Conspiracy. More than a theory?

May 15, 2025 Insider

Let me be clear. I am not one for conspiracy theories. Don’t get me wrong—I find them entertaining, and I’m often amused when someone shares such a theory, convinced that it’s authentic when anyone with half a brain can clearly see that it isn’t.

But I do not believe there are little green men on ice at the Roswell facility in New Mexico. I don’t believe there is a prehistoric dinosaur lurking in the depths of Loch Ness; nor is there a giant half-man, half-ape roaming the American wilderness. Furthermore, I do not believe that there is a secret cabal of lizard people controlling the global economy.

With all that being said, let’s imagine – just for fun – that we in demolition and construction were to get together and, amongst ourselves, figure out how to control the industry; to skew it in a direction favourable to us; to stack the odds in favour of the few rather than the many. How would you go about that?

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The Break Fast Show #933

May 14, 2025 Video

In today’s show: CASE and the Evolution of the backhoe loader; Manitou embraces the hydrogen revolution; we’re recycling in France with Montabert; and we’re heading back to Bauma for a bit of a round-up of what’s hit, and what’s not.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: Conspiracy? More than a theory.

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show – the ONLY daily LiveStream built exclusively for demolition, construction, and equipment fanatics worldwide.

Breaking news. Expert views. Unmissable videos. Raw opinions. If it matters in the industry, we’re talking about it – LIVE.

Test your knowledge with the Mystery Machine, have your say in the Question of the Day, and don’t miss Mark’s Morning Monologue – a no-holds-barred take on the hottest topics.

And when the show’s done, the conversation’s just getting started. Stick around for The Craic, our legendary after-show chat!

Set your alarm. Grab your coffee. It’s time to break fast, and to break new ground.

The definition of insanity…

May 13, 2025 General

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

According to a large number of inspirational mugs and posters, this famous quote comes from none other than Albert Einstein, although that’s actually disputed.

Regardless of who actually said it, the basic premise is correct.

And yet, here in the field of demolition and construction, it is a lesson we have failed to heed. In fact, it is a lesson we continue to ignore, which kind of proves my initial point.

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Disrespectful Silence

May 13, 2025 General

Each year, the nation falls silent to remember those killed in the service of their country. That hush is replicated at funerals and to mark the passing of a family member or friend.

The silence has many meanings. For some, it is an opportunity to reflect quietly upon those they have lost. For others, it is a silent prayer for God’s mercy upon those that have left us. Ultimately, that silence is a mark of respect.

Sadly, however, there are times when silence is – in fact – disrespectful.

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The Break Fast Show #932

May 13, 2025 Video

In today’s show: Bergmann rolls out a sexy new dumper; we’re pounding the ground with Wacker Neuson; getting to grips with Gehl; and in our latest journey back the Messe Munchen, we are taking a stroll around LiuGong’s Bauma stand.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: The definition of insanity.

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show – the ONLY daily LiveStream built exclusively for demolition, construction, and equipment fanatics worldwide.

Breaking news. Expert views. Unmissable videos. Raw opinions. If it matters in the industry, we’re talking about it – LIVE.

Test your knowledge with the Mystery Machine, have your say in the Question of the Day, and don’t miss Mark’s Morning Monologue – a no-holds-barred take on the hottest topics.

And when the show’s done, the conversation’s just getting started. Stick around for The Craic, our legendary after-show chat!

Set your alarm. Grab your coffee. It’s time to break fast, and to break new ground.

Dog Years and Digger Years

May 12, 2025 General

I have two boxer dogs: a brother and sister, Diesel and Echo. We didn’t name them – Those are the names they had when we rescued them. Although, given that I write about demolition and construction equipment, Diesel does seem to be an apt name.

They are both fourteen years old now. In dog years, that’s ancient—98 by the book. And every day, I see the little signs that time is catching up. Diesel sometimes slips when he stands. Echo startles when touched, no longer hearing me approach. I know, though I try not to dwell on it, that the time I have left with them is short.

We rescued them when they were just a year old. I like to think we saved them, gave them a good life. But in truth, I think they saved us too; offering love that expected nothing and gave everything at once. During the dark days of COVID, they were my sole reason for leaving the house, saving my sanity on long quiet walks uninterrupted by cars and people.

These days, as I work from home, they are my constant companions. They follow me from room to room, lie at my feet while I type, nudge my hand for attention or snacks when I get too lost in thought. They are more than pets now. They are my rhythm, my routine, my shadow.

Sometimes I catch myself wondering how I will cope when they’re gone. And in one of those odd, meandering thoughts we all have, I found myself drawing a strange comparison to the machines that accompany our lives. Specifically, diggers.

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The Break Fast Show #931

May 12, 2025 Video

In today’s show: Hitachi’s glimpse of the future; Komatsu gets even smarter; we have a big bang from South Africa; and in our latest Bauma stand tour, we are checking out Kinshofer.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: A tale of dog years and digger years.

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show – the ONLY daily LiveStream built exclusively for demolition, construction, and equipment fanatics worldwide.

Breaking news. Expert views. Unmissable videos. Raw opinions. If it matters in the industry, we’re talking about it – LIVE.

Test your knowledge with the Mystery Machine, have your say in the Question of the Day, and don’t miss Mark’s Morning Monologue – a no-holds-barred take on the hottest topics.

And when the show’s done, the conversation’s just getting started. Stick around for The Craic, our legendary after-show chat!

Set your alarm. Grab your coffee. It’s time to break fast, and to break new ground.

Meanwhile, in the real world…

May 9, 2025 Comment

Imagine turning on the TV news and being greeted with a smiling presenter who says. “Good evening. Everything, everywhere is just hunky-dory. Goodnight.” Or you stop on your way to work to pick up a newspaper. And there, on the front page, is a headline that reads: “The world is tickety-boo”.

For one thing, that’s never likely to happen. And, for another, that’s not how journalism works. It’s not that we look for the bad or amplify the negative. It’s just that, if everything was fine and dandy, it wouldn’t be worth reporting on because that’s how things are supposed to be. Journalism lives in the space between things as they should be, and things as they really are.

On that subject, I received a message on LinkedIn yesterday asking why I was so negative about the industry all the time, and telling me that my coverage of the sector was “disgusting”.

My default reaction was to tell him where to insert his opinion and to point him towards an accurate definition of the word “journalism”. But then I thought about it. And the more I thought about it, the more I thought that I should put on my very best rose-tinted spectacles, punch my imagination into overdrive, and to just picture how a perfect day might look if we lived in the same apparently blissful paradise as my LinkedIn critic.

Now, there is no need to strap in. This journey is going to be as smooth as freshly-laid tarmac, devoid of all those nasty pitfalls and potholes that make the real world such a bore.

Let us begin.

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The Break Fast Show #930

May 9, 2025 Video

In today’s super-safe show: Caterpillar’s MineStar safety solutions; CASE will change your perception on accident avoidance; We’re taking John Deere’s new Tele Lift loader for a spin; And in our latest Bauma stand tour, we are checking out Hyundai.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: Meanwhile, back in the real world…

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show – the ONLY daily LiveStream built exclusively for demolition, construction, and equipment fanatics worldwide.

Breaking news. Expert views. Unmissable videos. Raw opinions. If it matters in the industry, we’re talking about it – LIVE.

Test your knowledge with the Mystery Machine, have your say in the Question of the Day, and don’t miss Mark’s Morning Monologue – a no-holds-barred take on the hottest topics.

And when the show’s done, the conversation’s just getting started. Stick around for The Craic, our legendary after-show chat!

Set your alarm. Grab your coffee. It’s time to break fast, and to break new ground.

The OTHER fuel crisis

May 8, 2025 General

Demolition and construction companies claim that their workers are their greatest asset. So explain this.

A company will spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on a new excavator. Over the next few years, they will lavish that machine with the finest fuels and lubricants money can buy. The machine might only be in the fleet for four or five years, but during that time it will be inspected, maintained, cleaned and polished. Because machinery is sacred. Fuel is critical. Maintenance is mandatory.

Now consider the operator in the cab. Over the course of his or her career, they will cost as much as that excavator. And they will potentially stick around for 20 or 30 years. Yet they are fuelled by whatever they can grab on the go. A cold pasty. A Greggs sausage roll. A supermarket meal deal if there’s time. Washed down with a lukewarm energy drink or instant coffee from a flask older than they are.

We treat our machines like royalty. And we treat our people like dustbins.

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