundent materials that do not require the destruction of the environment, but key to them is they work at low temperatures meaning you may well get 400 miles a charge.

[alancalverd]

get the gas users to subsidise the electric, to make heat pumps a less expensive purchace.

Another case of getting the poor to subsidise the rich.