HeadNun

Nope, I'd just get on with my day and forget about it. And I wouldn't report them on the basis that they might spill my coffee in the future. However the OP seems to think that this young woman is deliberately pushing her bell, slamming her gate etc, having repeatedly been asked not to. I'd wager the woman is a bit pee'd off and there's a bit of a stand-off going on. Best course of action is to go out, take the parcel, smile sweetly, say hello, tell her you hope she's having a nice day / staying cool etc, in a way that comes across as genuine and not pass-agg, and to let it diffuse. Might find it calms down a bit. But I like the girl hate the idea of her being denigrated on here when she works so hard.

Exactly - a snap election will make things even worse. Jazzer - say you get a 'new' administration tomorrow, you're still left with the same treasury, the same civil servants, the same OBR, the same think-tanks and advisors (many labour advisors are cross-party, Gauke for eg). The options are the same, no matter who's in power. Labour hasn't even changed the Tories' fiscal rules - the parties are virtually economically aligned these days. But Reeves made a mistake in trying too hard, too early to make some seismic changes in her first budget as a big 'we're here and we're going to fix this mess, Labour to the rescue' kind of thing . They shone such a big light on the black hole that their only option was to try to fix it overnight. It was a comms clusterfuck. They'd perhaps have done better sticking to Sunak's quiet, cautious approach, but they knew the gullible public was expecting an 24-hour turnaround miracle. The NIC hikes are a disaster, I think they'll be reversed soon and enough and they'll keep trying till they find something that sticks.

I think you need to get a grip If it's who I am thinking of, she's a young black girl in her twenties, has braids with bright colours through them and - I suspect - works with her father. It's always the same man behind the wheel and he's older than her, always in the same van, so I'm assuming it's a father-daughter combo which, if it is, I think is rather sweet. They hustle hard in a job that is poorly paid, has little prospects, is relentless and thankless. The fact that they have stuck it out since the pandemic says a lot about them. I think she's a lovely girl, who's perhaps a little shy - but she'll smile or chat back if you make the effort with her. And I admire her for sticking with that job for so long. Perhaps she's just one of these people who's naturally a bit clumsy or bashes things, the same way some people are heavy on their feet when they walk. But I wouldn't dream of jeopardising her job because she closes the slams the gate and doesn't 'kiss' the ring doorbell with her fingers. Perhaps she's being passive aggressive because you are. And perhaps she also wishes she got to spend her time worrying about potential damage to her letterbox or her gate. As for your gate / letterbox - you're talking about hypotheticals. Has there been any damage? No. Then go and live your life and worry about it when it happens. (apols we have the wrong person, but some of my points still stand).

Apparently a tourist tax was Raynor's idea, but Reeves has put the kibosh on it because of the push-back she'll get from businesses

I'm now just following David Peckham around, posting laughing emojis on all his comments.

Wow I had no idea they give you 5% in perfume for your accommodation. You're right, I need to travel more.

Hey Sue, I was wrong - I don't think it would just be for foreign tourists. So yeah I assume that, if someone lives in Lewisham and wants to say the night in southwark, they'd pay a levy. The hotels wouldn't need to vet anyone's address or passports - the levy is automatically added on top of the bill by every hotel / BnB / hostel and passed on to Southwark. So basically, you're paying an extra two quid a night, or whatever, to stay in this borough. It's a great way to drive footfall... to the other London boroughs. https://www.ukpropertyaccountants.co.uk/uk-tourist-tax-exploring-the-rise-of-visitor-levies-and-foreign-property-charges/

I think we should pay them all to go to Scotland walk around in Wee Jimmy hats

I noticed more butterflies than ever this year - lots of red admirals and white ones. Couldn't understand why, then found this. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/18/big-butterfly-count-uk-numbers-recovery

In parts of Europe you just get charged tax at the end of your stay somewhere. Usually a couple of quid added to your bill. Most tourists are pretty happy to stump up the cost, as it's an expected expense. I think it's a good way to make money and remove the burden from locals. It's for foreigners, Sue - I'm sure Londoners and brits will still be able to freely cross the borough lines without having to go through checkpoint charlie 🙂

I edited my post because I couldn't be sure we were talking about politicians and I couldn't be bothered to read it all back. But it was off the back of a thread discussing labour councillors, so it went without saying really and I should have left it. What I said was 'There's something very aggressive about language like that - it's not big and it's not clever. Some of the angry energy that comes from the far left is pretty self-defeating.' (In relation to a labour councillor rather immaturely, in my view, wearing a jumper that read 'fuck the Tories'). But I don't recall saying that "violent rhetoric" is exclusively the domain of the left wing. So I do think you're taking a bit of a bit of leap here.

I never said that. Saying I don’t like some of the rhetoric coming from the left doesn’t mean I approve of Farage et al saying that Afghans being brought here to protect their lives and thank them for their service means there is an incalculable threat to women. Anything to score a cheap point. It’s pretty pathetic.

Oh come on.

Yes but what's the answer, Jazzer? No government can simply walk in and fix the economy - get the bills down, grow it and reduce debt. There is no silver bullet. The public (and the press) wants everything now, everything cheaper, but with better public services and lower taxes. In the radio and paper, all you ever hear is pundits, MPs, think tanks and economists saying what won't work, but no one seems to know what will work. I'm genuinely interested to hear what other views people have on here, and what they think will help, or make things worse.

I can't access the article - what's the gist? I took the markets getting jittery when she was crying at PMQs to be a sign that they trusted her. But maybe it was because they were simply worried about any form of instability. The NIC hikes have stymied the economy, which we could all see a mile off. Will a wealth tax improve things? Does anyone here think the trickle down has any impact and that chasing out the super rich will help things? Or are we just seeing off the biggest contributors to the economy? And has the Kwasi approach ever worked anywhere else? Economics is not my strong point at all, I'd love to know others' opinions, but it seems to be she has few options, especially as the party is so divided.