Jeremy

I meant "ignorant" in the strictest sense of the word, rather than an insult. People make an assumption because of a lack of knowledge, and willingness to read around the subject. If we can lend Ireland some money, eventually get it back, keep their economy afloat, and support a trading partner... why not? I can't see the downside from where I'm sitting.

That's true... accessibility and planning permission (or likeliness of) makes a huge difference to the value of the land. Still, Huguenot's suggestion sounds like a useful upper limit.

Same old story, people read "bail out" and they assume we are just giving money away. We are not. Sorry to sound harsh, but it's a bit ignorant really.

Why not call them back and ask for a free meal + beers? Not sure what else they can do.

Another bloody Waitrose, apparently. I mean, how many do we need?

HAL9000 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > How many other assets are purchased with a 30-year loan secured on future value? In reality most mortgages are settled long before the maturity. And the risk of default (and the downside exposure) drops off sharply long before then, anyway. Also, you need to understand that yield curves and credit spreads are deduced mathematically from the market. The black-ops think-tank you are envisaging - brainstorming about the state of the world in 2040 and adjusting projections accordingly - just doesn't exist.

Really sorry to hear about this, it must have been awful. Well done for fighting back and not making it easy on these bastards. Did you (or anybody else) manage to get the registration - or at least part of it?

> I?ve been wondering whether the western > banks have already discounted the effect Peak Oil > will have on future property prices ? hence their > reluctance to lend on real estate in general? Why the correlation between oil and property, instead of other assets? Anyway, as far as I know, no bank is yet running stress tests on apocalyptic end-of-civilization scenarios.

You could go through Clapham/Putney/Richmond and pick up the A316 - it's a more direct route, but I think the traffic would be heavier.

Not if you've constructed an adequately fortified security perimiter... and of course, taken the appropriate measures to prevent detection.

Waitrose are overrated IMO... they do sell some nice things, but a lot of it is regular supermarket stuff. Mike P - I disagree, puff pastry has its place.

one in six survivors... what movies have you been watching, Hal?!

cate Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I bought mine at Waitrose, so expected a lot. Really?

I think you mean London Bridge Place... http://www.skyscrapernews.com/buildings.php?id=5257

womanofdulwich - vague possibility that there's more than one "bile polo" group in SE London.

VeryBerryCherry Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > a "lid" is not a proper pie Debatable. But I certainly agree that the fully-enclosed variety is vastly more satisfying.

VBC - what you are making is a double-crust pie (or a pot-pie). If using shortcrust pastry, you blind bake. i.e. cook the pastry base first (pastry overlapping edge of the tin) for a few minutes. Add filling. Put on lid, sealing with beaten egg. Crimp the edge and trim. Glaze lid. Put back in oven. If using puff, you can't really blind bake, so you just have to make sure the filling is cold when you put it in the oven.

kford Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > any notion of it being a > cause for safe, considerate parking goes out of > the window. Already the case with all parking enforcement throughout the country.

In theory, yes. But what else do you call - for instance - shepherds pie, fish pie, lemon meringue pie, etc?

I also think that from an economic perspective, this country is really missing a trick by not getting ahead on renewable energy technologies. We're in the perfect position... a fairly wealthy country with strong engineering expertise, large energy companies, plenty of coastline, etc.

Let's say that the markings were not for individual bays, and no extra yellow lines were introduced. So the amount of total available parking remained the same. Let's also say that they also introduced parking metres (?1 an hour, 2 hrs max stay). Visitors permits would be available to residents at a reasonable price. Would this satisfy people? Or is the ?80-?100 fee the main issue?

Torat - put your potato in the microwave for 4 minutes, then in the oven for half an hour. Soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Not sure what your version of chilli pie is, but mine is a dish full of spicy chilli, covered in mash (potato, sweet potato, carrots), topped with cheese and broken nachos... then bung it in the oven for a while. (My wife refuses to try it though).

What's the major objection against parking permits? Is it mainly the annual fee which people have a problem with?

But that goes back to what Magpie was saying... eventually the remaining oil will be so deep in the ground, or so far offshore, that electric/hydrogen powered vehicles, renewable energy, etc will all start looking a lot more cost effective. It's a shame that the major investment in these technologies will be reactive rather than preemptive.