MrBen

It's pretty stagnant/falling gently at the moment but no real drivers for a bad crash other than loss of confidence. I think its not a bad time at all for a first time buyer to buy a flat if they have a deposit as sellers are offering some decent 2006 level prices. Despite all the mortgage hype you can still get a 3 year fix for 5.5% from most of the big lenders. Thats historically still very cheap! More people seem to be renting in ED though as a result. I number of my mates have just rented their flats out within a few days. And rents are up about 10% on last year. So not all bad news. But property is so 2007. It's all about cooking now. And cars. So lets talk about cooking and cars instead.

"Gritty" Brilliant! Five years ago when they still had fried chicken shops on Northcross Road perhaps.... It seemed that to me at the time when I moved from renting in a posh part of town. I suppose it still is gritty compared to say... Pimlico.

Does that waitress hit on everyone? There was me thinking it was just me.

I'm with you Tiger Boy! I live on one of the streets you mention and walked out my door to find a steaming mound right in the middle of my gate. It must be one particular f*****r with no manners. I have a .22 and intend to use it. On the owner not the dog. Trainspotting: I sheee the beesht in my shights.... (+)

1) No. Banks need a commercial driver to work effectively. 2) Darling is not great. But any chancellor who takes over before a downturn would be slated anyway. He'll be quietly sidelined in a summer reshuffle. And I think we all had a part to play in the downturn...who actually thought their 3 bed terrace was really worth ?670,000?! Our greed seems to get the better of us every 7 years...

Takes a real man to admit reading Marie Claire Karter - but that was Junes edition! I had a weird fish eye effect on my pic that enlarged everything, similar to Foxtons interior pictures. This was due to me being so embarassed, I had to take the picture myself at arms length.

I'm not sure how many of you listen to TheJazz on DAB. In my opinion it is a real treasure and has kept me going over the past year or so. It's the first proper jazz station in the UK. You'll get everything from Ella Fitzgerald and Bessie Smith to Brazilian night to classics like Coltrane and Miles Davis. Unfortunately, GCap the company that owns The Jazz is looking to close it down on the basis that digital radio has not had the uptake everyone predicted (4% growth vs say 20% annual growth for digital TV) and commercially it's not viable. And they want to pay more money to Johnny Vaughan probably! Planet Rock also looks likely to be chopped but at least there are plenty of other rock stations still out there. If you care about saving The Jazz, a petition has been started HERE. Please sign it if you give a toss. It would be a shame to lose the diversity of musics we currently enjoy on DAB. If all else fails perhaps they'll keep it going on the web. Anyone else a DAB fan or is it just me?!

I know.... I think they were struggling to fill that tricky "quiet" summer edition.

I was Marie Clare Man of the Month, August 2003. And in Dentist's waiting rooms all over the UK until about 2005. And I'm not even that good looking. She rated me a big fat 9/10 for humour after the date. And I'm not even very funny either.

Big Fun - "Blame it on the Boogie" Charted higher in the UK charts than the Jackson Five original (!)

SeanMacGabhann Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > could barely muster 7 singles I WANTED to play And so I helped pad out your quality Bowie and Cult tunes with "She Got the look" by Roxette and "I want to break free" by Queen. That is the brilliance of Lucky 7's!

I'll ask again... what is ball bag hanging?

SeanMacGabhann Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > isn't the flip side of all of this price arguing > that if an employer can find someone who does the > same job as you but a lot cheaper, they should > just go with them ? Unless the person doing the job can clearly justify why they are more expensive. Which I guess vinly ring enforcers cant! Your man in Ralon might say they are super ring enforcers and twice the strength. But when its a like for like comparoison it is quite staggering. My local example - if you ever need a picture framed, take it to northcross road, then take the same picture to Thames Galleries on ED Road. My quote was 50% cheaper for the pretty much the same at the latter.

Louisa - What's "ball bag hanging"? I had a very sheltered middle class upbringing!

Were you in there two nights ago having a quiet glass of wine? I saw a very dapper looking gentelman in a well cut black suit and black tie and in my head I thought "That is Mr BarryMarshall of Inside 72 fame". Or it was one of Franz Ferdinand.

I hear also that in 'nam you can actually pay some locals $50 USD to shoot a cow tied to a tree with a rocket propelled grenade or an M16. That is distasteful. And that you can take a tour of the rebel tunnels and dress up in uniform (Target Arms fans take note!). It's strange that the legacy of an unjust and horrific war with the loss of so many innocent lives is a kind of theme park mentality with attractions for tourists to enjoy. I hope the museum was a fair reflection of the truth. As for the yanks - "spectacular lack of global awareness" sums it up for me.

Its good point though and goes for residential planning too. No consistency across the board! Mr BarryMarshall - I agree if Inside 72 is closing to become something else we have to have a mother of all parties as a send off. And a few drams.

I'm guessing they could change it into a shop...with a change of use? Don't think it would work as a restaurant as its too small. Is there any room to extend it? The best thing would be for someone local to take it on, keep it largely the same but make a few changes to make it good. I used to love the pop quiz in there. It's interesting as all of these businesses selling up are a different proposition in terms of space, lease length etc. Any prospective buyer needs some kind of Macroban matrix to compare them on level terms! For example: What does a weekly net income of ?4900 mean when quoted on the brochure? Is that net of rates? and a ?20K a year isn't too bad for rent on LL? I hope Inside 72 remains in one form or another....

This is tragic. I know that change is a constant. But Inside 72 is unlike any bar I have been to in London. it is a treasure. Where else has such a good sound system and good tunes? Any new owners have to keep that up. I'm genuinely worried that we face a string of bland bars without the quirks that have made East Dulwich a genuinely interesting place to go out in. We need an Ark. Lets all get in it. Let us load it with our 3 wheel buggies, novelty coffee grinders, combat jackets and victorian properties and find a new land. A land with another Inside 72. And a Hannahs. I hear of a fabled place where they are establishing new colonies. And they call it Honor Oak. WHO IS WITH ME??!

???? Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Businesses in LL are selling up because the > Capital Gains Tax laws are changing in April to > once again punish entrepreneurs so a good time to > bail out, I'm not convinced CGT is the reason at all ????. The proposed CGT legislation has indeed been ill thought through and punishes the entrepreurial SME culture Gordon purports to nurture but you'll note that following uproar from various sections, a revision is proposed to only impose the 18% flat rate for gains over ?1M. And once-in-a-lifetime gains under ?1M will still be allowed 10% relief. This equates to the current 10% taper relief in place for those holding a business over 2-3 years who then sell up. So....I'll take a punt and say that I doubt there are many businesses on LL that stand to gain ?1M+ from selling up, unless the business also owns a large freehold. And so CGT implications are minimal for businesses valued under ?1M. All of this has yet to be ratified anyway so the general uncertainty around CGT could be a factor. But I think the prospect of a potential recession and a falling commercial property market are far more significant. And clearly businesses running on a small margin or even at a loss will be hit hardest and the first to go. And anyway the flat CGT at 18% will benefit all of you high earners with a 2nd or 3rd buy to let who then sell and would previously be subject to a potential 40% tax (depending on how long you have held your property).

I have to add my tuppenceworth as a Drum regular (and loner as I am always by myself in there). Sad to hear but I guess inevitable. It wasn't ever properly run as a business really and Jah Lush / Ant are about on the money and will know the main reasons. Saturdays it is great for the families at the market. But its been a bit edgy recently at off peak moments with certain clientele. For a while they did great rolls and lunchtime snacks....and I always got the best pint of Peroni in there. I'd like to salute Cooper who made great efforts, is a great guy and has a great dog. I may have to visit soon for a fairwell pint.

Not being trite. But I tried marinaded dog meat whilst backpacking through Ho Chi Minh City a few years ago. It was delicious and lean and great with fresh chilli, sesame oil noodles and some coriander. It was more of a lab type than a terrier I think. So it would be great to see dog on the menu. Good luck Kat - its harder than most people know to start up something like this and you deserve every success.

TJ Wrote: > Oh, and move it 300 metres to LL. The Gowlett and The Rye aren't either but both do well. If you get the right ingredients in place people will come. The Rye was a complete dump before its current owners worked their magic. And I still trek over their now for one of their great roasts. Yes it has a big beer garden but even in winter its busy. The Gowlett has a nice back street feel too. And great pizzas as a USP. The CPT has a good outdoor area, a lovely character behind that flaking purple paint and real potential. But the numbers that the current leasholder is asking for have to reflect the fact that it is not in a prime location and refurb costs are needed and right now they clearly dont stack up for any potential buyer. Or it would be done up by now. But the longer it remains in its current state and with current economics as they are, they'll take an offer eventually....

I want an I Love *BOB* T-shirt. Genius.

I know - no excuses for me this time!