malumbu

Boring one liners and links - Grayling not a lot to do with the Brexit outcome, toeing the party line and a safe leaver to have on the Cabinet. Start a new thread if you want to discuss him.. Here's a more interesting two liner without a link. Today's bribe to the North and Midlands who voted out - 'Tories magic Brexit money tree'. Or as quite well put by the Labour spokesperson - throwing money at the problem rather than solving it (ie why so many felt disaffected - austerity having much to do with it). There, loads of substantial stuff to discuss. A pleasure.

Meant to add, get your workplace to do this as a staff benefit or as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.

Here's a radical suggestion, rather than witter on about dangerous cyclists, and micro-chipping them and their bikes, go and get some cycle training. This is aimed both at cyclists and dare I say professional drivers. Would be good to hear from some of the latter who have done this. https://www.cycleconfident.com/sponsors/southwark/

Yes in deed a nice day to be on your bike. Shame as the traffic is lighter there's no stopping most drivers doing 35 - 40 (Forest Hill to Sydenham). I politely asked someone to give cyclists more room, and a pedestrian on the other side of the road told me to 'fuggin drive'. That's an interesting insult (I assume it was an insult not some advice) - was it and of you on this site? And I had done a special 'can you give cyclists a bit more room please' with a nice tone, not patronising or moral high ground or sweary).

I'm now confused. This thread was fairly pointless which begs the question why am I posting. But when is a question provocative and when is it inflammatory. I like putting up provocative threads as I generally learn from others and will be hopefully have a more informed position. But I dislike posters putting up links without some effort to add some further detail. I'm not sure who I am siding with now. Barry Gardener is talking about Climate Change on QT, which is more interesting that this thread, but of course relevant particularly I expect with some Trojan Horse petrol heads are engaged on this one. Now as for that VW advert with the 'cool' parent driving their child to school, particularly in context of school kids marching against climate change...

I'll happily register, tax and insure my bike when any government introduces average speed cameras. That overnight would fundamentally change driver behaviour. Some of the money raised could go towards cart tracks and other motorised sports so people could still enjoy the thrills of driving like an rrrrsss. I'm sure a similar cycle only track could also be funded out to the North Downs so Dulwich Paragon could stop annoying the (good?) citizens of North Kent. That's for another thread!

Saw blackcaps on berries in December, they occasionally overwinter here. Two goldfinches today - maybe not rare but excites me!

Oh here we go again. Too many people are dying due to poor air quality. We are facking the planet up due to burning fossil fuel. Let's have a go at the cyclists then. At its most extreme tolerate a bit of antisocial behaviour recognising the enormous benefits to society. Focusing on the real culprits, drivers feel they have a right to drive what they want, how they want, where they want, when they want. Overturn that culture and we can move on. Most road users manage to coexist fairly peacefully. I may shout at pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles but a tiny fraction of those I encounter each day and in the hope that calling someone a dangerous wonker will eventually influence them to act otherwise. I have plenty of nice interaction too. We have a representational democracy and governments are influenced by the popular (right wing) press, but generally sense prevails and nonsense like that proposed will have been properly considered and rightly rejected no doubt on many occasions. Do write to your MP to get to raise with DfT because it would be an interesting reply

To take you away from thoughts on Brexit and the question of taxing and locking up cyclists, watch out. I saw two groups of killer zombies tonight, maybe drawn out from their dens by the warm weather. A mob of them were running up the canal path in Peckham, and a second lot along the Rye near Harris Boys. They were wearing training shoes, shorts and t-shirts and looked gormless and rather dangerous. Some had head phones on no doubt taking orders from the lead zombies. A few had flashing lights to distract drivers which they could then gorge on. I called 999 and asked for the army to deal with them, using flame throwers. I expect to see burned zombie corpses tomorrow but just in case there are others roaming I thought it best to inform others. So if you see groups of running zombies take care, and don't catch their gaze as you will be in for it.

No

I've enjoyed this debate, and as often I am interested in informed views whether I agree or not. It's bound to lurch one way or the other, but has not got too rabid. Now time to interject. People make silly mistakes. They get misled by their peers. They may be particularly vulnerable to this. But to draw a comparison with WW2. "She's gone out to fight for an evil entity and deserves everything she gets....". Many of the German population were in the same situation during and after the second world war in supporting their regime. And you could argue that there were certain aspects of what the allied armies did, such as fire storms in German cities and dropping nuclear bombs that a modern society would consider as war crimes, that no doubt had popular support then and now. I'm with the let the law of the land decide on the appropriate treatment if and when she returns.

Yadas in Peckham (Kurdish)- unlicensed, cheap www.facebook.com/YadasArch/?ref=bookmarks

A somewhat ironic thread.

Now I am really upset, Peter Tork https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47319788

Opportunism by the Home Secretary or pragmatism? Are we a tolerant compassionate nation or showing our mettle? Discuss. Policy Exchange believes the latter. Can we be both? https://mailchi.mp/4808bbe70ae7/policy-exchange-agenda-16-october-1986349?e=d0c806d3a9

My word, hadn't realised that Brighton had been ethnically cleansed too. (traditional businesses moved out of Brixton due to gentrification). Apols for using this as a metaphor.

Gillingham, Ramsgate, Isle of Sheppey, Canvey Island

They are collared doves Ring isn't that clear. Nigello Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I have seen pigeion-like birds, perching about 50' > up in the plane trees on Goose Green. They are > leaner than pigeons and I can't see whether they > have a ring around the neck, which would make them > a collared dove. They fly at height to the church > steeple sometimes. What could they be? (Not > parakeets)

Oh dear. For my first twenty years in London, Youngs pubs were always a good port of call. Morpeth, Royal Oak Westminster, The Clock, Dulwich Woodhouse, The Buck in Petty France. Then it all went wrong on the merger with Charles Wells, pub quality down, beer quality down, ambience down, prices up. Easy to say 'modern life is rubbish' but they had a nice niche, and pubs well run by long term managers and well trained attentive staff. No longer.

Two of my favourite London pubs in the 80s and 90s. I used to look at the Fox with some disdain, but that would be the place I go to now. I didn't like the last big refurb at the Grove as it lost much of its charm, but hey ho that brings the punters in. The demise of the Phoenix is just shocking.

I've been to Oaxaca, phonetically Wahaca. Next to Vera Cruise who used to be in Corrie. Perhaps we can have a thread on the misspelling of the Mexican restaurant chain. I've also been to Flores, Sumbawa, Bali and wait for it, Lombok. And the restaurant, which was fine.

Watching the BBC programme where they take kids back to different decades to see how schooling was. !980s now, just started with a religious assembly. During my school days English and Maths were not compulsory whilst RE was. My school got round this with a weekly religious assembly. We were so naive that we didn't understand why the kids we met at Youth Club which Irish surnames had to be sent ten miles down the road to "Sacred Heart", not even thinking our school was religious.

Not sure if I skimmed this too fast but has anyone pointed out the dangers of the Christian Right - we can argue how much of this led to the rise of Islamic extremism. Buddhists (whether that be a religion or not) and Hinduism also has its issues. First step for me is to rid ourselves of religious/faith schools - we were so ignorant going to our CoE (wasn't branded as such). Are most state schools secular or do you still have to have religious assemblies? Secular republic for me, first step is getting rid of that dreadful National Anthem. I think you will find my posting does not criticise those with a faith.

I've experienced a group of armed police a couple of times, once actors filming for the dark comedy Babylon, and the other time doing a Counter-terrorism exercise. You can tell for both as there will always be a mobile canteen. I had a group of plods running at me once at Millwall, I was going to give myself up for parking a motorbike on the grass when I realised that they were running to sort out some proper bother outside the Den.