Jeremy

Godwin's Law ( had to go right to the back pages of The Lounge to find that one ) (( hello Brendan ))

It is indeed a tricky one... when you have a city with lots of affluent young-ish people, but nevertheless the traditionally "nice" areas are out of reach for them... gentrification of working class neighbourhoods is inevitable. But at the same time, it isn't right that long term residents and shop keepers are booted out.

Creepy? Don't be daft!

edcam - well there's a limit. But I would of thought that someone coming up to you and shaking your hand is surely well within that limit. It's not like he was being mobbed by selfie-stick wielding morons. lesalden - film stars are doing an ordinary job, and haven't deliberately put themselves in the public eye? Couldn't disagree more.

david_carnell Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > You pay a vehicle duty because you drive a > something that pollutes the air. Stop whinging. This. Which is why electric vehicles are also exempt. There is no road tax. Bike lockers waking neighbours at night? Seems unlikely that the cyclists will be habitually keeping such antisocial hours. I agree about the loss of a parking space though. Most cyclists I know round here also own cars. Let's not pretend that one more bike on the road automatically equates to one less car.

The area feels a lot safer now, that's for sure. Being hassled for cash was part and parcel of a night out in Brixton in 98. And of course you could buy drugs quite openly.. which seemed great at the time, but probably not so desirable if you live round the corner. I really like what's happened in the market - but I can understand locals feeling that it's not really catering to them (see Jay Rayner's scathing review of the hipster fried chicken place). As for redeveloping the arches, it seems rather unnecessary, and opportunisitic money grabbing by Network Rail. (and looks like the same might be happening in Peckham). Nobody likes seeing local businesses being booted out.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/thousands-set-to-attend-reclaim-brixton-rally-as-campaigners-protest-against-gentrification-10158208.html Not totally sure how I feel about this. On one hand the negative side of gentrification is obvious, people feeling disengaged/disenfranchised from the community, renters and businesses being priced out of the area, etc. I appreciate the history of the area... but on the other hand, places change, people move around. It happens. From a more self-centred angle... the area has lost a lot of its edginess which made it a destination for me and my mates back in the late 90s/early 2000s, but I'm not 21 any more, and I personally quite like the way the area has developed.

The wife went once. She said food was OK and priced fairly, apparently cocktails were excellent.

I don't totally agree edcam, if someone has chosen to pursue a career in the public eye then they have to expect a certain amount of this kind of thing (although clearly there are limits). Although I agree with what maxxi said, it's really not particularly surprising that the odd celebrity pops up, even one as apparently high calibre as this.

I'd say you need to look at who owns the papers, as well as what sort of demographic still buys physical newspapers.

I couldn't bare playing in a band with an aussie, they'd just spend all the time banging on about how awesome it is back in Australia ;-)

danmaitland Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > looks good thanks. No parking though by the > looks.. bit of a downside for bands.. Only if you want to use your own amps/kit. I'm usually happier to use whatever gear is at the rehearsal room, leave the car at home and crack open a few beers. Mind you, that could explain why we never really get anything done! You already get 2 mics thrown into the basic price, which is enough for most people I'd think.

I do realise that! But some others probably don't.

Alex K Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I never thought that she made the Forum's tone unfriendly. A little bit, maybe.

I see. Squatters. I guess that means work hasn't really started yet.

Is it coming up already, or is it just dead brown stalks from last year?

Love the way that Peter guy steps in, initially as the voice of reason, but by the end of the post is turning real nasty. It's like Brookside.

Not sure what's going on with John The Unicorn though. There are several council notices stuck to the shutters which I didn't really understand. Some kind of dispute...

I don't think you understand how much of the stuff there is on the side of the railway line, MMM.

That's certainly one option (albeit a dishonest and probably illegal one). But even then, the large amount of knotweed on the other side of the fence will be noted on the valuation survey.

Not sure why you're worrying about it BigED, it was just one person's obsession with a changing demographic.

PM'd you. Yes I've had exactly the same problem. Don't waste your time with southwark! Network Rail are semi-helpful, if/when you can reach them. Unfortunately treating the stuff in your garden will not be effective unless the stuff on the other side of the fence is being treated too.

Yeah, I'll raise a cheeky advocaat and lemonade in her direction.

What did you say this time, Louisa? Did admin delete the posts? I can't see anything out of the ordinary. Always found it hard to tell if you were being serious or not. You're either a complete grouch or a wind-up merchant extraordinaire - or quite possibly a mixture of the two - but never really offensive or aggressive IMO. Hope you reconsider, but if not, hope you find another outlet to let off all that steam!

I'm not talking about intrinsic objective worth as a species, I'm talking about relationships and empathy with fellow members of your own species. Can barely believe this needs explaining... absurd..