MrBen

It's always interesting dynamic when a company that's sold itself on it's independence sells out...but lots of other factors are at play both personal and commercial. Bigger question is whether the craft beer trend will last at its current size or just dilute into the mainstream and fade over time. My bet is on the latter....much as I tried to like it I'm done with overly hopped beer and back on the Heineken and Red Stripe.

Cabbies hated Ken for what they saw as a gradual erosion of their privileges enshrined in various bits of 19th century law. Many of them backed BJ to kick Ken out but now feel betrayed by BJs failure to protect them from what they see as threats from everything from Uber meters to Addison Lee using bus lanes. But BJ knows they're a powerful voice that will help his cause in office so he's basically walking a tightrope between keeping their favour and allowing inevitable change in the operating model caused by disruptive technology. 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....but it's a model that will die when you have less qualified l Romanian drivers willing to work for less whilst using powerful Goldman Sachs funded technology to source work. Make them less polluting and more efficient for sure but I think London's black cabs need to be protected....they're trusted and part of the cities brand and heritage...and that has a whole lot of intangible value attached.

General Sir Lord Fox of Dulwich, I would like to propose that you start your own Dulwich Fox Price Index (DFPI). Unlike the established RPI which measures the changing costs of retail products and services, the DFPI would: - Have it's underpinning basis in late 1970's goods pricing - Take into account a "blow in " adjustment i.e the effect of gentrification on commercial lease prices - Assess with like for like comparables elsewhere in the neighbourhood - Negate the differences between economy and premium products - Exclude any measures of pizza pricing (pizza is not a worthy food). - Measure curry house pricing increases since the mid 1980's taking into account their "economic" operating models What say you sir?

aquarius moon Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > I had a veggie breakfast there last year. Very > cheap and no complaints at all. Probably the best > breakfast I've had for ages. Interesting fact: Their veggie breakfast is around 250 calories more than their meaty one.

Steak Tuesdays where you get steak and chips and a soft drink for ?5.99 implies that it's probably none of your blow-in 28 day organic grass fed Angus nonsense.

I've said it before...but I love Henry on here.

Cross posted with Mick.

Like it or not tho..a huge majority are... a lifelong Labour voter I know went Tory this time round. But his reasons were pretty simple...he's the so called hard working squeezed middle...on a joint household income of ?50k with no disposable at the end of the month. He has a young family and had calculated that a Conservative government would give him an extra 1500 quid a year. Enough to let him take his family on holiday for the first time. You'd be living in lala land if you didn't think that dynamic influenced Thursdays result.

Anything hot on a Ryanair.

Finally...The gloves are off on this thread with some proper political debate.

Maxxi. You could solve that dilemma by booking a Ryanair flight to France departing at 8am on Thursday 7th May..... whilst simultaneously realising you've missed the deadline for a proxy vote.

Seems to me that pretty much nobody on this forum will admit to voting for anyone other than Labour or Lib Dems (with a token Green here and there). Anyone brave enough to own up to voting Tory or UKIP this time round?

All of that plus ex Glasgow School of Art.

And why is that AM?

And I'm loving the Podcast Republic app (Android, IOS) to find lots of new things from across the globe.

The Business of Film, an excellent 3 parter with Mark Kermode on how films are developed from a concept ,financed and then marketed. http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/businessoffilm

I have to say....they started the works on Elephant Castle last week and the northern roundabout is ironically even more dangerous as a result. 3 lanes on approach heading north are squeezed into 2 and the thought of cycling that is enough to keep me on the 40 bus. It's also adding 15 mins to bus journeys. So its now about 1 hr to get in at rush hour. Hopefully the end result in a year or two will be worth it for all.

Then there is the "I'm better than this" quiet flounce ala quids and Ted Max. In Teds case he is too good for the forum...quids on the other hand.... *sets bait*

Now Aquarius Moon, you know more than anyone that the correct flounce procedure is: 1. Become embroiled emotionally in what is a tin pot local forum full of freaks. You crack. 2. Post a public proclamation as to your reasons...usually "I'm out...you lot are losers" etc etc 3. Ask admin to delete your account (you failed Lou) 3. Lurk in sulk mode for 1-3 months. 4. Return as someone else 5. Pretend you are not the person you were previously The exceptions are the playful character swaps ala Seabag.

Sir Fox, thank you for this enlightening update.

I for one don't mind having you around Louisa - even if those old topics you refer to were getting done to death by you and boring many. But if you're going to flounce then for god's sake do it properly.... Coming back after just 2 days doesn't really count!

But in gentrified areas...rents are higher, so cost base is higher. Sometimes on here people miss the basics of what it takes to run a business.

I'm totally baffled. I thought you were leaving the forum Louisa? Can anyone shed any light on all of this? i'm lost now...

A star trek style teleporter to get me from my house to office in 5 seconds without the bit in between (Walworth Road )

Jeremy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Cinemas charging booking fees = complete > piss-take. Especially when online booking is > obviously expected to be the norm. I disagree Jeremy. The telephone systems, website, infrastructure to allow people to book tickets without having to actually be at the cinema has a decent cost to running it and they'll need to recoup that somehow in their business model or not offer it at all. So I think a charge is reasonable....but for some reason ?1.50 feels a bit steep....