AcedOut

Shame to have missed what seemed like another good night. I took a late helicopter flight into London from Dorset for a meeting with some friends in London Bridge (don't ask). I did make it to Liquorish very late in the evening, but most people had crashed already! Shame on you SMG et al ;)

They come in lower over ED than they used to (exact path is wind-dependent) - I think this is to reduce noise closer to the airport, since they can glide in with less thrust/engine noise. Personally I've never had much sympathy for people that have chosen to live near an airport, so they must fix the problem for us ;)

I'm reliably informed that it was a fire bomb - more than just a prank firework. I'm also let to believe that it'll be opening later this week. There is CCTV evidence that it currently being investigated...

Peckham Pye -> London Bridge in 10mins and every 15mins or so. I don't think a tram is going to be faster than that!!?

Keef - sounds like a good deal. Jeremy - agree with you. Right then, all my money on Pork Bellies!?

Parking permits! *shudder*

Seriously though, hope no one was hurt.

Hope it's not Kebab and Wine!

It's more like saying a mini driver has a considerate little car, whereas a Range Rover driver is inconsiderate by taking up half the road. It's the same with prams. There are small contraptions that don't seem to get in the way and the huge 4x4 people carriers! That's what gets my back up - not the babies or the mothers, just the over-sized contraptions with the big off-road wheels! Why are those needed in London!?

Is it alphabetical!?

I can feel the glands going....

There's no tax on the single prams, you're fine there! ;)

Morrisons don't do super unleaded :( I was around ?200 in credit with EON around a year ago. I checked the other day though and that's back to NIL again!

Keef - don't forget that brokers don't cover the entire market. For example, HSBC are still offering relatively good tracker mortgages and they never use mortgage brokers - there are others, but I forget which off the top of my head. The spreads (rate over BoE) are starting to creep up now though. Back in the days I was looking into these things, you were still able to get BoE + 0.19, but you're looking at BoE + 2.0 at the moment. Just make sure you avoid trackers with floors/collars. And sometimes it's worth paying a larger fee to get the best rate/deal over the term of the mortgage. TBH, I'd even consider looking at long-term fixed rate deals now, but I've no idea how competitive those are at the moment. I doubt they're great, but if I could get a 25 year fixed deal at 4.5% then I'd jump at it!

Not sure, but we're being Royally ripped off at the moment. Petrol and enrgy prices for the consumer have still not fallen (enough). Oil is trading at around $60 a barrel at the moment - that's around half the level it was earlier in the year. I've not seen one energy company reduce prices yet. Petrol is only just starting to get down to two figures again. I'd love to see the graph of consumer petrol prices and Brent crude vs time. The gap is only ever widening...

I've nothing against them being carried!

The direct number for the ED sorting office is 020 xxxx xxxx. I can't stand non-geographic numbers. [Edited, as number was incorrect - sorry]

Can we please have a National parm-free day? At least one a week!

Btw - If you have a tracker mortgage, it might be worth checking with your bank to make sure it's not collared (has a minimum rate). Many of them are! Collared trackers If you're with LloydsTSB/C&G, then you're ok. There is no collar.

Inflation is looking set to come down slightly at the moment anyway, what with energy and house prices amongst other things falling (energy companies passing this on is another matter). So I see the rate reduction as a recessionary rather than inflationary move. I do feel for savers though, but for debtors this should be seen as an opportunity to pay off debt before the inevitable increase. Although rates are lower, it's still going to be more difficult to borrow money due to default risk - higher unemployment as one example. Means testing will (or certainly should) be more stringent, so I don't necessarily see this encouraging more people to borrow (more). I do feel that the government should do more to regulate the amount a person is physically able to borrow, but this is no simple matter. Lenders need to be more responsible, which in the sort term will not be an issue - they can't afford not to be! It's a complex balancing act, but I'm slightly positive (personal factors aside) as to this move. At least for the short to medium term.

Well, as someone who has a relatively large tracker mortgage in comparison my savings, this is great news for me in terms of monthly cashflow. My mortgage has almost halved in the space of a few months. However, what about the wider and longer terms impacts of this rate cut? Will the sterling plummet, making holidays and imports much more expensive? What about inflation? Those net long savings? Thoughts...

David Mc - It was the "Notes from New York" version at the Haymarket I saw a few Sundays back. How did it compare to the original performance?

Come along to the EDF running club next Tuesday. You get a free refurbishment and fresh-air to boot!

I went to Body Works a few years ago when it exhibited at the Truman Gallery on Brick Lane. Worth seeing, although I'm still in two minds about the whole thing. It treads a fine line between science and art.

Did anyone else see The Last 5 Years? I was completely blown away. Not like and musical I've ever seen before. Wonderful.