Earl Aelfheah

> What is this opportunity of which you speak? What > re-engineering are you proposing? What refinements > would work? There is a general feeling that the deregulation of the financial industry has seriously backfired. A consensus that the system needs to change and this could act as a catalyst for change. To suggest regulation of the financial markets has been politically difficult, but the crisis has presented an opportunity. In terms of re-engineering the system, clearly this needs to be looked at very carefully and needs to follow a full, public debate. But, basically, it needs to ensure that markets are more balanced, that they deliver outcomes that are for the benefit of more than a small minority and that they incentivise efficient and value adding activities. > Sitting in a tent near St Pauls doesn't seem to > have achieved very much - except to undermine the > quality of life of Londoners working and > travelling in the area - and sending out the wrong > message to potential tourists. It's created a debate and it's kept some of the issues surrounding the financial crash at the top of the news agenda. It is important that the rightous indignation that followed in the immediate aftermath of the crisis doesn't fade and allow us to return to business as usual IMO. > If people wish to engage in political dialogue - > fine, make a speech, set up a political party, > write an article. Squatting isn't dialogue - as > Ian Hislop has pointed out all the St Pauls camp > has actually achieved is the departure / dismissal > of two or three rather woolly minded clerics. For better or worse, the actions of the camp have actually done more to raise their profile and propogate their grievances than an letter to their MP would ever have done.

???? Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > But on a wider scale litterally millions and > million globally have been pulled out of poverty > as a result of global capitalism especially and > increased internationalism in trade, especially in > the past 10-15 years. How well markets are designed determines how efficient they are at incentivising value adding activities - the types of activities that help pull people out of poverty in the way you describe. The problem at the moment is that many activities of unregulated, unrestrained capitalism actually destroy value and impoverish society. It's not an question of capitalism vs anticapitalism (whatever that may mean). But of unregulated (too often inefficient and unproductive) forms of captialism vs minimally regulated / structured markets that incentivice value adding activities.

Unregulated capitalism has seriously undermined global well being and democracy. The 'Occupy' movement is attempting to encourage a debate on how we organise our society and economy in light of the global economic crisis. This thread would suggest that they are going someway to achieving this aim. It is hardly fair to criticise them for not providing easy answers. It's easy to label the movement 'anti-capitalist' and snigger at someone buying a coffee, but this seems pretty flippant to me. It is not anti-capitalist to suggest that internaional markets are often unbalanced, irrational and inefficient and that they often lead to undesirable outcomes. We have any opporutnity to reengineer / refine the way that capitalism is currently structured for the better.

StraferJack Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Isn't this part of the idea behind the protest > > If, say, 20 years ago you were in the top 5-10% of > world earnings then your standard of livin, even > in London would be sweet > > But as more money becomes concentrated at the very > very top, then the drop off from the top 1% to > those in the next 9% becomes much bigger Some economists may describe this as the outcome of a positional arms race ? a concept which goes someway to explaining why increases in wealth do not always increase well-being by as much as you may think. Professor Robert Frank recently presented a really good lecturer to an audience at the LSE which touches on this. He claims that Darwin could be considered a greater economist than Adam Smith At this particular moment in history we probably have the best opportunity we ever will to push for changes to the system and have something happen. Anger at what has happened as a result of unregulated market corporatism, means that strong politicians may be capable of implementing real change, across borders, whilst bringing people along with them. After all, what is the point in growing GDP in isolation, if it leads to greater inequality, a more divisive society and greater insecurity / poorer mental health? We need to focus on the a strong, sustainable economy, the rewards of which lead to better outcomes for everyone.

Strange things afoot in Heber Road

If you had secured it to a table this would never have happened

Prehaps it was the lampost chained to the table (see the thread on missing lamposts).

I must admit, the fact that it was a 'disco' does imply some sort of inter-dimensional / time travel - if not between ED and Eleysium, then at least between the present day and say, 1976. There was a load of shaving foam sprayed around outside. Prehaps some kind of Gillette / Neutrino cocktail fuels said bendy time bus?

Were you at the Heber 'disco' last night. Clearly not only alcohol being consumed.

It avoiding the dogs.

People are noisilly falling out onto the street p*ssed. Isn't it a primary school?

Pubs are not child friendly. The bar is typically too high for children to comfortably see over and the cigarette machine terribly difficult for little fingers to operate.

Waitrose?

They are open until 2am, 3am on Saturday. In reality however, they can only respond to calls logged before 1/1:30,due to the number of staff available to make site visits. On busy nights they may stop logging calls even earlier.

If it was necessary to cut noise team budget, then how about closing the daytime service rather than the nighttime one? It seems obvious that it is at night that noise disturbances are a greater issue.

Are there any trains that travel through ed without stopping? Maybe there is scope for some additional trains rather than increasing the number serving ed at the expense of other places?

I was told to call them if it was still going on when they reopen at 8.30 tommorrow morning- although presumably there is nothing one can do about loud music during the day?!

There is a massive party going on in the road behind me, which is spilling out into the street. I called the Southwark Noise team and it turns out that they are only open until 3 am, after which they no longer deal with noise issues. In practice this means that any calls logged after 1.30 are very unlikely to be dealt with. They are open during the daytime (from 7.30 most days), but of course they can do little to address noise when it is not keeping people awake, so the daytime service is pretty redundant. Basically, if you want to have an all night party, just ensure that you only really crank it up after 1.30am. @James Barber - any comment?

Is this what you wanted Mr Falkes: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRkEKdsE8eRn8GuhHdT51tu692XcLKI5N4vUhkXAq5yrZWEeu5w

You say that Guy Falkes was a great citizen, but what did he ever do for the chinchillas?

My familly all sleep in the car, engine running... just in case.

If you read through this forum, it is clear that there are a significant number of people with a real resentment, general dislike and intollerance of children. I go to the pubs in the evenings and don't see them full of children. During the day, it's perfectly reasonable for famillies getting something to eat, or maybe having a drink to take their children along. Most of the pubs round here are not traditional old man boozers, they are gastro pubs / cafes. They are set up for famillies and low and behold, they attract famillies. If the pubs were full of toddlers at night that would be a problem, but they are not. If you want an old school boozer, try the CPT or the Castle. The Victorian 'seen and not heard' attitude is pathetic.

This thread is fairly indicative of a wider problem with how children are viewed in our society. Check out this report by Barandos.

Business as usual then. Would be more notable / post worthy if the trains were running at the weekend.

The only way to make those struggling to park outside their houses happy, would be to provide them with an allocated space. Well you don?t own the street outside your house, It is not private property. This is fundamentally the problem with a CPZ- You pay for a permit and then struggle to find a parking spot anyway. It is not going to satisfy anyone. What it will do eventually, is result in everyone having to pay for the privilege of parking their car on the street. As others have pointed out, CPZs once introduced, have a way of expanding until entire areas are covered, which has a negative impact on local businesses.