AcedOut

Another point is that a person is completely within the law to use reasonable force against a person that poses an immediate danger, even if they do not hit out first. If the security guard was threatened with a knife (even if not shown), then reasonable force can be used if he felt he was in danger. That doesn't necessarily mean just restraint. Of course, kicking a person whilst they are already on the floor will probably not be seen as 'reasonable force' in the courts. I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure a person is allowed to make the first 'defensive attack' under such conditions. There is no point in discussing the specifics of this case though, since most people were not there to witness. Personally, I've been on the other end of an attack. Not by a security guard, rather a random attack in Clapham. I pressed charges and the chap was done for Criminal Assault (should have been ABH really). He was a pretty senior director in the city and I understand he lost a pretty high paid job as a result. He'll certainly find it hard to work again in such a role. Justice can be achieved if you're prepared to go through the right channels...

Shops have insurance policies perhaps, but shoplifters only make the goods more expensive for everyone else. So effectively they are stealing from the pockets of innocent people. Giving these people a good kicking is probably more effective than a slap on the hand by the police. Although I'm not condoning such violence (mush harsher policing should be employed in my opinion), the sad truth is, it's probably true. I'll bet that chap will think twice next time he thinks about slipping a pack of batteries down his trousers!

Cassius - I think George Bush would vote through the sunglasses ban, but not sure you'll get the blind vote...

I'm just waiting for the delivery of sand (and a sprinkling of sun rays). Maybe we could then construct an underpass, dig up the surrounding road and fill with water. Our own little ED Caribbean island!

Burn tree, burn ;)

Take a black cab - they can zip through the bus lanes...

If you stop serving food early (I'd suggest later that 7pm though - sorry Keef!), please do not forget decent bar food. Chips, chicken skewers, carpaccio, olives, cheese and biscuits and that short of thing would be great! As is often the case, I often skip a proper meal in favour of beer, so bar snacks would be a bonus.

Louisa - rather than a statue, how about we just plant you there instead and see how long you last? ;) *** Edited for grammatical reasons. ***

1) Ban children under 14 in all bars/pubs after 8pm. 2) Introduce a congestion tax on buggies over a certain size. Rebates for parents that carry their children or get them walking at a younger age (I've seen quite old looking children in buggies lately - shocking!) 3) Close down all bookies - you'll get better returns online anyway. If you like the social aspect, then go to a pub/bar that has wifi. 4) Reduce the number of estate agencies. 5) Start up a club open until a decent hour (at least 3am). Only single SE22 residents allowed omn Friday/Saturday nights! 6) At least one bar on LL must have a pool table. 7) A zebra crossing near Oakhurst Grove, crossing to the shops over East Dulwich Road (this really IS needed - council take note) 8) A Virgin Active gym please, or better still, a GymBox. I'm currently am a member of two gyms (city and ED), which isn't ideal. 9) A BBQ area on Peckham Pye common (Am I right in thinking they are not allowed?) 10) Goucho Grill to replace Gormet Burger King (GBK). The fact you have to queue and pay before the food is served really bothers me. 11) Open a decent Italian restaurant on LL. 12) A decent book shop to replace the current shabby offering (sorry for those that like this place, but I'd like a lot more variety). 13) Manon cafe to replace Cafe Nero (fantastic Illy coffee with a complimentary/inclusive chocolate) 14) A separate wheelie-bin for recycling - that box/bag combo is just not big enough if you recycle properly. The normal bin can be much smaller to cater for this (in fact, probably the size of the recycling box!) 15) Motorcycles to use bus lanes at all times. 16) Spot fines for cyclists that jump the lights. 17) Left turns allowed at red lights if it is safe to do so (flashing red introduced). 18) Build a decent cinema in place of the police station. 19) Free WiFi hotspot covering the LL area. I could go on....

How about a 'Credit Crunch' cocktail!? It would be a great one to drown our sorrows to when the city redundancies finally hit full force. It should be multi-layered, with a straw to drink from the bottom up. The cherry should be placed at the bottom of the glass, rather than the top! Cream should come in a separate glass...

But that wouldn't prevent it until it's happened would it. And would irritate the living daylights out of me...

In the future, card companies will be able to locate you (at least technically). For extra security they could read the GPS info off your cell phone to ensure you're located at the same place the transaction is being made. Of course this will not work for telephone/internet transactions, so no system is infallible. The criminal would then have to steal your mobile or somehow fake the GPS location (not that hard actually, but replicating the GSM packets is tricky), although relatively simple algorithms could detect if you've suddely managed to travel at the speed of light to such places as Canada! In a decade or so, mobile phones will replace cards anyway and I'm sure this technique will be used. For internet transactions, 'Verified by VISA' will eliminated some of the online issues. Someone else has already mentioned a password rather than PIN system where only 3 characters are requested. There is a cost issue associated with this though and also an issue of customer error/slowness. Remember, credit card companies make their $$$ on the vast number of transactions, so they don't want to slow this down! As for ATM machines, I'd recommend to the banks digital image recognition. A camera/digitiser installed in the machine that can recognise if a device is attached. If this is the case - the machine would shut down and potentially activate a solenoid mechanism to eject given attached device! Pretty easy to implement, although prone to abuse. Other measures could be a photo of the card reader on the terminal screen to ensure the user knows what the reader 'should' look like. A simple redesign of the whole reader is required ideally, such that every machine is consistent and customers know what to look for. There are dozens of ideas such of these, but the truth is, it's still cheaper for the banks to refund the customer from their insurance-backed fraud reserve accounts. VISA/Mastercard/AMEX/etc I think take the hit for non-ATM based fraud, although I may be wrong. Other ATM security measures include: retinal scanners, finger-print readers, push-style card readers, random questions such as press 1,2 or 3 for correct address/DOB/phone number etc. The list is endless, but the banks can't be bothered. It's a small issue in comparison to their entire balance sheet! For card readers, these are harder to make secure, since the retailer can manipulate/copy or do pretty much what they like. Why VISA/Matercard ever allowed non-secure wireless/BT readers is anyone's guess, but these must be removed from service! They would be transmitting the full card number, PIN, etc every time a card is inserted. Personally, I have always refused to use one and I'm currently (touch wood) one of the few that's never had a card cloned (I also ask my bank for a new card every month or every time I return from a holiday - just in case! They must think I'm very clumsy ;) ) We're of course talking about a global issues, so chip and pin and other such measures are pointless unless every country in the world adopts! You think VISA/Mastercard want to put up that capital? Btw - does the aforementioned (less than)super market use wireless C&P terminals? I suspect the staff are using concealed cameras in their sleeves/shirts. This is the only way I can imaging they'd be able to clone in such quantities. I'd love to walk in that place with a radio/bug detector. Wouldn't be surprised if they're transmitting that data over to someone sitting in a dodgy LL bedsit or something. These criminal gangs are much more sophisticated than most people imaging and let's face it - how hard is it to get a job behind a supermarket checkout? Chip and Pin was a complete waste of time in my mind. If anything it make it's worse, since the ATM pin is the same as the VISA pin, so cash can be taken from an ATM if someone gets a glimpse of you typing your pin at a retailer. Money would have been better spent on a random question process in my opinion.

What happens if it's raining? Will there be a refund on the tickets, or is the area going to be covered in any way?

You can always go to the park for free and watch it on a laptop (if you feel the need to be outdoors whilst watching a movie). There is nothing stopping you! Personally, I think Cinema is too expensive in general, and ?8.50 for the Ritzy on a Friday is a joke! As for popcorn and coke at ?6.50... Don't get me started!!

Warning - they are probably riddled with fleas. My brother once looked after one a long time ago and the consequences were not good! They may look cute, but they don't make good pets!

Agree with JimmyD. There are affordability issues ahead when people move onto the SVR's and then attempt to re-mortgage with a lower LTV, likely based on a lower valuation price to boot. The BoE will need to move rates much lower at the risk of inflation, but unfortunately it's still up to the lender to reduce their SVR's. However, they are mostly based the LIBOR and not the BoE rate and recently there has been a large spread between these rates due to the banks basically not trusting each others' balance sheets! Unless borrowers all have high expendable income and enough equity to fund additional borrowing, then I think we're in for more trouble ahead. This is particularly worrying for the BTL landlords out there who may need a whole lot of equity to remortgage many properties.

Still a way to go I think.

LOL as I enjoy my martini! *kisses*

The concept of a greed tax I'm finding hilarious. How about taxing people on food? I know, let's create a ration system and limit everyone to one loaf of bread and a pint of milk per week. Any further supplies can be taxed at a higher rate. That should work. Greed tax could extend to holidays, alcohol, eating out,... Brilliant!

So are we saying we should only ever buy things we NEED!? How ridiculous is that! All the bars and restaurants down Lordship Lane will have to close up and we'll fall into a recession for sure. Ok, so buying a second home/house is not analogous to eating out, but the principle is the same. If someone has worked hard and they can afford it, then why not!? It's not about need, it's about life-style choices and potentially investing for the future of either one's self or family. Sure, there are possible eco-reasons to not leave a property unoccupied, but I have no issue with someone owning n number of houses if that's what they want to do. And who said we all have a right to own our homes anyway? A first time buyer still doesn't own their home until the mortgage is paid in full anyway, so is there really such a big difference between paying an interest only mortgage and renting!? If there was no property price inflation, then we'd all rent wouldn't we!? I'll try to remember only to live to survive from now on. I shan't bother working hard, since luxuries are no longer allowed! Holiday cancelled!

SeanMacGabhann - why would they bother!?

Didn't anyone get him!? 1000 points for the punk?

I moved from Tiscali to Sky and it's much better (although I'm sure there are better ISP's out there). However, Tiscali continued to charge me. After cancelling the DD, they ended up puting a credit collection company onto me. Boy, did it take a long time to sort out. Avoid Tiscali like the Plague. Their service is terrible in every respect (they also block various ports and generally make life hell). At least, that is my experience.

"If you can afford an extra house, you can afford the tax." - lol. And those people are probably already paying a lot more income tax to boot! Why should they be hit further if the wish to have a second home?

Tiscali are aweful - change to another ISP!