stereforth

Tasty-snacks wants a decent music venue. The best venue is The Ivy House. I know it's on the wrong side of the Common, and is badly served by public transport, but as a venue it's superb. And free for hire. What it needs is someone to book the right bands and promote it. And no, I do not have an interest in the place. Not any more, anyway. Look up their web-site .

Andy Sranack would probably make a very good constituency MP. But in a general election there is much more at stake. Cameron's talk of help for the "deserving needy" through charities is inspired by a desire to reduce the level of tax paid by prospective tory voters. I have no love for New Labour or the divine Harriet but at least the Labour Party contains far more people who hold the ideals I share than would be found amongst the Conservatives. By the way, according to my friends from the Catholic side in Northern Ireland, Enoch Powell had, and genial Ian Paisely has, a reputation as a very good, straight up, unbiased constituency MP but they could never vote for them. I am not in any way implying that Andy Stranack is as objectionable as those two; it's just that he's a Tory.

My Funny Valentine - Chet Baker

Is it still a beer when it is obviously fortified with spirits? Whisky is basically distilled beer without the hops. Maybe they've produced a mutation of yeast that can withstand such high alcohol levels(32%).

Sorry, Mic Mac.Too much lateral thinking. However (I'm off again)if Dublin governments hadn't been so allied to the church much of this would not have happened.

Love Minus Zero No Limit - Bob Dylan

Catholicism in Ireland meant political power.De Valera certainly did not wish to create a structure for promoting paedophiles but he laid down the basis for cultural backwardness with the church as its social police. I have known many lapsed catholics from northern Ireland who hated Britain's record in that country but the most common feeling was a similar hatred of what has been called "the dictatorship of priests". Although that does not excuse the excesses of Unionist rule in the north, it goes part way to explain their fear of a united Ireland. Despite decades of compulsorily teaching the Irish language in schools the use of that language is getting less . One theory is young people associating it with the corruption in the church and consequently rejecting it. I wonder how different life would be if Michael Collins (a hero of mine since my teens) had not been killed. About twenty years ago a friend of mine moved from London to County Cork. He had bought a very cheap, tiny, derelict cottage and on the ferry got talking to a few people from the same area. He mentioned his intention to gut the interia. Two days later, out of the blue, these guys turned up on the doorstep to offer their help. As the work progressed they came to an old fireplace with stone Madonna statues either side. Out of devilment my mate picked up a sledgehammer and smashed one of the statues. His new Irish friends were at first speechless then each demanded the right to demolish the other one. They felt liberated. Things have changed over there since EU money started flowing in (before the crash) and is certainly not what it was in the old days, but is still a charming holiday destination and were the job situation better, would be a fine place to raise children now the priests' grip is slipping. It's a bastard everything is so bloody expensive. Can't afford to go any more.

Wanna Be Your Man - Rolling Stones

Stone Free - Jimi Hendrix

Like a rolling Stone - Bob Dylan

This is a very late follow-up to James (10th March). When someone in the editorial dept. of the Sun came up with "Gotcha", it was regarded by some as tasteless in view of the possible high number of deaths. It was then referred upwards to Murdoch himself, who said "Run it". Can't say I have any sympathy for MacKenzie, but the blame should be laid upon the true culprit.

Re speed humps in Colyton Road: as I was told, they were reduced to prevent vibrations in the local houses.

In the early 90's my wife worked in the Ivydale road area. She knew of a cab firm nearby that would, for a fiver, deliver a joint to your door. Now that's what I call service.

Compulsory purchase is not as straight forward as you may think. for example, through most of the 80s and early 90s Croydon Council attempted compulsory purchase of the old Grant's department store site after the owners consistently refused to fullfil their obligations. The process can take years as the developers just changed their planning application at the last minute, to considerable cost to the Council. After a while the Council more or less gave up.

The going rate for a 10Kg bag of smokeless fuel is usually ?4.99. Logs about the same. This works out at ?499 a tonne. This seems an incredible price. Even trying to buy in bulk on-line gives little or no discount unless you place a very large order. I run a local pub and at this time of tear it is necessary to have open fires. So if you are lucky enough to sip your pint in front of a roaring fire in your local, spare a thought for the poor landlord paying ?10-?20 a day for fuel per fire. If only some local forester would give me some unwanted logs from nearby woodland. Regardless of cost, an open fire is a welcoming sight to my customers. I just hate the prospect of having to put the prices up to pay for this, what with the brewers increases in the pipeline: Stella 7%, Guinness 5.4%, Scottish & Newcastle 5.7%(Fosters, John Smiths, Strongbow). Over the last year duty on beer has gone up 17.8%. If I passed on all the recent increases I would have to charge more than you pay in Lordship Lane for your pint. I could get away with a 20-30p increase for private functions but my regulars would not be happy. Such an increase would still be cheaper than LL. To me the pub is one of our greatest cultural traditions and it saddens me seeing them close forever, even those I regard as competitors. So if you want a pint for ?2.70 seek out those back street places away from the noise and heartlessness of bars such as (name deleted for legal reasons) and get some value in your glass.(And stay warm by the fire).

Ivy House is ticket free. No entertainment laid on, but it is a proper pub.

?3.20 for OJ and lemonade in the EDT? ?2.50 for lime and soda in the Vale? This outright profiteering. Take, for example the Ivy House, where it is only ?2.20 and 40p respectively. The accoustics make conversation possible as well. Nuff said.

In reply to Eccentric, Ian Dury did play there as did Pete Townsend, but I believe it was in their earlier bands: Kilburn and the Highroads and the High Numbers. Similarly the great Joe Strummer played there in the 101ers. So I believe.

Regarding the price of a pint in the CPT, the infamous "tie" to where you can purchase your stock is still strongly in force. Tenants of the "pubcos" can buy in almost anything on the market; most real ales are available. But they have to buy through the pub company, ie the people from whom they rent the premises. The mark-up by the new "brewery" is quite remarkable: 40-50% in some cases of draught beers. For Stella, a working gross profit requires a retail of ?3.66. Not very viable in todays market. If a landlord is lucky enough to be in an area that can sustain that price level, then the return whammy is a high rent and very high business rate. I used to frequent the CPT and liked the unspoilt saloon bar. It was traditional 50's/60's decor; which I like. It's damn sad that "pubs" (not pseudo restaurant-pub hybrids) are going into extinction. So it goes, as Vonnegut said.

Snoozequeen1 is right. In the mid seventies youth looked forward to "no future for you", as the Sex Pistols said. At that time there was high youth unemployment. Thatcher(vomit) came and things started getting really tough. Rapidly rising unemployment was "a price worth paying". Economic policy deliberately decimated industrial production, but since most large manufacturing companies were unionised, it was desirable to the government for them to go out of business. They also made greed the desired quality for survival. Now, after a couple of generations of marginalisation of the poorest social sector, where the lowest wages do not keep pace with the overall increase of wealth (and god help DSS claiments), kids are made to feel like failures if they don't have the right brand of bling type crap.Billions are spent promoting this culture in advertising. A kid growing up on a crappy estate with no wage earner in the family, whose parents grew up with hopelessness under Thatcher, see massive wealth trousered by morally corrupt high fliers in the City. They also see a government in thrall to these tax dodging buccaneers. What message does that send them. In my younger years I was optimistic for the future, but now there seems no viable political force for change. Certainly not xenophobic rants from the far right. Never mind, most of us will be under water in a few decades. Thankfully i will be dead by then.

I recently mentioned the high wholesale price of beer for tied public houses (most pubs are tied to the pubco for some purchases). It is reckoned that a gross profit of 50% on sales is the minimum for most licensed premises. After the last round of increases we would have to charge ?3.48 a pint for Kronenburg. This may be acceptable in Lordship Lane, but out of the question for most pubs round my way ("Waverley Gardens" - or "off Ivydale Road"). No wonder so many premises are closing. I read somewhere recently that our alcohol tax is eight times that in Germany, and their beer (yes, nearly all lager) is in a different world to ours, quality-wise. These days, unless you can pack the bars most nights of the week life is very tough. If you can do so , you then get hit by increased rent and business rates. The break-up of the brewery estates, high tax, longer opening hours and cheap off-sales (and smoking ban) have combined to kill off many pubs. Many more will soon go. The large pubcos, who own the vast majority of bars, were able to borrow very easily on the strength of their asset value. With the fall in sales of drink and property values they now struggle to meet their obligations with the poor licensee being squeezed ever harder.

I am a local licensee. Our area manager told us that an increase of 30p per pint on average would not cover the recent budget and brewery prices increases. In this part of Nunhead, near the south end of the Rye, we felt that charging ?3.05 for a pint of Guinness, for example, was more than the market would stand. We were obliged to stick to 10p a pint extra and hopefully retain our customers. This on top of the smoking ban (and yes, I dislike second hand smoke as well) will accelerate the closure of proper pubs, as opposed to restaurants masquerading as pubs who seem to get away with central London prices.

MadWorld74 asks when is 72 selling up. The process of transferring a lease can be a long drawn out and expensive business. Sometimes far more involved than buying a house. Regarding profitability with a turnover of ?4000 per week, bare in mind this will include months before the smoking ban which has hit many pubs real hard (I know from personal experience). Gastro pubs are cushioned somewhat and chains like Wetherspoons can buy stock on the open market far cheaper than we tied landlords. Independent operators like 72 or the Drum, for example, can purchase wherever they like but could never have the clout of the big chains. You may think most pubs are free houses, but most are tied to a pub company (the freeholder) for beer and much else. We could make more profit buying from supermarkets or Makro but Enterprise Inns plc would not be happy. I'm sorry 72 is going because small bars like this are a pleasant antidote to the Palmerston or Bishop. The Palm looks like a pub but you feel like an intruder if you just want a drink and chat (if there is anyone serving) because the emphasis is on food at premium prices. It seems good business but I prefer restaurants. Less chance of a drinker's elbow in the ear. Here's hoping someone saves 72 because we need it and others like it. Used to visit EDT on Fridays for a late drink but the club style piped music and terrible acoustics made conversation impossible. Traditional pubs are an endangered species and the smoking ban is the last straw for many. I smoke and am aware of the unpleasantness of second hand smoke but it has ripped apart the plans many of us have for our premises. If you want your pubs to be independent, maybe eccentric, with some originality, then use them or lose them. Some may know which is my place from posts elsewhere on this site, but I'm not saying. By the way, Pull The Other One was brilliant.

There seems to be a financial dividing line between Peckham Rye East and West. East Dulwich prices are pretty steep compared to Nunhead across the common. Ivy House: Stella, Kronenburg, Guinness ?2.85; Fosters, Carling ?2.65. Wetherspoons is cheaper, but I don't fancy downtown Peckham as a socialising area. Waverly Arms 5p a pint cheaper still, but you may feel out of place(very cliquish). Man of Kent 25p more. Incidentally, brewery increases plus the budget would require about 25p increase minimum to maintain gross profit margins.

In the Man of Kent, Nunhead Green, you can see James Nesbitt, Stan Laurel and the ventriloquist who did Lord Charles. Well, it looks like them. Arther Askey used to get in there but he's in bad health these days.