EDOldie

AV is probably worse than first past the post and I think the country realised that (I hope so anyway). Single transferable vote has always been my preferred system but the politicians don't like it at all. I wonder why?

It's a fair point, but pr is clearly a much more representative and I'd say democratic form of voting. I mean look at the States which has the most bizarre first past the post system imaginable. I'll remind you that Hilary got 48% of the vote compared to the man how name I cannot speak who got 46%. We are the only country in Europe (or not in Europe depending on your view) that doesn't have PR.

Well in Dulwich you have no choice at all because of the ridiculous boundary changes which lumped in part of West Norwood. It used to be a marginal and now it is one of Labour's safest seats. The proposed boundary changes look much more sensible taking in parts of Forest Hill and Sydenham but a worried Helen Hayes opposes them vigorously.

We all should have voted for PR when we had the chance.

If this is the calm before the storm we might be in trouble. I met a man called Richard Head once.

How about this little fellow? He'd make a great mascot http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/creatura-blog/2014/12/pink-robin

Trump, keeping it on a Spanish theme, Don Quixote if ever I saw one.

JohnL Wrote: > > That would mean Scotland could ignore Theresa Mays > refusal to allow a second referendum and just do > it ?. (I read somewhere the polls a week ago > showed a majority for staying with Spain - but > those voters stayed at home) > > I'm not pro or anti independence for Catalonia - > it looks bad either way IMHO - but the vote would > have been close .. > > "The depth of support for independence even in > Catalonia is hotly disputed. Opinion polls, > although of uncertain reliability, have shown a > split in opinion that hovers around 50 percent." > > "In 2012, for the first time, 51.1 percent of > respondents favored independence, according to the > Centre d?Estudis d?Opini?, the official Catalan > polling agency. In the most recent regional > parliamentary elections, in 2015, 48 percent of > voters cast their vote for pro-independence > parties." > > https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/03/world/europe/catalonia-independence-referendum.html Whats coming from the EU and Spain sounds a bit like project fear to me, I honestly don't think that the Catalans would have called it if they thought they were going lose. Likewise there's no clamor for Scotref2 (is that what it's called?) as the Nationalists think they'll lose at the moment.

JohnL Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > As the referendum wasn't legal the "remain > Spanish" supporters > didn't vote so I can't see any international body > recognising it. > > Maybe the constitution of Spain needs to be > changed and an official > referendum set-up (otherwise we might see a re-run > of nationalist versus > republican. > > International order seems to be getting fragile I'd take issue with that, in the eyes of the Catalan government it was legal and the Spanish did everything they could to stop it. Maybe they were too scared of the result to let it go ahead?

Is the Catalan struggle for independence more likely to destroy the EU than Brexit I wonder? If the Catalans do get greater autonomy, or even full independence, then surely other regions such as the Basques will press for further autonomy. Is this is what the EU was so scared of happening with Scotland? The EU simply appears to show support, and no criticism, of the Spanish Governments, rather violent, approach. There is so much that is good about the EU with trade, free movement, etc., but the political side shows the fragility of the whole project. Surely the long term aim of the EU is to become a Europe wide effective republic and yet here they are supporting a monarchy against a staunchly republican region. Are they such control freaks (similar to the majority of politicians) that they can?t let people govern themselves on a micro scale or am I misunderstanding the whole situation? Maybe there are parallels here with Brexit although they are difficult to see as I can?t imagine the Catalan?s, like the Scot?s, would want to leave the EU. But the EU don?t appear to want either as independent countries.

Northeastview Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > There is also a fair size M&S food in Kings- how > many do we need? Well, for the supermarket operators there's an element of keeping the opposition out. That's why there are so many supermarkets of the same brand within such close proximity of each other.

I thought it was very noisy over the bank holiday weekend. Have the flight paths moved again? There seemed to be a lot of low flying aircraft at very regular intervals.

http://www.dulwichsociety.com/2016-autumn/1407-dulwich-quilters-celebrating-30-years Don't know if they are still active

Am I the only on to think that the 'Pavilion' at Dulwich Picture Gallery is deeply uninspiring?

red devil Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Right on > cue...http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40861225 What a coincidence

The whole agenda is getting crazier and crazier. They are going to put in double (yes double) yellow lines at the Village end of Calton Avenue for instance. This is despite there being several small traders, including a book shop, that will be particularly adversely affected especially at the weekends. It seems that all the 'traffic control' methods and controlled parking the council employ simply speed up the cars. Look at East Dulwich Grove, it's like a racetrack at times. The traffic in Lordship Lane is generally much slower mainly because of the excellent crossings between Whately Road and Goose Green. If the council really wanted to slow down traffic they need to put more pedestrian crossings in and more roundabouts. Not more yellow lines. What on earth is their agenda??

Christopher's in Half Moon Lane. Their cakes are lovely.

I have seen that image before but that is the pub that was there before this one. In the background to the right you'll see the distinctive mansard roof of the old diary which is now Roca. The pub was almost certainly another coaching inn along with the Greyhound so would have had large grounds, stables etc. On the OS map it looks like the gardens went right back to Court Lane. At that time of course all the land was held on lease from the Dulwich Estate and they may well have much more detailed plans of how the Village was laid out in those days.

Just checked to OS map of 1870 and I was correct. The Crown was on the same site as the current pub. The arches are an architectural feature on the Dulwich Estate often attributed to George Tappen who was the Estate Architect. If you look you'll see quite a few examples around Dulwich and in the Village in particular. I would get out more but I'm waiting for them to deliver the latest Dulwich Society magazine.

The Crown was on the site of the current pub and the Greyhound was a large coaching inn roughly between Aysgarth Road and Burbage Road. There are some old photos of both which you can probably find online. It is said that Dickens used to drink in the Greyhound which is why Mr Pickwick retired to Dulwich.

teddyboy23 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'm a BBC camera man.im glad they published the > list I was going to ask for a Payrise .but now > know I earn more than any of them The old joke used to be what the difference between a London Weekend Television (LWT) cameraman and the Rothschilds. London weighting. The media industry has been the recipient of large sums of money since the advent of commercial advertising on TV. There's nothing commercially wrong with this (morally maybe it's different) level of reward but the BBC continues to forget that it is essentially a public service broadcaster and not a commercial one. They have no need to compete with the commercial channels and, perhaps if they didn't insist on doing so, it would bring some reality back to the marketplace more generally. Some of the output, radio and TV is utter crap competing only with more crap chasing advertising revenue.

I'm so useless with techy things. Hope this works

Hope this photo has come out. Saw it just now in the window of the Dog

I remember seeing Chelsea play at Dulwich Hamlet, I'm sure it was an evening match must have been around 1973/4 I think.

I agree, nothing has changed. Try getting a cold glass of white wine (without ice in it). Also, the beer is the usual mass produced factory grimness of a big brewer appearing to be a 'craft' brewer. In the HM they actually have, albeit on keg, two of our local microbreweries, I think Canopy & the London Beer Company last time I was there. Why not in the Dog?