indiepanda

Yes, just this morning they've had a story on the (generally left wing) BBC about NHS procurement showing the variation in prices hospitals are paying for even basics like latex gloves. Personally for items like that, I can't quite understand why they have local procurement. Surely it would make sense for those sorts of things to be purchased at a national level and have the scale to dictate the price they pay. Supermarkets seem pretty good at screwing good prices out of suppliers based on their scale, and even in professional services where I work the procurement departments we encounter do a pretty good job of forcing us to give discounts / hold our rates year after year / do extra stuff for free / work a 10-12 hr day and bill for 8. I think the philosophy of free at the point of use NHS is nice and I certainly wouldn't want the American system where vulnerable people are left untreated or bankrupted by medical bills. However, no fee whatsover encourages people to not show up for appointments, wasting resources, and to expect the NHS to be there for them even if they do nothing to look after their health. I hear heavy smokers and drinkers say they've earned the right to use the NHS whenever they need because of the high tax on cigarettes and alcohol. Ok, I agree, they are heavily taxed - but at a macro level, we are not paying enough in tax to cover all government spending, and spending on the NHS is spiraling due to the ageing population in a way other costs aren't. If we're going to continue to fund the NHS in the way we have (all - or most - free at the point of use), something has to change somewhere. I am not convinced anyone wants to pay more tax, so either we make deep spending cuts elsewhere, or get a bit smarter about how we fund health.

Spot on Bermy.

Jeremy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > "in Mediterranean countries rich and poor all eat > real food"... remarks like this are becoming a bit > of an EDF cliche... Yep, not convinced by this one. I recall going to Naples and seeing many more overweight people there than the rest of Italy, much like you would in the UK if you visit Glasgow. (Naples is much poorer than cities in Northern Italy)

Thanks for the tip. Might find they are going to get tight on number of visits too - when my boyfriend and his mate were doing up his mate's place in Twickenham they found not only did they have to provide ID to prove they were local, but they were only allowed one visit to the tip per month - gather it was to stop tradespeople using - presume they have to pay a fee?

KidKruger Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I think EVERYONE has been to K&W. > It's a bit like saying I breathed once, it's just > understood, so no mention necessary. > IMO Yes - everyone sometimes overdoes the drink at the EDT, and then ends up in K&W for some chips etc to soak it up on the way home... Doesn't really make it a place to have a "wonderful meal...."

For me, there's nothing cool about caring where you are seen and who you are seen with... that's just deeply superficial. But then if I was that kind of person I'd never have chosen to live round here. I had some of my happiest nights out in the decidedly uncool Swindon - was all about being surrounded by good friends and having a good laugh - was that great time in your early twenties when you've left home / escaped the watchful eye of your parents, but don't have too many adult responsibilities to worry about. Oh and Swindon might be a dump, but it was quite cheap and student debt wasn't the issue it is now, so you could afford to go out more.

I got one of these this morning too - re the Nunhead forum, when I live in East Dulwich.

natty01295 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Females sexy birds - women only No self respecting woman I know would want to date a guy who described them as a "sexy bird" - hopefully you aren't being serious! As another poster suggested, internet dating is the way to go. If you are really were just looking for a "sexy bird" you might as well go for Tinder, but there are plenty of sites where you can find people looking for love - I used OK Cupid when I found my boyfriend and although there were some guys on there clearly just looking for fun, there were plenty looking for a girlfriend too. Takes a fair bit of effort to sort the wheat from the chaff, narrowing down which people to meet up with, and I went on quite a few dates before I found my boyfriend, but I'd never have met that many people just by going out down the local pub with friends and hoping to get chatting to someone, far too shy for that.

The Dulwich Raider Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Loz Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Not quite OKR, there was a really interesting > show > > last night on Beeb 4 - The Secret History of > our > > Streets - > > I caught this too, Loz. Very interesting > programme. Also recommend it. This is a repeat (and agree very worth watching), and in the same series there was a really interesting one on Camberwell Grove too. Amused to hear I don't count as a middle class blow-in after all, having been to the B&Q on the OKR multiple times.

I sympathize with the concerns about the traffic, but I would be careful what you wish for in terms of the speed bumps - my house vibrates anytime something big goes a bit too fast over them - e.g. the P13. One of my neighbours who lives directly opposite the bump had their house re-plastered only to find it cracked badly not long after it had been done because of the vibrations caused by the traffic going over the bump.

Loz Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > steveo Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Battery or mains? > > I thought dildos were unpowered? Wouldn't that > make it a vibrator? You are right.

I get what you are saying. I can't speak for others, but I pottered around a few different places in SE London looking for somewhere to settle, and when I wandered down Lordship Lane back in 2008, it just felt like somewhere that could be home, which I didn't feel with the likes of Sydenham and Brockley then. And once I'd made friends here via forum drinks etc, I didn't want to leave. With hindsight, I wish I'd bought in the area of Peckham near the Gowlett / Bellenden etc as my commute would be easier, but I wouldn't move again now unless I was going a whole heap further than that.

Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Indeed. I wasn't making any personal judgements, > just saying that people are paying over the odds > for housing. East Dulwich not unique, but it's > definitely more expensive than most of it's > surrounding areas for whatever reason. I am going to hazard a guess it's more expensive than most of it's surrounding areas because more people want to live here than the surrounding areas.... Prices do seem mad, and if I'd left it a couple of years to buy I'd have probably ended up living further out myself. However, with projections showing London's population continuing to grow far faster than we're building properties, plus inflation so low that interest rates aren't going up any time soon, I don't see prices getting any more reasonable any time soon. As for M&S being overpriced... you're paying for convenience of the various ready prepared foods. If you're working lunatic hours to be able to afford your crazily expensive house in East Dulwich I am guessing you put a high premium on convenience and it still seems cheap compared to your nutty mortgage...

Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > My sister made me bring my kids to see Paddington > with her because she wanted to see it. I have no shame, I went with a friend who is twenty years my senior and we sat there laughing till we cried.

Some classic children books like Anne of Green Gables. Oh and Harry Potter of course. Pixar films. The Paddington film that was out this year was hilarious. I don't even have the excuse of having kids to read / watch them with.

Nigello Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I disagree. > > Banning all food and drink - except water or baby > milk - would really reduce litter for a start. So basically because some people can't be bothered to take their rubbish home, everyone should be banned from doing anything that might involve the creation of some rubbish? Bit of an overreaction, and as others said, the biggest form of litter on public transport is papers not food related rubbish. As for some cold food being smelly, trust me, I've yet to encounter any cold food that smells worse than a sweaty labourer - but what are you going to do - ban people with heavy manual jobs from using public transport too? Never got why people get upset about women doing their make up on public transport either - am more intrigued as to how they manage to do it without poking their eye out with a mascara wand, which is what I would do for sure. I will confess I find people who insist on playing music out loud or so loud you can hear it through their earphones annoying, but if I put my ipod on and stick my nose in a book I can usually tune it out and not let it bother me. If I couldn't hack travelling with lots of other people, I wouldn't live in London...

Jeremy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Yeah if you want to be close to the station and > lots of shops/pubs/etc then it's not really ideal. > But then again you probably know that already, and > that drawback is probably reflected in the price. > If you don't mind longer (hilly!) walks and > hopping on the bus, then I'm sure it will work out > just fine. Good luck! Definitely right about the drawback being reflected in the price. Being here rather than the end of Underhill by Crystal Palace Rd gave me an extra bedroom, larger back garden and off-road parking outside the house. For the ten-ish minutes it takes to saunter down to Lordship Lane it was definitely worth it. Mostly I use the 63 for work anyway and now I am nearer the start of the route I get a window seat upstairs pretty much every day. Get most of my food delivered too...

Salsaboy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Work a bit harder and buy a car then you won't > have to get on the bus. I hoe that wss a sarcastic comment... given the impossibility of parking in central London which is where most people work. Anyway, on the point of banning eating on buses - I just don't think it's realistic. I've eaten on buses plenty of times when short of time / very hungry after a long day at work. Admittedly it's cold, non messy food and I take my litter with me, so I doubt it is bothering anyone too much. Anyway, I see so few people eating hot greasy food that it's simply not worth the inconvenience of being banned from eating myself to stop the inconsiderate eaters. You could try introducing fines for dropping litter - but who is going to police it?

I live on Underhill, not too far from there. For central London your best bet is getting the 363 or 63 from Forest Hill Rd to Peckham Rye, and from there you have trains to London Bridge, Blackfriars or Victoria as well as the overground. Or you could walk to Honor Oak Park in about twenty minutes. There are shops on Forest Hill Rd between the end of Peckham Rye up to the Cemetery, including a small Co-op. You're a bit more of a trek down to Lordship Lane (getting on to a mile) but there's always the P13 to get you there.

MrBen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Otta Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Well for what it's worth I think Louisa is spot > > on. This isn't her talking about East Dulwich, > > this is London and if you show her thread to > any > > long standing Soho resident I think they'd say > > it's bang on. > > I'm not saying she doesn't have a point. Just > suggesting that 35 threads and 500 plus career > poats on the subject are just tiresome broken > record wailings and unlikely to change anything. Exactly MrBen. Reading this thread I am reminded of the Serenity prayer (not that I am religious sort, but take the word God out and it still makes sense). God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Jeremy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > MrBen Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > London needs a trusted regulated taxi service > like > > any other major developed city. Black cab > drivers > > are some of the most qualified drivers in the > > world... > > Minicab (so Uber/Addisson Lee) drivers are > licensed, right? And there is a record of who's > car you've been in and when. They have sat navs so > know where they're going (unlike black cab > drivers, anywhere out of central London). > > I would suggest that they are safer, more > convenient, and more efficient than black cabs. > > Traditional black cabs are for tourists as far as > I'm concerned In what way are mini cabs safer than black cabs? The standards black cab drivers have to meet far exceed those of mini cabs. I don't get the convenience point either - if I am leaving work late at night I can usually pick up a black cab on the street in a few minutes where Addison Lee suggest booking twenty minutes in advance. As for the sat navs, I've only had a black cab get lost once when they confused west and east dulwich (and have used a lot), and when they realised they asked what the usual fare was and charged me that instead. I'd always choose a black cab over a mini cab other than for airport drops, where airport direct do a great job.

Jules6862 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Very serious...im as selfish as the commuters who > wont pay for parking just choose to take up > residential FREE parking..!!! Unless I've missed something, there isn't a fee paying car park in East Dulwich for commuters to use....

The last stop on the number 63 is called Forest Hill Tavern, which has been called The Rose for a number of years. Mind you it also claims to go to Honor Oak and stops quite a long way short of there.

And if there is other traffic around you often find they are tailgating you, urging you to hurry up. I can understand the logic for back streets which are double parked and too narrow for two cars to pass - I was rarely doing the speed limit on those and often more like 20 anyway. But for ones main streets, especially ones where parking isn't allowed, I think it's a step too far. I am having to spent time keeping an eye on my speedometer to reduce my speed after 30 mph being acceptable for the 18 years since I passed my test, which means my eyes are on the road less than when the limit was 30 - which strikes me as making things less safe rather than more.

I can't comment on the planning permission point, but I have a brick built bike shed with wooden door secured by a padlock on my front drive which was there when I moved in so I presume Southwark allow them - either that or the previous owners did something illegal! It hasn't attracted any burglars so far - admittedly it mainly sits empty, but you can't tell that from the outside, and my boyfriend has used it a number of times for his bike.