lozzyloz

Mark can we have dinner for 2 at the Rosendale as first prize in the EDF birthday raffle (3 courses no wine)?

IMHO the best sausages are from Kim (Libretto & Daughter) in Woodvale Rd.(tu)

Bob does that exclude drinks and service? Last time I ate there it was closer to ?200.

CWLD will you accept two Guinea Pigs and a Courgette?

Nice cartoon DS! Not sure I believe the inflation rate in the way its calculated and how handy that it comes in just under target so that the BoE has an excuse not to raise interest rates. The US will probably drop rates today in an effort to delay a recession as I mentioned before. Once jobs are hit in this country it is precisely those that have tried desperately to get into home ownership that will suffer as they default on loans that were too easily given. Agreed that house prices are far too high and even the most conservative forecasts say flat growth in next few years.

Doesn't Peckham cater for diversity? After all we can't start playing with house prices in ED now that Foxtons have arrived.

Probably one for Alan as I don't really know much about politics in depth, but given that their currently under the spotlight in Brighton it made me think. They were probably a good idea at the time when Lab and Cons were at opposite ends of the political spectrum. Their leadership has been questionable as they've gone from one pisshead leader to an old fogey with little or no charisma. Paddy wishes he was really in Labour. Some of the policies coming out of Brighton seem totally out of touch with the general electorate. Time for a makeover?

OMG Brendan, that's like wearing really flared trousers with a high waistband now because it was cool in the 70's and you didn't have a pair then :))

Yes and no DS. The collapse of the US sub prime mortgage market is the start of the Domino run. It's exposed what we've seen for the last few years as trouble brewing. Low interest rates and increased money supply have encouraged many to over borrow, has fuelled unrealistic proprty value growth and has artificially staved off the natural economic cycle of highs and lows for political purposes. The problem now is that this is unsustainable. Company stocks are overvalued, property prices are too high in relation to earnings and personal debt is at an all time high. Increased borrowing costs and a slowdown in consumer spending (witness latest retail spending results) will tip the balance. Why Northern Rock and others? These banks led in offering self certified mortgages, high multiples of earnings and loans up to 125% of the property value. Therefore these banks are particularly exposed to the UK Sub Prime Mortgage Market and it's unclear as to the size of the economic impact when these mortgages default coupled with a property price correction. If it happens it could be a disaster and that is what investors (big and small) are gambling on. The governments reaction will probably be to pump cash into the banking system and reduce or stabilise interest rates. How often does the government get it right and how much will the slowdown in the US economy affect us?

I agree with you to a point MM. I believe veterans should be given due respect regardless of our political opinions re the rights and wrongs of invading Iraq and so on. However, I don't think they should be singled out as neccesarily any more deserving than many other public serving institutions like nursing, the police, fire etc. Besides we already pay for this via our taxes.

der der da de de derghhh

The biggest sensationalists are the city traders. It's those traders acting on behalf of institutions that are taking a view and acting like lemmings as they sell of banking sector shares. Most of those shares will recover today amidst another round of profit taking. Also, I remember when the US sub prime market crash story started to unfold, it was the heads of HSBC's US division that were fired with a massive payoff and after earning a huge bonus for essentially screwing up! Can't say I blame the average Northern Rock saver for taking their money out, why should they trust the bank or the government. There's far worse to come and a lot that's not being told to Jo Public in a bid to calm the situation and protect city bonuses.

Personally I think you must be nuts to go and see a band well past it's sell by date. Their heyday is well gone. They will never be able to recreate a stage performance that merits the ticket price. Better to preserve the memory rather than replace it with an enduring image of a bunch of OAP's embarrassing themselves in a final bid to raise funds to soften the impact of IHT! And yes I am a Led Zep fan and once bumped into Robert in a launderette in Primrose Hill, but that's another story!

You could try Laura who is local Laura Kidd

Trouble is that if you have a mortgage then you don't actually own your own house or at least not all of it. If your mortgage Co goes tits up someone else buys their assets (your house) at a discount and you continue paying the new owner. Your last comment is so right - herd mentality starts to kick in. I think we might start to see more property flood onto the market. The flat market is already becoming quite saturated.

Northern Rock haven't denied that borrowing costs will go up. However I suspect that costs will go up across the board and that those in fixed interest deals will feel the shock more than others because of increased rates and arrangement fees.

Saw this occur in Moscow during the meltdown of Aug 1998. Never thought I'd witness it in the UK. Seems a bit of an (understandable) hysterical response as I'm sure investors cash is safe in this case but there well maybe other companies less well capitalised. Look out people with big mortgages and huge cc debts because that's who will carry the cost.

Cheers and Good Luck Keef :)-D

Will sound OK after a few litres :)-D

I like imperial. Feels nice and comfortable. Like it's been here forever. A part of England, as much as our sovereignty. But Metric is so much more sensible, logical and easy to use.

A Caribean Restaurant like Mango Rooms in Camden would be nice

Absolutely no reason at all (I like SE5) apart from the fun of reeling you in Alan :)-D

As long as they don't mix us up with SE5 then I'm happy, however I cant find "snack bacnk" on Streetmap?! I'm sure the 0% offer is a good one. If you're selling and you want max price and least cost why not take advantage. Whether you like 'em or not they have good marketing and will attract the type of punter that wants to live in ED (ie cant afford the other areas further West).

I've heard that Virgin are now starting their descent earlier and at a higher altitude to save on fuel. Will this reduce noise and if so why don't all airlines follow suit? Less fuel, less noise = more happiness. Now could somebody do something about the paper delivery boy (man) that runs down the pavement dragging a noisy trolley behind him at 5.30am and the Milky that seems to relish flying over speed bumps and doing emergency stops in his float around 4am! (6)

I believe the correct title is "Superior Sean";-)