malumbu

South East London Camra did a nice tour of closed pubs a few weeks ago, the Half Moon, Greyhound Executive Hotel, and the Grove. Oddly all on Dulwich Estates land They missed the classic Moor Park Hotel. I'll see if there was a report. Many of you will not of course recognise a real pub, even a closed one.

Bolloks We pvoved the concept and made it work. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_European_Torus Don't blame scientists and engineers for exploiting others. Well at least not generically. Societies have been exploiting others since for zillions of years. Without Blighty exploiting others, and the first world continuing to do this now, you wouldn't have the creature comforts and standard of living that you enjoy now. Don't drag the men and ladies in white coats into this argument. Go and find a cave and live in that.

OK you are all in agreement with me, but still interested in how best to use Stansted when I have to. And also whether there are any pro stansted views out there. Rabbitears, you forgot London Manston, London Lydd, London Northolt, London Shorham, London Croydon Airport, London Oxford Airport etc

Cars are rubbish Take the train, or cycle Not that it is much fun cycling at the moment, I have done everything that you would probably criticise cyclists for in the last few months trying to get through down towards the Imperial War Museum. Buses are probably not a good idea through there at present, and sadly congestion across central London has reduced patronage in recent times. Perhaps it will be like pedestrianising Traf Square (or banning smoking in pubs), in a few months time we will wonder what all the fuss was about.

Nuclear fusion will be a commercial reality one day. The case was stronger 30 years ago when the world thought that they were running out of energy, including uranium. Men and ladies in lab coats are still trusted and admired. It is governments that are not. Without men and ladies in lab coats you would not be looking at your screen now.

Was going to add do any of you know anything about nuclear power and the energy markets? Then I saw blahblah's post which suggests that at least one of you does. Concept of nuclear generation aint a bad one but we screwed up (a) in the late 60s for not standardising the design (b) in the 80s for Thatcher not following through standardising the design, doing an about turn, the dash for gas, privitisation and the subsequent loss of nuclear generation and loss of 40 years of British engineering, innovation, research and expertise. So we have wasted our North Sea gas burning it for electricity, with the carbon emissions that has led to and now quite happy to buy it in from any country, be they nice or not so nice (fortunately we are plugged into the Norweigian fields one way or another). Nuclear aint eveyone's cup of tea but friggin short termism, the spread into the labour administration, has manisfested itself in loss of energy security and dependence on others. Nuclear isn't everyone's cup of tea but at the same time 10,000 were involved in developing and delivering this source of energy just next door other British scientists were at the forefront of renewables. CEGB was a monolith, but it represented some form of national energy policy. We had a Department of Energy. Yes the link to nucler weapons was rather close, and Smellyfield had its problems. But what a bloody waste, as Ian Dury may have said.

Thanks for your views - I too noticed the 'pay to drop' - not done at other airports. Without this getting into a 'fly another airline' there are simply times when no one else does the route so I have to use it. I used to do BA but they reationalised many of their short European routes and reduced their Gatwick service which is the obvious airport of choice - so now use Sleazyjet on many occasions. But even Luton is better than STN. Anyway perhaps someone has something nice to say about the experience there. It one design awards don't you know.

Shame - didn't feature the best pub in London. Blythe Hill Tavern, http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/comments.shtml/2991/ although hats off for the backstreet boozer the General Napier. Telegraph featured some fine live artists but got gastro'd. Bird in the Hand has never been nice. Need to build a wall at the bottom of London Road to stop East Dulwich spreading South. Oh dear, too late. Just joking, thanks for posting

Grange Hill Ho ho But it was a bally brilliant series - where was it apparently based?

I use it when I have to but it never gets easier. Quite chaotic and cramped, now introduced fast track security and reserved seating areas in the main area. I don't warm to it. Contrast this when I first used in 25 years ago and it was empty. I've tried numerous ways of getting there - Stansted Express. It isn't, it runs on slow commuter lines, it is expensive and has no competition. I missed a flight once when it totally facked up first thing (5am) in the morning. Driving - hit and miss on the M11 and parking that is twice as expensive as others airports. The coach from Stratford - again fingers crossed on the M11 but avoids the crossing the river bottle neck. Terravision are cheap but increasingly more nasty, and came back today on National Express, much more upmarket for the ?2 premium, but they cancelled a service without telling us customers so an extra 30 mins plus the big dealy due to an incident on the A12. I'm grumpy as I got back home 2 1/2 hours late and tired after a very early start. Issue today was also poor weather at Stansted delaying outgoing flight. I do have problems with other airports, but never the level of Stansted. It would be just super to hear what others think, inlcuding some tips how to make better use of it. Cheerio

I shudder to think of some of the (innocent) things that I have thought and said in my younger days that would now be considered racist, sexist, or offensive in other ways. It's great that society has moved on in so many ways, is more integrated, and more tolerant. Sad of course that there are still too many incidents like this, but I hope that things continue to improve, albeit a bumpy ride. My predudices remain the influence that Russia, China, Saudi, and other rich states have on the UK and the world as a whole as we suck up to their power and riches. And of course much of the US is still deeply divided. Mate who has moved out to Memphis talks about the pecking order, largely white proffesionals live one side of the tracks (gated communities, air con), poorer black communities the other side. Mexicans do his gardening, managed by African Americans (that is where they fall in the order). I tell him he has become racist, he says he is just telling the facts. Anyway, glad that we are still largely a tolerant society.

My issue is fairness and proportionality. I know many areas where drivers flout parking restrictions as there is no enforcement. Go to the Banqueting Hall in Forest Hill when there is an event on - free parking 100 yards away, a sign in the reception saying the same, but dangerous parking on double yellows on the curve, up the pavement etc etc. Yet some of us, including me, do the odd thing wrong, in all innocence, not inconveniencing anyone, not a danger, and get a fixed penalty. It would be great if you could explain, get a telling off, and learn from your experience and avoid any repeat. Instead that just alienate tree huggers like me that should be allies. friends think I am mad when I tripple check road signs on parking restrictions but the autorities have their spy cameras on me, and have bugged the car, just waiting for me to step out of line. Two examples, a council car park next to a Sainsbury's - give the five year old a quid to pay for the extended parking as this is a 'treat' and she but the coin is not registered and gets the wrong parking ticket. Yes should have checked - but give us a break. Yonks ago got done in car park by Beckenham cinema. 10 to 8, peeing down, hadn't even thought to check that there were still parking charges. Get done 5 mins later. Took this one to appeal and the arbitrator was charming but just managed to get it down to the 50% early payment reduction (a means to stop appeals as you normally lose your right to 50% reducton if you don't pay early). Was it worth the effort? And just to show I am not a moaning Minnie, got done on congestion charge one Xmas Eve. I never drive through central London but this was one-off. In my mind Xmas eve is a public holiday, and congestion charge not valid. What a pillock I thought, as I paid up.

Self confessed tree hugger who occasionally uses a car (less and less). Lived off Herne Hill Road many moons ago and know a rat run almost off the top of my head through logiebrogie juction. My daily cycle ride for more than a decade. Also MOT my car their, so 'imagine my suprise' when I found roads blocked. I guiltily drove a few yards down a now one way street to get the arch for my MOT. A week or so later when cycling they'd blocked off the route altogether. Returning the other way round following the no access signs I was getting further and further towards Brixton desparately trying to find route through to Coldharbour Lane. So next time I needed to go to the garage, I looked it all up to do my rather circuitous route to find out cars were going down the previously blocked or barred routes. Totally confused. Right, back to being a tree hugger - it is right to make things difficult for the car driver to encourage switching to cleaner transport. Just confused what this scheme is all about as it seems to be in few people's interest - anythng to do with the new 'Oval Quartier' near Myats Fields? Interestingly bus patonage is being hit by other traffic chaos, mainly all the works for the new cycle routes. Following TfLs inevitable cuts is everything going in the wrong direction re gettng cars off the road?

Private or state? - you need to avoid some of the lower class doggies. Oh dear, I've lost it.

Advance warning, salt shortage this winter as I have just brought the stockpile, so that I can give you all a pinch of NaCl. Ho ho. Anyway my point on the middle classes being those with the least to worry about, but who are the most worried, was not original thought but taken from a Radio 4 programme a few years ago. Of course please do attribute to me. So the middle classes - much more likely to be a two parent family (one way or another) engaging in their kids education. if they do social experiment and (shudder) send their kids to a non-competitive school and things go wrong, they can usually do something about it even if it means remortgaging to send private. Isn't this pretty obvious? And happily be hypocrites about the whole argument. The point about large 4x4s clogging up the roads West of Tulse Hill is true, does add to congestion, does worsen air quality, and does harm (in particular to developing lungs). It is not just VW that is poisoning people, it is us too. Would have expected after a month of media coverage a bit more debate/interest Not angry about this. Dixons/Currys and many other things I am.

The village needs a pub.

It's a known fact that most people with VWs clog the roads up each day outside schools, in the school run, poisoning our little ones. I think that must be manslaughter, or maybe murder now it is well publicised. Perhaps the police will have a VW amnesty as they do with knives occasionally where you can anonymously hand your car into a police station. Nothing said.

The middle classes. Those most worried about their kid's education yet the ones with the least to worry about. A curse on you all and a curse on the politicians that decided that it was good to have competition in the state sector, fill the roads each day with unecessary traffic, distort house prices and push some schools down a slippery slope because of your paranoia. I wont give my list of schools which are up their own rrrssses. Well you can always move to Bromley to be nearer grammer schools and the monoculture that you get as you go South. Ohh what an inverted snob I am. Interesting point, very few hits from my thread on VW disel cars killing people, yet you lot are happy to sit in traffic every day doing the school run with your diesel fumes killing people. Particularly by schools where the youngsters are more vulnerable to your diesel pollution, whilst you sit their leaving your vehicle iddling, parked half on the pavement. And if you ever go west the other side of Herne Hill at 8 am and see the four by fours with one small kid in taking up all road outside the cluster of preps schools etc. In fact I am just going to put you all up against the wall. Good, got about five prejudices off my chest at once. Now that is multitasking. Well done

Autoglass told me on a casual enquiry that anything over a penny in size is too big, this clearly isn't too big (my chip is and it increases by a mm every few years)

All getting a bit shallow. Manufacturers have to meet test cycles. Most diesel vehicles emit more poison in the real world, as test cycles have to cover a wide range of driving conditions, and in addtion most of us are crap drivers (avoid using the brake my dear man and see how much fuel you save and less poison too!). The VW results were particularly appalling in the real world hence the US authorities asked them to explain, and eventually they admitted to cheating. So they knowingly emitted more poison even on the regulatory tets. So what do we reckon to VW? Irony is that the diesel combustion process is brilliantly efficient but the poison is a byproduct of this. Pretending to meet the poison limits was because they wanted to gain commercial advantage in overall performance of the engine. Anyway must be careful with all my mud slinging, the above is conjecture and was probably due to a couple of anarchists/ naughty school children/ Edward Snowden/ Jezzer Clarkson who had infiltrated the organisation. Perhaps. So would you buy a VW? Or a diesel vehicle from another manufacturer? Or are you more bothered about trivial issues??

You've a stong brand and will bounce back You've aplogised to owners of your cars in full page adverts Where is the apology to the people that you have poisened?

Interesting post on car hire. Again an issue where I thin that I am well informed, but have been caught out by hirers not accepting my card, and then bumping up the cost, and the 'comes with a tank of petrol' ruse in Spain, where you get refunded at a shite rate for the fuel that you don't use. Goldcar BTW A cute one was where they actually took out the money for the deposit (rather than just held it) and on refuding it I got the double whammy of charges for Euros in to pound, and a slight worsening of exchage rates.

I worked in consumer protection in the early 00s for a few years. The organisation no longer exists and my work deleted from interweb so I feel I can now speak out. And have a good whinge. I learned about competition law, markets, consumer protecton rights, shopping around, cheap vs value for money. I even did a bit of radio. Two early lessons. Car dealers make so little money out of selling cars they have to make it on servicing and HP. Always look for a good independent. Don't believe the warranty bull, as long as work is done to the manufacture's instructions and equivalent parts are used, all's fine. Of course I understand that many feel more comfortable with dealers. Second, a similar abuse of market power by some of the big chains eg pressure selling, and distress purchases. The first prime example is extended warranties. There is a good independent repair sector out there. And if you buy decent quality (difficult at times as many brands have long since been sold off and everything made in one big Chinese factory) if shouldn't go wrong. And distress purchases - the classic ones being funerals and dentistry. And of course back to cars. As regards to distress storeis I did get scammed by Britsh Gas in the mid 90s during a boiler break down under their home emergency call out - oh its not worth repairing and oh we have a special offer and can bit a new boiler now... The papers idenfied this pressure/distress selling a few years later. So move on a number of years and wtf Mr confident consumer do I still come across pooh service too often? I am not a moaning minnie so I don't write to the papers or slag companies off on the social media. I take action against the retailer - asking nicely to start off with. But I have now met my ulitmate foe, Currys. I bought a calcualator off them in the 70s. It probably cost the equivalent of ?100 in new money. It went wrong early on, they replaced it and 38 years later it still works if a bit battered. Now there is quality (thank you Mr Casio) and decent service. But that was a generation ago and I wouldn't touch them now. Sadly a product did recently sneak into the house, and did go wrong. Me. It has broken can you check it please Them: Oh it is not covered under the warranty as it is software. Me: I am not interested in your warranty, I am covered under the Sale of Goods Act, can you check it please Them: Oh it is not covered under the warranty Me: You will find that the warranty is irrelevant, that is a nice touch by the manufacturer. My contract is with you not the manufacturer. I am covered for defects etc for 6 years. Can you check it please Them: Oh it will need to go back to the manufacturer, and you have to pay ?50 Me: can I speak to someone who understands my contract with you. Surely you have people in store who understand computors and can check it Them: Oh you have obviously downloade a virus, it has to go back to the manufacturer. Me: You can't tell what has happened without checking it. How very dare you acuse me of downloading a virus. So the conversation continues, and eventually they assure me that I will have the ?50 refunded if I don't go for the repair. It duly gets written off by the manufacturer, but my money is not refunded. ?120 to get it repaired on the INDPENDENT computer shop on the New Kent Road, who incidentally built this PC that I am typing on. One exchange of corespondence with 'Knowhow' (some captive Dixons company who do the maintenance where they managed to not answer any of my points) and two letters to Dixons legal department that have been ignored. County Court here I come. The irony is that I don't want any of this nonsense. Anyway dear reader, please do try to avoid the temptation to ridicule me, I am just giving you a warning from my personal experience. They are what they are and when all is well it is fine. But when it isn't it isn't. Do you have any marathon experiences like this? Customer service of the year has been (twice) Eurostar. And BA have also been brilliant a couple of times. I wont start on Apple.

As a scumbag landlord I used it many times in 90s and 00s to try to get money back from my taking the peas students (oh we can't pay the rent as we have to buy designer clothes). It was OK. I have now used the online system to issue summmons. I once used Guildhall magistrates court. My that was posh.

1. I don't live in SE22 so are you going to machine gun me 2. What's that about? 3. There are plenty of good pubs without ankle biters, just not in the environs of East Dulwich. I lie a little, they are good pubs and they do allow children, but not overrun like most of the pubs in the area at certian times, and sadly at times even the wonderful Ivy.