BrandNewGuy

Not exactly a break in at Dulwich Hospital, given the empty site is not accessible from the hospital. Surprised it's taken travellers so long to try this - absolute disgrace how long it's been 'empty'. I seed-bombed* the site a few weeks ago, just to add some colour and life to the place. Even if they do start building the new school / health centre next year, it's been a shocking waste of space for far too long and a huge administrative bureaucratic b*lls-up. * http://www.guerrillagardening.org/ggseedbombs.html

On social bloo*y media, numpties spreading stories about things that have been 'banned' and thus being outraged. "Apparently Facebook are removing this [some political quote or other] from people's timelines, so please make sure it goes viral. Please share.." No, it hasn't been banned. Some political type wants their crappy quote to go viral by suggesting it's been 'banned'. Gove 'banned' "Of Mice And Men". No he didn't, he suggested removing it from the list of recommended titles at GCSE. Stupid, maybe, but it's not book-banning. And do kids only read prescribed books these days? If so, we've got a lot more to worry about than Michael bloody Gove. And there's another annoying 'meme' about the ASA banning a Greenpeace anti-fracking ad "because David Cameron disagreed with it". It's b*llocks, but there's that 'nasty man banning something' nonsense again. Enough!

But for decent draught ale they're very good - often in towns or areas which are beer deserts. CAMRA get a lot of stick from some of their members for putting quite a number of Spoons into the Good Beer Guide, but they point out that nearly all Spoons are Cask Marque - and it's called the Good Beer Guide, not the Good Pub Guide :-)

"Kings on the Rye" bus stop only recently became "Peckham Rye / East Dulwich Road". And Kings on the Rye club must have shut at least fifteen years ago.

DulwichFox Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > BrandNewGuy Wrote: > > And you didn't notice me nick your poppadom ;-) > > No..but as you are well aware... I did notice you > trying to nick my ****ing beer :) > > Foxy Haha! Genuine mistake. Shame it ended in a punch-up ;-)

But the problem remains with the lights. Any news on it being fixed?

DulwichFox Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Curry Club were in The Surma.. Added a bit of > drama. And you didn't notice me nick your poppadom ;-)

Howdood - "The current timings are really dangerous - the crossing time for pedestrians is too short" Cllr. Barber - "I believe the phasing has been changed. It feels much safer to cross." Well, those can't both be right so, yes, we need a proper breakdown of what's happened to the phasing on the lights. And, as I've suggested before, when the new physical arrangements at the lights come in, the traffic comparison test needs to be made with the situation before these lights were tinkered with, not with the situation now.

We're definites :-)

Hi James, Please can you look into the question of the lights at EDG / Townley Road as a matter of some urgency. Some of us are concerned that the phasing has been 'tweaked' to make the pre-change situation look worse, so that the delays caused by the changes won't look so bad. We need assurance that this is not the case. http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,1426742,page=30

Meself and Mrs BNG are almost certainly coming - will confirm later...

Enfield appeal fails ? play-off semi-final this Thursday! Here's what the club website says: "It has been announced by Enfield Town that their appeal to the FA in regards to fielding a player while suspended has been rejected. As a result we can now confirm that the Ryman League's Premier Division play-offs will kick off on Thursday night. As a result, Thursday's semi-finals will see Hendon host the Metropolitan Police with Margate at home to Dulwich Hamlet. Both matches will kick off at 7.45pm with the winners meeting in the play-off final on Sunday which will kick-off at 3pm. An announcement will be made shortly in regards to match tickets and coach travel."

Tories + DUP minority without the Lib Dems?

No, if you read the document, they have 'community' criteria for use rather than commercial ones. It's actually a pretty good project on paper - we just have to make sure they stick to it in practice.

bawdy-nan Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I do hope that the new JAGS music centre is "for > the community" but on the website it seems to > imply that "community" is the (very expensive) > classes that are held there on Saturdays and the > (very expensive) orchestra courses that are run > there. > > There's almost nothing for young people to do > round here ... and its grim for them. As I mentioned, their proposal to Spouthwark Council explicitly states: "The Community Music Centre... will be open to people of all ages and backgrounds who live in the local area, i.e. in Southwark and in those parts of the neighbouring boroughs of Lambeth, Lewisham and Croydon which are relatively close to North Dulwich." We just have to make sure we hold them to that. Eternal vigilance, as always...

Louisa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > BrandNewGuy Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Louisa Wrote: > > > -------------------------------------------------- > > > ----- > > > I agree no one cares about electoral reform > > other > > > than the lib dems and other minor parties. If > > it > > > ain't broke why fix it? > > > > > > Louisa. > > > > LOL - cos it's broken. > > You may think so, the lib dems may think so, but > the vast majority of the electorate couldn't give > a damn either way. > > Louisa. So the system works because the vast majority don't give a damn? Interesting view of democracy.

Louisa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I agree no one cares about electoral reform other > than the lib dems and other minor parties. If it > ain't broke why fix it? > > Louisa. LOL - cos it's broken.

Louisa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > First past the post has kept our democracy stable > for a long time. Yes, it has its flaws, most > electoral systems do surely? But it's provided > sure fire majorities for almost all general > elections over the last century, far more than any > none-plural system could ever do. Seems funny how > the media and minor parties hype up the end to > plurality in its current form and the rise of the > proportional system. It isn't going to happen, > simple as that. It's political suicide for both > main parties. The only reason we are where we are > now is because the Tories failed to win a majority > last time around and went into collation with a > party who normally would be considered the natural > protest vote. With both parties taking a bit of a > thumping this time around, plus the perfect storm > situation in Scotland, The main parties find > themselves in this position. People have short > memories, it will all correct itself over the next > five years and we will be back to stable plural > government. > > Louisa. Of the 80 years between 1885 and 1945, only 11 were under a government which held a majority. Those years involved more than two big parties (mirroring the decline of the Liberals and the rise of Labour) and we may be heading that way again. 'Stable' government gave us 18 years of Thatcher/Major and 13 years of Blair/Brown, neither of which approached anything like majority support in terms of votes cast. Supporters of FPTP shouldn't whinge about 'Prime Minister X only received Y% of the vote so doesn't really have a mandate.'

I think a lot of people will be unaware that they were bumped off the register during the move to individual rather than household registration. I was, and only found out because I checked the register. Southwark Council couldn't explain it, even though I enlisted the help of a friend who's head of electoral policy in Whitehall. Wait for thousands of angry disenfranchised people tomorrow... And before anyone brings up conspiracy theories, the move was sensible as we live in more 'atomised' households these days and it reduces the opportunity for mass fraud involving heads of families controlling their votes. However, expecting Southwark Council to implement the change seamlessly proved to be beyond them - and I suspect a number of other mediocre councils up and down the land.

Well, JAGS says it's a 'community music centre'. "The Music Centre is designed for use by both JAGS and the wider community. We know we can significantly improve the music-making facilities for the people of south-east London." http://www.jags.org.uk/community/community-music-centre/ We need to hold them to that promise ? and not just for the local Bach Society, like Alleyn's got away with when they said much the same thing. Here's what JAGS said to Southwark Council: http://planningonline.southwark.gov.uk/DocsOnline/Documents/349676_1.pdf

According to the Enfield Independent newspaper, "The appeal will take place on Friday, May 8 and it is expected the outcome will be announced promptly." So there'll be no news about the play-offs before next week. Shambles. http://www.enfieldindependent.co.uk/sport/12931147.Enfield_Town_to_appeal_FA_verdict/

Jah Lush Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Pub bores. Especially those who only go to the pub > for a Sunday roast or a pub quiz. Yeah, pub quizzes. Dirty South got it right in his blog: "Quiz Night? If I?d wanted to have people shout questions at me from another room I?d have stayed at home with the family. Pubs are for chatting, for meeting strangers. Pubs are for jokes, for taking the mick, for discovering stuff you?d forgotten, to recover from work, to put your life in order, to share problems and ideas. They are to set yourself adrift on the ebb and flow of subjects, for the concatenation of dreams. But no, you?re stuck in a room with 40 know-it-alls who need an excuse to go to a pub and then when they do get in one, sit there in silence trying to remember sh*t. ?Don?t talk to Seb, he?s trying to remember all the venues of the Winter Olympics since 1924.?" http://deserter.co.uk/2015/03/pub-quiz/

Hmmm, call me a tinfoil-hatted conspiracy theorist if you wish, but I've noticed that the morning traffic on EDG has been backing up more than usual this week. I walk along EDG between 7.50 and 8.10 and it's noticeable that the westbound queue from the EDG/Townley Rd lights stretches at least as far as the parade of shops opposite the hospital site, which is not normal. This is first full working week after the Easter break and after the small white traffic monitors were put up at the lights. Now only a paranoid would suggest that the lights are being tinkered with so that when the big changes come in, the increase in queuing (which the council admits will happen) doesn't look so bad and so the new scheme will pass one of its 'tests'. Am I just being paranoid?

Yes, that's a dunnock. They're usually quite shy of humans, but this time of year the males in particular are out singing (it's a very pretty song) and being visible.

No, that was a water main leak from last weekend. Water gushing down the road. It had clearly been happening for quite a while until I walked past and reported it to Thames Water. I was surprised that no-one else had bothered to report it...