reddulwich

As requested! https://www.carolinelucas.com/latest/letter-to-minister-about-rail-safety-concerns

Thing is privatisation in transport doesn't work! If you were running several rail lines to East Dulwich and you could get a Southern, a Thameslink or a SE train, then competition would drive efficiency, prices etc. Like water transport is effectively a privatised monopoly. I'm no Green, but Caroline Lucas has published some quite worrying correspondence , as to why some trains are not safe to only be staffed by a driver.

For a first film, on one of them they should show the Australian film 'The Castle' its about development and planning, but more importantly someone seeing their home as their Castle, and its a great family film too.

trying to find a place to rent in this area is pretty bonkers too. An estate agent told me "there are loads of people looking but hardly any supply"

I see mention of where the station should be and people saying Oval and Elephant aren't that far, and what about East Dulwich. All fair points. Perhaps we should take a leaf out of the Tyne and Wear metro and connect up more transport links/ and or relieve existing routes. What about a station underneath/connected to Denmark Hill rail station, that would relieve some pressure on the roads round King College. Its also one of the most air polluted places in London, according to recent stats. Its also only a few minutes from East Dulwich and Camberwell Green. Tied in with this, you could get some more money to strengthen the bridges at the station. You'd probably need to rebuild the newly (and poorly designed) built ticket office, with more gates, self service machines and reposition the monitors showing traintimes.

Intereting comments on the last couple of pages. Loz nice of you to stick up for James. About Buddug stalking him. But can I just point out one thing. James chose to stand for public office. That means he has to put up with people coming on here challenging him as well as saying how wonderful he is. If he doesn't like it, I think its time to not be a councillor. And James - good you've come on to talk about the Bedroom Tax. But I'm sorry "The tory part of the coalition have extended it to publicly owned accomodation." You can't pick and choose which bits of the coalition programme are yours or not. You are in coalition. Its your programme. Its like I get a bit sick and tired of reading Simon Highes platitudes in the Southwark News about the Health Service, Student fees and the Bedroom Tax. Yet when you read how the votes go, he either backs the coalition or worse abstains.

What it needs is the screens moving from being right by a ticket machine - everyone bunches up. Ideally it needs the ticketing machine moved, perhaps across to be nearer the offices. It also needs another ticketing machine - perhaps against the windows off the pavement. Its a poor design, I had hoped they would keep the old ticket office as a way in/out. At least if it was a way out, you wouldn't have the mad congestion now of people coming in and out, bunching round the screens and queuing for the ticket machine.

In defence of AndrewFFF it might actually be wise for Sainsburys to have some cameras pointing back towards the store (and where the cycle racks are) - if someone comes running out having nicked something they can get them on camera. Pretty stupid for that reason, never mind it would also cover the racks.

A referendum on the snow perhaps, Vince Cable and Nick Clegg, could then change their minds on snow ;-)

Both MM & ???? have mentioned the bashing of the rich. I think it is more nuinanced than that, I think if you work hard and pay your taxes. You expect you are doing that within a fair and balanced system. For example if you pay your taxes from source under the the PAYE system. If however you pick up a newspaper and see schemes and scams (many of which are legal) being exploited by other people, perhaps wealthier people, quite rightly you are going to be angry and upset. I don't think 'the left' attack all businessmen, bankers etc. Small business is the bedrock of the economy and they are suffering and are equslly unhappy at the unlevel playing field. I do think though, if the single mum who works behind the counter in my bank branch isn't able to ask for her pay to go into a limited company and can't ask for her bonus to come in the following financial year, then someone working in the Invest bank arm of the same bank, shouldn't be able to either. Its a simple concept called fairness and if we are all in this together, then we should all make a contribution.

Another way would be to make JSA and other benefits more flexible. So its not that people 'can't be bothered' to get a job, but they are disincentivised. So if people are on JSA, care for family members etc, but can say work one day a week, they can still claim benefits or part of those, without them going over the threshold. It can also be a way of easing them back into the jobs market.

This is unenforceable anyway. What are Westminster Council suggesting, that Doctors are going to be given the information of who is claiming benefits?! Or you have to tell the Doc, "I'm on JSA, Housing Benefit etc". Its designed for one thing only headlines, to make it look that Westminster Council are tougn on people who are on benefits. And again to suggest that anyone who is on benefits is lazy, and or obese, and anyone who is obese is on benefits. Its dog whistle politics, setting neighbour against neighbour. "Well you might be badly off, and not getting a payrise, but your neighbour is feckless/workshy/claiming benefits but fit for work....." Meanwhile bankers ask for bonuses to be delayed until the 45p tax rate drops, businesses pay wages from payroll companies based offshore and we blame to poorest in society for what is going on. Also people should keep in mind - the bulk of the Department for Work and Pensions budget is spent on Pensions, and the bulk of the benefits budget is spent on 'in-work benefits' - thats to support people in paying their rent for example in overpriced London rents. Not on skivvers as the Daily Mail would have you believe.

I agree Peckham Plex is great - though sometimes you do get talkers (late at night) - if I wanted a commentary I'd wait for the DVD. Another great place I discovered recently is Shortwave in Bermondsey, maybe this could be a more achievable for East Duwlcih than something on the size of The Ritzy. http://www.shortwavefilms.com/ Seats around 35 people, has a bar and cafe attached.

The rights we enjoy today that DC mentions were fought for by a mixture of working people and organisations (which did indeed include churches) but also trade unions. Yes Cadburys a Titus Salt may have built houses for their workers. Not because they were mere altruistic nice guys, but because they were enliightened capitalists - a happy healthy workforce works harder in your mill or factory, making you richer. You need a reality check, if you think these rights had little or nothing to do with the trade unions - by which I mean not union leaders, but the ordinary men and women who made up the membership. Also KidKruger - the cleaning staff for LU like many cleaning staff are on absolutley crap wages. And quite rightly are figting for a better deal.

If people are worried about the decline of East Dulwich/ the death of the independent high street, can I make a suggestion. Stop lobbying for an M&S food - that will sound the death knell for many independent food retailers. You might not like Iceland, but its not a competitor to the more middle class food shops, that an M&S food will be.