DJKillaQueen

Homeland is top notch.... as was Damages. The Killing rivals both of those imo too. I really like the bipolar angle to Carrie in Homeland (and Clare Danes is just brilliant). Hunted was just embarassing.

Nice :) And if Jake wins he could be looking at close to a million I guess.

If you bothered to read the thread you'd see how irelevant your post is.....lazy indeed.

I don't really think too much about it (I'm genuinely not that bothered by the use of Lady vs Women) but when I do, I think I am with RosieH. So much of what defines a word is wrapped up in intent of use. Add to that, established stereotyping and a simple word can then be loaded with all kinds of meaning. So I would only take exception to the use of 'lady' in a specific context.

I find it staggering the number of allegations and incdents being reported, and that he got away with it for so long. There were attempts by individuals to expose him but they were always swept under the rug. My impression of the BBC (I first worked for the BBC in 1998) was that of a closed knit group, mostly public school male, who were pretty ruthless. It seems that Saville, once accepted as a 'darling of the beeb' was untouchable. Things have changed a lot since Saville's heyday though. Back then, the bulk of BBC production was in house. Today the opposite is true. And that is I think why it was possible for him to keep his skeletons hidden, or rather, for others to keep them hidden for him.

Except sometimes you can't tell when someone is going to sidestep in front of you until they do so. I do cycle slowly on that shared space. I do look for pedestrians crossing between buses etc (and not just on that cycle path, but whenever I cycle past stationary traffic). But I also have hit a pedestrian who sidestepped across my front wheel with just 5 inches for me to react. It's just one of those things. A cycle needs to go at a minimum speed to cycle. I am of the opinion that this particular stretch of road is too pedestrian dense for cyclists to safely be sharing that space.

I sometimes think as well that one of the downsides of a show like X factor is in how it feeds the truly deluded. There has always been mediocrity in popular music, just as not everyone that suceeds in that world is truly talented. X factor just reminds us of that. I agree with the consensus that this years crop are mediocre on the whole. Only three stand out for me at the moment and I'm not sure any of those are likely to sell large numbers of records (which is what it is all about at the end of the day). Matt Cardle is the last flop to be dropped sharpish by his label.

There has been no actual final decision made yet. The LFS are considering various options, one of which is closure of some stations and redundancies. It's just that the Union and Media have latched on to the closures proposal and are selling that as a definite. In the BBC article, Boris is the only one telling the whole truth in saying that no decisions have been made yet. Having said that, any job losses are regrettable and it can be totally understood why those affected will fight tooth and nail to keep those jobs. The real question is just what kind of fire service cover do we realistically need? As a public service, employing people for the sake of employing people isn't an option anymore (if it ever was). If we look at precedent.....Over the past ten years (and beyond) the no. of fires has dropped, no of call outs have dropped etc....and the fire service has changed over that decade to reflect that. Every single change has been fought with prediction of death and disaster by the unions but just has not been born out. So the public can be forgiven for not believing those same claims again. It's a bit like the the little boy who cried wolf..... I don't know if the fire service can sustain the second 8% cut. I think it probably can sustain the first 6% cut. The Dagenham fire (at a recycling plant in the summer) required 200 fire fighters and was the biggest fire in London for years, yet the fire service managed to also maintain full Olympics cover and cover across the rest of London. Perhaps a more enlightening question would be, if that fire happened with a worst case scenario of proposed cuts (so 1000 jobs lost and 25 smaller stations closed) would a safe level of cover have still been possible. If someone could answer that with facts and figures, then therein might lie a realistic illustration of what level of cut would be managed and at what point it becomes dangerous. Maybe that's something Herrick could provide facts on. I would welcome sensible debate from someone inside the fire service.

Southwark now has a very tough policy against anti-social tenants and you are more likely to find ASBO cases in private rented accomodation, in a residential street, having been evicted by the council.

I did grow up in Liverpool, on a truly rough council estate (for the first 11 years of my life) until my parents bought a house, and jokes about scousers and crime are just not funny. The estate had some problems with burglary....it was also the 70's and people were extremely hard up......My brother still lives there on a housing estate and it has very few problems. Times have changed considerably over the past three decades.

Clegg has no power anymore (if he ever did). Changing boundaries is nothing new but am I right in thinking the proposed changes will be bad for the Lib Dems?

I accept that quids but why only focus on the local authority estate nearby? As the OP says..they felt the need to check with police websites on crime.....like criminals don't live in houses? The OP isn't asking about his/ her immediate neighbours.....or schools, ammenities etc. It's the assumption that an estate/ social housing is automatically an asb hotspot that irks me.

It's a fair question isn't it ;). After all, us estate dwellers are the lowest of the low, with a Frank Gallagher on every corner. You'd never find an ASBO case living in a terraced house would you....let alone owning their own house?

Agreed James.

No it's meant to be one way but the stupid design of the bus lane means cyclists use it as a two way lane.

Yep I use it all the time too with no problems.

They are fundamental ones though H...the most fundamental one being the right to challenge a dismissal if thought to be unfair. And whilst I agree that most empoyers operate fairly in hiring and firing, there are some that don't. Taking away someone's right to redress would be an open invitation to those employers. On the politics show today though, a good point was made that unless a company is part of the ftse the shares would have no meaningful value anyway, that the first ?10,000 of shares are exempt from CGT anyway and finally why would any small business want to give away it's equity? What happens if a company decides to fire a person that holds equity in it? Makes no sense whatsoever. The real issue is the cost to small businesses in hiring people and the cost in getting them to leave. If the government wants to tackle that, then it should tackle that. Foregoing employment rights will not increase confidence or aid stability one iota. There are other ways to help small business.

Then maybe it's the process of tribunal that needs to be modified. Taking away a persons right to redress completely though, is not the answer. Also I can think of at least three examples of highly experienced workers who were not valued by the companies they worked for, because of internal politics, or other poor reasoning, and laid off to be replaced by cheaper, less skilled labour. It's swings and roundabouts. There are some great employers and equally there are some really bad ones. The protections are there for a reason.

How is the freedom to fire without redress helpful to unemployment exactly? I totally accept your points regarding savings in tax and NI cotributions to both employee and employer and agree the benefit would be most apparent to small businesses. But I also think that to deny employment rights to people, rights that have been hard fought for and are there for a reason, is cycnical. No employee in their right mind would take shares in anything but a profit making small business and if the business is smart, it will just get rid of people when the shares aren't worth anything. Like most things the Conservatives propose, there are often idealogical reasons behind it, ideas that are just as much to do with removing security and rights for the common man as anything else. There are many ways that small buisness can be helped without removing peoples employment rights.

I agree on the comments regarding the surrey canal path....some cyclists do ride too fast when encountering pedestrians and indeed other cyclists. I've had to slow down myself to avoid other cyclists charging at me during peak hours sometimes. It is though only 'some' cycists.

'Are doctors allowed to give this information to employees?' In short NO. Employers can not request any information from your doctor without your written consent and even then, there must be a valid reason for doing so. Similiarly, any agency helping you is also bound by the law regarding confidentiality. You are not required to disclose medical details on application forms unless it has relevance to the job you are applying for, but in those cases the form would ask for consent to consult with your GP. In fact if you are being asked on application forms about mental health and depression, I'd be interested to know what kinds of employers these are? MIND would also I think have a view on such questions as part of an application. And thank you for bringing your situation into the public domain, and allowing others to come forward and speak publically about their own experiences. One of the hardest things with depression is communication. Depression causes a shut down internally and it's hard for those who don't suffer from it to understand sometimes how stressful just asking for help can be (even from friends and those closest to them). But there are also plenty of people out there who do understand and once you find them, you can find the support you need.

Simon Philips who designed the scheme at southwark doesn't care anyway......he thinks his design is right. More worrying is the tarmac that is sinking under the weight of buses at the junction with the high street. Is it really so difficult for southwark to find people that can build roads properly?

The boiler and electric works you reference in the OP are mechanical internal works and you are not required as a leaseholder to have them done. The windows however are part of the general building and will be charged for. I attended monthly meetings for a year, between contractors and council contracts managers, as a resident spokesperson (along with peckhamrose above, representing leaseholder interests) overseeing these kind of major works. I can echo the sentiments above that the standard of work can be unsatisfactory. Worse still, guarantees are not worth anything as far as Southwark contractors go, so it's important that any snags are dealt with while the contractor is still on site. Having tenant supervisors can also help to ensure high standards are met. PRs advice regarding the Leaseholders Association is good advice. *PS PR...Have they really asked for more money above what was originally stated? That can not be right surely? *PPS ''Southwark carried out major works on most of their blocks about 12 years ago, inc. replacing windows.'' Not true Gidget. There are still many blocks waiting to have windows replaced and electrical and mechanical engineering improvement works. The last round of windows contracts were completed three years ago. Works stopped with the Larkenhall Fire which saw Southwark panic and divert money to fire safety improvement works instead. I know this because I've kept close involvement with the evolution of decent homes contracts as a Tenants Association Officer for the past 9 years. My advice would be that if you are buying a leaseholder flat that has not had these types of works done within the last 15-20 years.....then expect them to happen at some point within the next five years - which is the current plan for completing the external decent homes works (finance dependent).

I think Huguenot offers some good advice. Renting a room might be a short term solution if it's possible to do so. But the other points he makes, make good sense to me, so maybe you should speak to another mortgage advisor. It sounds as though you are in danger of defaulting on your mortgage and potentially losing your home unless you can find a solution. I wholeheartedly agree with LadyD's post. Getting back onto a stable path where you feel back in control can only happen a step at a time and any help you can get with that is worth considering. As well as helping with depression and stress related problems, your GP can refer you to other agencies that can help with some of the practical problems. One local food charity is Pecan http://www.pecan.org.uk/our-projects/foodbank Don't be offput either by church group involvement. The staff are well trained in the advice they offer and your GP can refer you to them.

Hi nonpretentious, I too have battled with depression, all my life really, most time managing it very well but on occasion it has swallowed me up. When that happens, as salsboy says, it takes time to sort out, and the help of a brilliant GP is crucial (I have had the same one for 20 years) as well as the support and understanding of great friends and family....and those people are not easy to find. That's why those of us that do suffer from depression need some balls to be open about it, in a country where people can be very cruel. Stress is a factor that most definitely can lead to depression and the thoughts and feelings you are having are a normal reaction to your circumstances. Your life feels like a daily grind and I don't think it's helpful for anyone to say things like 'most of the people in the world are poorer' etc. Everything is relative and we are where we find ourselves in life. LadyDs advice is very good advice. Rent aside, it is suprising how cheaply one can live in London. If you are struggling to feed your family, there are some food charities that you can be referred to who are there to help people exactly like yourself (they provide a weekly box of non perishable foods). Let me know if you would like some help with that. And it is important to find something to bring some fun into your life, even if it's only an hour a week, doing something YOU enjoy for YOU. It sounds as though you have barely time to think at the moment but it is important to find some time for yourself. Believe me, there are many people struggling as you are and feeling very isolated. It might be worth having someone look at your finances and stuff who can offer advice on any positive changes that can be made (including support with food etc). Involvement with a local community centre or tenants group can also be a centre of advice, support and help too.