Brexit Central carries an article (HERE) by a Matt Ridley about an ECJ case concerning Dyson vacuum cleaners. Dyson won the case, which ruled his bagless machines were discriminated against by EU regulations, in the way efficiency tests were conducted. We have two Dyson machines at home (but we won't buy any more - ever) and the notion that they don't lose suction when the filter gets blinded with dust is rubbish. They do. Dyson's argument must be that machines with paper bags lose suction quicker or more frequently. It's a fair technical point but not easy to define a test which replicates real use so it will be interesting to see how the EU gets round the problems.
Matt Ridley sees it all as a German conspiracy:
"Essentially, the rules have been bent to allow German manufacturers to deceive customers about the performance of their vacuum cleaners".
But back to vacuum cleaners. In his Brexit Central article he says:
However, if you think he sounds a bit like one of those hard looking blokes you meet down the pub occasionally with a No 1 haircut, heavily tattooed and spoiling for another war, you'd be wrong. Let me give you his full title: Matthew White Ridley, 5th Viscount Ridley DL FRSL FMedSci. His mother was the daughter of Lawrence Roger Lumley, 11th Earl of Scarbrough
Impressed? He has had the kind of education that only an aristocrat could get, "He attended Eton College from 1970 to 1975 and then went on to Magdalen College, Oxford, to study zoology. He obtained a BA degree with first class honours and continued with research on the mating system of the common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) supervised by Chris Perrins for his DPhil degree in 1983" (Wikipedia HERE).
And yet in spite of all this education he still appears to be unable to think. He has had disputes with various famous people and academics since he appears to be a climate change denier. He is also Owen Paterson's brother in law and has been described as Paterson's personal think tank - which just goes to show how low we have sunk and what a desperate plight we're in.
He was also Chairman of Northern Rock when it became the first British Bank to suffer a run on its finances since 1878. What a thing to have on your CV eh?
But back to vacuum cleaners. In his Brexit Central article he says:
"How much more shocking does the crony-capitalist corruption at the heart of Brussels have to get before people rebel against this sort of thing? They did already? Ah yes, Brexit, true Brexit, cannot come soon enough".
As a reason to leave the EU (Ridley's "true Brexit") it's completely ridiculous. The EU will continue to regulate and will continue to be a big market for vacuum cleaners. But it will no longer be the home market for Dyson, as it is at present, where he is able to influence the regulations and challenge them in the courts as he has done.
Dyson will be forced to comply with EU rules but have absolutely no input into writing any new testing procedures or future regulations. It makes zero sense. In fact it's daft.
As an update, I note on a comparison website HERE the best Dyson can manage is 5th place. Russel Hobbs came top with Shark second and fourth. Shark was the best upright so that's our next cleaner sorted.
As an update, I note on a comparison website HERE the best Dyson can manage is 5th place. Russel Hobbs came top with Shark second and fourth. Shark was the best upright so that's our next cleaner sorted.
