malumbu

Enjoyed listening to the match tonight on Five Live. It felt old school rather than streaming, watching in the pub etc. Hadn't realised they had got rid of the away goals rule. Not sure why apart from the increased likelihood of extra time and more advertising revenue. Some things were dsft -golden and silver goals and needed to go

A day late sorry

My word even the Leader of the Opposition is using this term now. What did I start. Interesting that he is distancing himself from the current misogyny row. Strange times. You can always tell when an official has carefully created a response - no doubt with briefing not to crack a joke or go off on a strange tangent aka dead cat.

Bloody foreigners, staying over there, taking our jobs (from a cartoon a few years ago reversing the old bigoted saying - not that I need to explain the irony/humour)

Price marking order for booze in pubs went a long time ago, I think under the Blair government, I assume as they were good mates with the alcohol industry and deregulated much. I voted for him BTW. Few pubs displayed prices and enforcement was low. Typical of Southwark eh? Concentrating on illegal sales of booze and fags, dodgy cosmetic products, dangerous electrical goods, knock off products etc. The only price marking is now for filling stations to help shop around.

People can be irritating at times on this forum going off thread and it can be a tad annoying. I usually check their previous posts to see if they are trolling. But of course we shouldn't feed trolls. And also Clicka, title your thread better as it comes over a bit sarcy/passive aggressive (I say in a patronising way.....). (Brackets are self deprecation)

Hello, have you joined us on the Lounge? I think a good thing to broaden the discussion but sadly probably the kiss of death

Having had several bikes stolen over the years in a variety of circumstances this is something that I have looked into on a number of occasions. There are several reasons for this: - Bike manufacturers not installing greater deterrents - microchips, labeling, registrations and the like - The ease of selling bikes - Brick Lane, Gum Tree, small ads and the like - Poor security in locking your bike up - chain/D lock to fixed objects in a busy area, even alarms - The availability of sophisticated and less sophisticated tools - cordless angle grinders and bolt croppers - Lack of properly secure bike parking - you can get municipal bike racks with integrated locks, but rare in this country - Paid lock ups in our towns and cities - Retailers not take this seriously - need to provide bike parking close to store security with CCTV and not a note simply that bike parked at own risk. Better still park it in store as you can at Decathlon in Surrey Quays. Not Lidl in Peckham has a pretty decent bike park with CCTV. - Lack of enforcement by the authorities - I understand that TfL/Met cycle theft team was wound down. - And worst of all (some of) us for buying stolen bikes I would go to government policies on increasing active travel and net zero to see what is said. I think little. And before signing a petition write to your MP along the lines above to see what the Transport Secretary has to say.

Seeing Jordan Henderson talking about human rights and Qatar got me thinking about how I would be celebrating the appalling decision to hold this event in Qatar (corporate greed/TV rights/brown nosing with a fossil fuel exporter?) You could have argued some of the same about Russia, but it is actually a country bigger than the size of a postage stamp, where they have a footballing heritage and held a surprisingly good tournament following all the hype about state sponsored hooliganism. It would be interesting to hear whether others may simply ignore the tournament. Please don't go on about student politics or my actions not changing the world one bit. I'd also be interested in DCMSs and the government as a whole position Cheers https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/qatar/report-qatar/

Just hope the fines will be large like the 100s of ?10k fines dished out those having parties with over 30 attending - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/13/no-10-rules-britain-covid-fines-gatherings

Grant Shapps Cheshire Cat smile

Funny think I was so drawn in by the programme I didn't even notice that it was the Ivy

Looking back at earlier posts we also used Richer Sounds, in Tooley Street. This time a Sony, last a Samsung. It was driven by size as we wanted to max out on space in our alcove, think it was 36inch, the largest we'd ever bought but considered small in the shop hence they didn't keep it in stock. Niggly things were less outlets so we can no longer plug the amp in (has to go via the headset socket), less scarts, needed to get a cable for the DVD player (not that we ever use it), no Channel 4 or ITV catch up so need to do this through mirroring on the mobile which we haven't got round to. But (the above are minor issues) cheap and excellent for our demands.

You'd need to boycott all businesses that leave their engines running, rightly or wrongly, schools where their vehicles and those of the parents are left running, the police often leave their vehicles running etc etc A serious issue, I've intervened many a time, but your time will be better spent lobbying the pub, government, local authority etc...

Are the builders men? You do get women builders as well, although there may not be enough sausages to go round.

Just watching Gove on the beeb today, he speaks well, doesn't get side tracked or flustered, makes his simple point. Can't stand the bloke, but can't knock his public speaking. Two more are Reece Mogg and Zahawi, again don't like their policies etc. Very much bucks the trend with this government, and much of their waffle and gesture politics. Put your prejudices to one side and Starmer - ruined at times as he needs to get in some populist stuff in or like the PM doesn't answer the question. Nandy tends to butt in too much and rather too passionate, noting that of all people Cummings rates her, and perhaps lightweight. Rayner, again let down by her politics. It's good to have some old school back - Millband (albeit I find his general tone a bit irritating, and probably contributed to him failing at the General Election as this and some of his policies was easy to pick off by the right wing press) and Yvette Cooper. I was at an event a few years ago where Abbott gave a really shallow speech. She had been preceded by this wonderful presentation, and a few years later I remembered it was by the then Leader of the Opposition a certain Mr Corbyn. Anyway this is about those that speak well, rather than those who are dreadful - PM, Patel, and many of the opposition. Two more are Sturgeon, and Blackford. Of course all put in the shadow by some of the officials during Covid, probably most people's fave is Van Tam.

Comment aimed at an earlier post not you my good friend Nigello!

I keep reading this as Dulwich Village psychopath, beware. Oh come on ED - N, are you aware of most of the people who cycle down there? Nice family types, who may give you a good argument but I doubt would dare do anything as naughty as let tyres down. And what a load of over-reaction on the other thread in any case.

Thanks for the separate conversation, I took a look at what the left and right are saying, and some of the (probable) conspiracy theorists. Nothing makes this right, even if there is an ounce of justification. Someone put it to me, what if you got a Marxist anti-American government in Mexico, who started posturing and siding with the 'wrong' countries. How long would it take for the US to step in. It didn't take the West long to step into Kuwait, and then subsequently invade a sovereign state with a dictator that the West had propped up (Iraq). Of course they had oil, rather than the largest nuclear arsenal in the world. Anyway some thoughts rather than gospel.

In the last few days Nicky Tesco lead singer of the Members, saw them many moons ago supported by Laura Logic - I've posted a track on the weekend thread https://louderthanwar.com/nicky-tesco-the-members-rip/ Children's author Shirley Hughes at 94 - not a bad age https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/mar/02/shirley-hughes-childrens-author-and-illustrator-dies-aged-94 I loved her slightly different book, Enchantment in the Garden And as Cat pointed out Shane Warne at only 52 https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/cricket/shane-warne-dead-b986120.html I saw him in a one day match in Wellington, and the Kiwis loved him (no they didn't...)

RIP Nicky Tesco of the Members, criminally unrated band

When I lived in Liverpool a local builders merchants split the 25kg bags, say into 5 x 5, charging equivalent of maybe a four quid each, giving them a tidy profit and a convenient size for small users. A long way to go and I doubt if the merchant, more of an Akwright (probably even did four candles) still exists!

It's not a term I use or particularly understand, but all parties were using it on the programme, and some said it could be leveled at Russia too. Worth a listen in any case. Nobody argued for not heating their houses.

I know three Russians, not that well but will come across them from time to time. I'm not sure of their residential status, I expect that they are UK citizens, nor their politics. A bit of an elephant in the room "hi, I see you have invaded a sovereign state" (reminds me of the Father Ted is a Racist sketch). Anyone in a similar situation? Any people of Russian heritage posting on this site?

Going back to the discussions on how much the West is to blame you should catch the Radio 4 Moral Maze from last night where various views were presented. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0014x1m You've got Melanie Phillips presenting a more hawkish opinion. Others question the West's 'decadence' the UK's insular position, general economic interests eg our willingness to do business with China, political self expediency (ie that to have done more will have harmed the UK population) and national self interest. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0014x1m P3 girl - you have far more experience of USSR/Russia than most. I visited much of the communist bloc in the 90s relatively shortly after the collapse of communism but never Russia. Your posts have come over a little opinionated, and I didn't find swiping at Germany, the BBC and the Guardian helpful, from what you have said this may not have been your intention. One can see the BBC as the best trusted, and most independent of all public service broadcasters. Or lefty metropolitan elitist aka the fabricated culture wars. The above broadcast very much suggests the former.