HeadNun

Why is it you always assume the right to dictate the direction of threads? It all feels quite like the thought police.

It's probably safe to say that the cyclists on here who regularly complain about other cyclists' behaviour, but continue to cycle, do so because, on balance, they see the positives of cycling. But God forbid that they should express an opinion that doesn't align with the doctrine.

Ha! I was about to post this, Spartacus.

"Country before Party" is Starmer's motto. Lucy Powell, Burnham and other senior cabinet ministers briefing against Starmer, describing the situation as 'terminal', and publicly condemning him is not putting the country first. They'll be no better than the Tories if they enforce on us a new PM and the political dissatisfaction of the electorate will explode. Labour needs to get its house in order, but there are too many factions and, just like the Tories at the end, it doesn't know what it is anymore. I think the situation is unsolvable.

I do, and I watch with interest and quite a bit of concern. It doesn’t affect me directly but it smells bad.

Mal, your hypocrisy is getting incredibly irritating. It’s always one rule for you, isn’t it?

It’s getting a bit annoying. We’ve a nervous dog who trembles when they go off. I know to expect it around Halloween and Diwali but it seems to be happening more through the year.

Do tell, CPR Dave, what the spiteful jealous stuff is - I'm intrigued. Agree - Burnham is a top class communicator (polar opposite of Starmer) he'd do a great job of uniting the party. I still think Wes Streeting has the edge, though I'm sure he has more enemies as well.

Alice, I think that if Burnham did try to run, Starmer would do everything he could to block him. I hope you’re right when you say it’s irrelevant though - I’m far from a Starmer fan but I think a leadership challenge would jeopardise our standing on the world stage, where Starmer has actually managed to do some decent work

I’ve heard rumours he’s considering stepping down as mayor, with a Labour MP in ill health, who’s an ally, considering standing down from his seat, so Burnham can run. I wonder if Mcsweeny will go next. Whether he goes or stays, his puppet is dead in the water. I’m a big Wes Streeting fan and think we could do a lot worse.

@vladi Did you have any luck with this in the end? I need someone to certify a document for an Irish Passport rather quickly. It doesn't mention that I can get it done at the Post Office. Did you manage to find a local solicitor who did it for you? UPDATE: Found a firm in Catford. William Bailey said they won't do it, but recommended another firm... who also said no, strangely.

Clearly, you should hold your next forum drinks here, @Sue

CPR is right - I was shocked when I discovered how much of our CO2 emissions are down to cats and dogs, what with pet food manufacturing, them shitting everywhere, plastic poo bags etc they are not environmentally friendly at all. I don't know what we'd do without our dog - it would leave a massive hole in our lives and it's so valuable for children to grow up with pets - but at the same time, I feel bad about it every day. If a dog is trained well, you should never have to shout at it, unless it's done something monumentally bad. And it will only come back to you when you say 'come here', if it's trained to in the first place. So I'm afraid your dog-walker friend is wrong. The best thing to do is to sound excited when you call it, so it feels like a positive command, instead of a punishment.

I’m a dog owner and I agree with you. I watched as a guy sat on a bench in Peckham Park the other day, headphones on, glued to his screen, while his dog took a massive shit on the lovely flowerbed by the entrance. I step in dog shit all the time and have to interact with idiots who talk to their dogs like this they’re toddlers and know nothing about canine behaviour, body language etc. They simply cannot read their own pets and have no authority over them. Then there’s the bin situation - FFS if it’s overflowing don’t add to the pile on a boiling hot day. It’s not fair on the poor people who have to walk past or the poor council people who have to empty the bins. It’s completely out of control

OK Jazzer, now you're just taking the Epoisses.