Earl Aelfheah

He's right about Morrissey and Bach. Embrace your melancholy.

I am not sure you've watched it tbh. He commends marriage, and is rather dismissive of polyamory..Just suggests people understand the trade offs, are self aware, realistic in their expectations and good humoured.

He really wants you to watch the video

mynamehere Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It takes one full minute? less ? 2 minutes? to > clear the leaves in front of your house... They are > cutting youth services ffs ^This. Seriously, I've seen plenty of council leaf clearing going on, but leaves will quickly accumulate again. Sweep up in front of your house if there are a lot of leaves, it only takes a minute.

Went to Spinach last night. Recommended. Anyone know what's happening to the shop next to William Rose?

Where is the evidence of any problem on say, Thorncombe road, or the vast majority of quiet residential side roads? What is the clearly identified, evidenced issue that is being addressed here? There does seem to be a drive from the council to squeeze the supply of parking at the same time as demand is increasing. I'm all for getting people out of their cars, for slowing traffic and improving the environment, but none of this can reasonably happen without improvements in public transport, which I don't see Southwark pursuing with the same zeal.

The new Heygate development in Elephant has over 650 car parking spaces.

The deficit is unsustainable in the long term, so there has to be a strategy to grow the economy and increase the tax take and / or to cut spending. Where does the majority of public spending go? It?s not on the unemployed, but those receiving in-work benefits and to pensioners. To address the former, we need to either reduce the cost of living (primarily spiralling housing costs), and / or increase wages (which means looking at productivity and the types of jobs we?re creating). To address the latter we will have to have immigration and we will need to reassess the ring fence around pensioners. In terms of productivity, we need investment in high tech machinery and infrastructure. Following the crash, there should have been a much bigger and sustained fiscal stimulus aimed at investing in the real economy IMO, not just printing money to sure up banks? balance sheets and inflating asset prices. Instead of cutting corporation tax, have a progressive system and use the money we might have 'cut' to help businesses invest it in high tech facilities and technology and to go towards technical skills training. This will help improve productivity in the long run and will make us a good place to set up business just as cutting tax does, but for much more positive reasons that just being a cheap place to do business. We need drastic action to discourage the concentration of resources in the hands of the very wealthiest. Give a millionaire ?10 they?ll bank it. Give it to a struggling family and they?ll spend it in the real economy, supporting a local business and returning some of it to the exchequer in the process. It?s not fashionable, but there really does need to be much more emphasis on redistribution, support for smaller businesses (which means taxing larger corporations). The preponderance of a small number of massive multinationals and chains, is not good for the economy. An effective market needs competition and the advantage of huge economies of scale have the effect of blocking new entrants to any given market and stifle that competition. Small businesses keep money circulating in the economy in the same way as getting money into the hands of low and middle earners has a multiplier effect. Housing should also be a priority for investment. We need a public house building programme. It won't be popular, but make the case for bringing down house prices and rents (and thereby the cost of housing benefit). Stop subsidising the private rental sector, which only drivers up prices and in trun the benefits bill. Instead invest in state owned housing. The state should borrow to do this, but over the long term, as with any mortgage - at the end of it which we have state assets which belong to us all. I would rather my tax money spend on building up a good stock of affordable housing than see it frittered away on lining the pockets of a private landlord. Stop right to buy. People have a right to a roof over their head, they do not have a right to own their own house. The state should not be buying people houses, it should be making sure they have somewhere to live. Stop giving benefits to wealthy pensioners. Protect those who need it, but stop giving Richard Branson a heating allowance and free public transport. We should support those who need it, but not pander to wealthy individuals our of political expediency. It may not always be fair, but in straightened times, we have to prioritise the most needy, not an entire cohort indiscriminately. The NHS is a problem. We have to make a decision about how much we value it. I personally think it should be valued and if that is the general view, we will need to pay more tax. We have to accept that the deficit is going to be an ongoing problem for some time. We should however, have a clear plan for reducing it over the long term and it can?t just be ?cut spending?. That?s not worked and on it?s own isn?t likely to in the future either. Sorry for the stream of consciousness...

Seriously though, I kind of feel sorry for May. She's been left an impossible legacy by that incompetent Cameron.

Jules-and-Boo Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Blair to the rescue Ha, ha!

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/thomas-mair-guilty-jo-cox-murder-terrorism-white-facist-fight-fascism-a7434751.html?cmpid=facebook-post

Gnashing of teeth isn't anti democratic is it? One can still voice displeasure, seems like a democratic right tbh

I nearly got run down by a BMW the other day. What is it about that particular car brand?

No one is being disrespectful. It's a bus lane - there are warnings already in the form of road markings and signage. The road layout hasn't recently changed, there aren't new rules being put in place.

There have been so many threads about this particular bus lane. I don't get the problem. It's pretty clear that it's a bus lane and there is no obvious need to use it.

Positive, hmmmm. Well, I am positively ENRAGED at the terrible service in.... only joking. I am a big fan of Oddonos and the lovely people who run it. Their salted caramel ice cream is the nuts. As is their pistachio (that is literally the nuts).

You're right of course Jeremy, although it seems less and less likely that we'll be able to remain in the single market (not sure this was ever really very likely). With the ongoing uncertainty (which is likely to last years) and our probable departure from the single market eventually - it's hard to see how in the medium term our economy isn't going to suffer. Of course the problem is, one will never be able to demonstrate the effect either way. Whether the economy does well, or it does not, who can prove that staying in would have been better or worse? People will seek out the evidence which appears to support their view and everyone will think they've been proved right.

I don't like being 'trapped' in some of the segregated lanes. If there is glass, or if someone steps out, often there is little room to avoid the hazzard.

Still feels the need to mention Del Boy. Wonder if there will ever be a time when a journalist feels confident to mention Peckham without reference to only fools and horses?

malumbu Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Give me a quiet route rather than a segregated cycle lane > on a main road any day. ^this

Sorry to hear about this - horrible.

Someone was spotted not wearing a pashmina. Police escorted them to Jigsaw and calm was returned to the Village.

P.O.U.S.theWonderCat Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Rants have ripples, Rahrah. And yours have sunk > me. POUS - you're right off course - tribalism isn't helpful. I wouldn't usually talk about 'the left' or 'the right' as though either is anything more than hugely reductionist and simplistic. But when people start couching their arguments in those terms (and whilst I'm still hugely pissed off) it's hard to not to say 'feck it let's play that game then'. It is childish, it is just ranting and no, it doesn't move us forward. But anger is part of he grieving process, so let me get it out of my system. I promise I'll move on to acceptance in time and start being a bit more rational. ;-)

I think you're right DaveR, I'm fairly optimistic that the Republicans will get things back under control (I hope so)

...and this is not a bad place to have a rant BTW.