Marmora Man

What did I say - dying is such a good career move. Album Charts

PR - damn! Meant to record this - did it / will it (if I can find it on On Demand TV) confirm my prejudices about the Alpha course that it's a load of old twaddle? PS: Did you see in today's Times that Richard Dawkins is subsidising atheist summer camps - most of my Scout camps were on the atheist side - when we weren't putting up tents and cooking dampers we were checking out the local pubs, scrumpy and girls at the chip shop.

Thanks for all suggestions. Have done the male urine thing today and set up an ultrasonic noise maker. Have also located some rubble (thanks Chris) to block the apparent routes in / out of the garden. Considering setting the alarm for 4.00am to see what's what in the garden tonight.

I have some time on my hands at present but find little to interest me in recently published novels. History books, memoirs and biographies are fine - but the average novel doesn't engage. Yet, at the same time, there's an explosion of writing courses, awards for young novelists and graduate courses in writing. I find myself increasingly going back ton the classics - read or unread for my comfort reading. So - does the world need another young novelist?

I was at the Brockwell Lido today - partly to cool off in this clammy weather and partly to see No.2 son working as a lifeguard. I wanted to take a photo to record his evolution from grumpy teenager to a working teenager - but was warned that the taking of photos is banned at the Lido. Why? I know there is a lot of foolish hysteria about peadophilia but stopping everyone from taking pictures of their family and friends having fun seems a major overeaction. Memories are made of photos of family outings at the pool, seaside, country, museums, picnics, tourist sites and so on, all public places. I can remember as a child poring over family albums of such picture with grandparents and my own children doing the same. In the event I took the photos and noticed others also taking photos - but the ban is stated explicitly on notices around the poolside. Does the faint, vanishingly faint, possibility of someone with evil intent capturing a picture of other people's children in the background outweigh the damage to the 99.999% of the population whose intent is simply to take photos as a remembrance of happy times?

Swimming in the sun at Brockwell Lido. You'll get fitter, maybe a tan and might even find an "appropriate" bloke there as a bonus.

What to do? For three years we've had a fox free garden - now, quite recently and for no apparent reason we've been invaded - they visit every night, plants are damaged, fox faeces on lawn, flower beds dug up, making a mockery of Mrs MM's gardening works. Has anyone had similar problems? How did you solve them? What to do?

PeckhamRose Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > They appeared to be heading for the north end of > Peckham Rye Park says MrPR. From Marmora House(!) the bearing was WNW so defintely not Peckham Rye but using cross bearings that would put it in / near Dulwich College.

Did anyone see the 5 parachuters dropping at about 3.30pm? Looks as if they were aiming for Brockwell park or Dulwich College. Hadn't heard of any major events involving this sort of flying visit?

I like the quality of the coffee, cakes and light lunches offered here. BUT - I had a swift breakfast last Sunday having ridden out for cycle ride and papers, just coffee (excellent) and toast & jam. Toast was sliced Hovis (bad), the "butter" some form of margarine based spread (worse). Jam OK but no marmite option - which would have been good. Have mentioned this to the staff and hope, perhaps, they'll up the quality of the toasting end of the catering. PS: Sourdough toast, butter & marmite at Cafe 2010 is brilliant.

LegalEagle-ish Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The problem with conspiracy theories as that where > can he hide? He'll be on the Moon, living in a converted London double decker and quite close to Elvis. Don't you read the National Enquirer and National Examiner at all?

Death can be such a good career move for superannuated pop stars. See those record sales boom.

Good spot - I live 100 yards from Colyton on Marmora. It can be a bit of a rat run early am and mid pm. Park is great. It's 20 mins max to the station Honor Oak station (12 mins to London Bridge). The Forest Hill parade is improving - Si Mangia a decent little Italian, Omrith a good Indian. Herne pub is fine with reasonable food. Easy walk / cycle ride to LL for the shops and cool bars.

Barty, you can expect to be amused, engaged, annoyed, frustrated, titillated, buy some stuff, sell some stuff, find a handyman, find a soul mate, meet some people for drinks, curry, runs, over a book club or a book swap, locate that elusive "thing", service, record, song name, song lyric, piece of poetry by seeking an answer from the collective wisdom of the forum. Political views range from well to the right of centre to well to the left of centre - the normal distribution is a little skewed to the left - don't try to defend Thatcherism! You must have an opinion on buggies (passionately for or passionately against - no middle ground allowed). Other passionate subjects: W Rose - either a rip off for snobs or a fantastic butcher. Chandelier - ditto Luca's - ditto East Dulwich Deli - ditto Crime - it's either all their parents fault and both yoof and parents should be locked up or hung, or it's all society's fault and we should hug a hoodie today.

Galli, In an earlier post you spoke of ?a socialist form of democracy based on mass workers' organisations, as existed in the early stages of the Russian revolution?. You have also mentioned ?class war?, ?economic oppression? ?the need to overthrow the system?. From this I take you to be a left of centre socialist keen on changing the political landscape of this country. I do not disagree you OED definitions for Politic, Politics or Political. Except that you rely on the later, more narrow, definitions of the words to rebut my point, rather than the first and most usual definition used in the dictionary. EG: ?an organisational process or principle affecting authority, status, etc? and ?relating to or affecting interests of status or authority in an organization rather than matters of principle?. Politics within an organisation is not the politics that you and I have been debating. Surely you are interested in the big heroic ideas of politics, not the petty bureaucratic details of power within an organization? Linking pay disputes within a self contained business or economic unit to how the country is governed is a weak debating point. Unless, of course, you genuinely believe there is a gigantic conspiracy of all in "power", civil servants, government, businessmen, officers in the forces, managers and others in authority, to "do down" the working man. Having worked in various elements of this list I can assure you they are incapable of organising what would have to be a vast and all encompassing conspiracy and certainly not capable of keeping it secret in the unlikely event they ever managed to get it underway.

What is the objective of the survey - how deep will you be going? No objections - just interested to understand.

Louisiana, I hail from a non conformist "Society of FRiends" background - the Diggers and other political / societal organisations developed much of their origins from the early dissenters. I have however, grown to believe in the power of modern liberal democratic capitalism as being, on the whole, the best force for good.

If we take love to mean hate, if we take black to mean white we can live in George Orwell's 1984 and all indulge in Newspeak. If however, we consult the Oxford English Dictionary we find: Politic: - pertaining to a constitutional state Politics: - The science and art of government, the science dealing with the form, organisation and administration of a state or part of one and with the regulation of its relations with other states. Political: - pertaining to the state, its government and policy I can remember the slogans of the 70's. Gallinello your definition is straight out of the Young Socialist guidebook circa 1975 and Leagle Eagle's from the same era as is "the personal is political". As I recall this is roughly where I started by sayng that your politics were out of date.

Chance to see two of England's test team in action on Friday here

LegalEagle-ish Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- All of human life is politics I ask: Love, parenthood, family - are these all political? Growing flowers, tending a grave, donating time to a charity - are these all political? Singing in a choir, admiring a piece of art, painting a picture - are these all political? Swimming in the sea, walking in the countryside, lying on your back and looking at the stars - are these all political? Reading a novel, writing a novel, watching a movie - are these all political? Gardening, having dinner with friends, having a pint in the pub - are these all political? All of human life is politics - no it's not!

Gallinello, It remains in industrial dispute and not a political dispute. You perhaps believe everything is political - I don't know, but I cannot see how this has a political dimension. It's about how much a particular section of the workforce are paid and is set against a background of high unemployment in that particular sector. This dispute is a negotiation between two bodies - in essence it is no different between two individuals negotiating over what one is prepared to pay for some "good" and what the other is prepared to pay for that "good". Both sides have power - one controls payment, the other controls the goods. Each can threaten to withhold that which they control but then neither prospers - their mutual interest is met by negotiating a deal. In business in every deal I have ever been involved in the optimum is usually achieved when both sides feel they have met about 80% of their objectives. Business people recognise that going for the full 100% benefit is not usually the best long term bet. Of the three options set out by the Guardian above - not one proposes or suggests government intervention nor appeal to government. In reality there are three options but I see them as: 1. Stay out on strike until that Total folds completely (unlikely) 2. Both parties negotiate a revised deal (probable) - with or without support (financial and moral) from other unions and workers. 2. The workforce return to work now with no change. (improbable)

Brendan - no it won't. I oppose the communications allowance on principle, not because it's a Labour invention.

TJMP - you are being disingenuous. Your constituents can hardly be unaware that you are the sitting Labour MP. Promotional materials communicating with those constituents about local issues always carries the subliminal message that it is being delivered by you - a Labour MP and Minister. Your Conservative opponent, Kemi Adegoke, does not enjoy this tax payer funded advantage and must fund all promotional materials thru? her own pocket or by using funds raised by the Dulwich & Norwood Conservative Association. This creates an inbuilt bias toward sitting MPs - at a time when the general mood of the country is a desire to make it simpler to remove unsatisfactory sitting MPs.

Galli, You are confusing industrial action with politics. I am. I admit, surprised at the extent of the sympathy strikes in support of the Lindsey workers but at less than 2,000 people it hardly represents anarchy or a revolutionary uprising - the Lindsey worker's beef is with the Total management, not the government of the country. The challenge Sean McG always throws at my libertarian stance is - "show me a country that operates a low tax, small government" - my response is that that is the way the political wind is blowing - big state and supra state operations are becoming discredited. So I throw out a similar challenge to you - where in the world is their a successful and popular Marxist government?

Whose Side Are You On? Review by a libertarian: The programme was entertaining in the way that many folk tales are entertaining. It failed, completely, as history or as an objective documentary. It was possible to sympathise with the communities and individuals that were fighting the gradual erosion of the coal industry and the jobs that went with it. Some of the folk songs and some (but very little) of the poetry that was created during the period was worth listening to. The various ?speaking heads? were all talking from one shared perspective and none of the events were put into the context of the times. There were many occasions where the film maker was, at least by implication, applauding and approving the thuggery, violence and intimidation directed toward those that didn't join the strike or who broke ranks and went back to work. Violence by the police = BAD. Violence by strikers = GOOD. This was far too simplistic. Ken Loach is not a fully paid up Marxist historian such as Eric Hobsbaum but every one of his films and documentaries take a sentimental view of the nobility of hard labour and the brotherhood of the working class ? a harder edged version of the Ealing Comedies. This film was perhaps a more extreme example of this failing. The erosion of the coal industry was inevitable ? as evidenced by its state today. Coal was too costly to extract, due to a combination of a lack of automation and high costs ? both contributed to, in part, by the NUMs approach to industrial relations - I do not exonerate the Coal Board in this either. There is little doubt that Arthur Scargill initiated the strike with deliberate intent to foster, in Gallinello's terms, a Marxist class struggle. By intentionally ignoring then current legislation he created a situation where the miners were on the wrong side of the law and denied the union members proper funding and strike pay. His undoubted public speaking skills and ability to lead a crowd, by his claptrap*, to a crescendo of enthusiasm and unity gave the miners false hope. I don?t think he is unintelligent and he must have known fairly early on that he was on the wrong side of the particular issue. That he persevered is, I assume, a tribute to own wrong headed loyalty to, and belief in, the outdated, incoherent and failed political theory that is Marxism. Perhaps he truly believed that the British "working class" would rise to support his union and overthrow the government? The decline of the coal industry was inevitable, but its precipitate decline was the result of Scargill?s wrong headed analysis and tactics. As Peter Walker (Energy Secretary) said Margaret Thatcher was fortunate in her enemies ? a more amenable stand from the NUM could have facilitated a more managed decline, with appropriate training and the development of alternative industries over time - phasing in the new as the old was phased out. The damage to the communities and individuals would have been markedly less and subsequent changes to Union legislation might not have been so easily achieved but for the image of unions and union members that the Miner?s Strike fostered. To that extent Scargill not only lost over this particular issue ? he subsequently damaged, irreversibly, the status of unionship. * Claptrap = A trick or device of language designed to catch applause. OED.