Forum Topics

Suella Braverman

Has defected to Reform.   Good!

Sue Hammond ● 7h8 Comments ● 2m

Hammersmith Bridge Rally.

Having lived in Putney from the turn of the century and as a pedestrian who shops on the High Street most every day after retirement some 10 years ago, I've never known the terrible traffic congestion as we are now experiencing upon the closure of Hammersmith Bridge to motorised vehicles. Irrespective of one's political leaning I firmly believe it is important to support our MP in her efforts to show her government the level of upset their lacklustre response thus far is having.Lest we forget the same MP successfully petitioned the mayor of London when the 14 bus route was threatened. Congregate at 24.01.26 at 14.00hrs Barnes entrance to Hammersmith Bridge to demonstrate your support.

David Sean Robinson ● 3d16 Comments ● 3h

Suella shock!

The really shocking thing about Suella defecting to Reform, as far as I am concerned, is that she didn’t do it ages ago. I could have sworn she had crossed over well before now. Anyway, next week Priti? I’d stick a tenner on it.

Gerry Boyce ● 6h2 Comments ● 4h

Second Amendment?

Apparently Second Amendment rights in the US under Trump are only for Republicans.

David Ainsworth ● 1d10 Comments ● 5h

Andy Burnham ~ Will He, Won’t He?

The speculation ends because he is!Andy Burnham confirms he IS standing for Parliament : Keir Starmer faces civil war in the Labour party as he considers whether to block mayor's bid to rejoin CommonsAndy Burnham has announced he intends to stand for Parliament amid speculation he may be planning to launch a Labour leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer.The Greater Manchester mayor has asked for permission to contest the Gorton and Denton by-election, which could take place as early as next month. https://mol.im/a/15494075Great!   We can now enjoy watching the ensuing Labour civil war …

Sue Hammond ● 2d17 Comments ● 7h

Thamesfield SNT Police meeting 4 Feb, 6.30pm, St Mary's Church

Calling all Thamesfield residents. If you're not sure if you're a Thamesfield resident, look online for a map. It's the town centre, from Upper Richmond Road, Oxford Road, down to the river, and along a way. If you want to hear local crime stats and issues, and want to voice your concerns to local police, then come along on the 4th, at 6.30pm to St Mary's Church.

Putney Society ● 12h0 Comments ● 12h

Random pic 25 January 2026

Vegan breakfast at CSONS, Shrewsbury https://flic.kr/p/2rDgqCJA full vegan English breakfast with a difference - no ersatz sausages or bacon but pakora, tahini, tarka dhal, veggies (kale, mushroom, tomato, beans) and bread - plus beetroot chutney. (Although this breakfast is the only vegan item on their menu!)

Michael Ixer ● 1d1 Comments ● 13h

Hammersmith Bridge - A Fundamental Point

The continued closure of Hammersmith Bridge features from time to time on this forum in connection with Putney as a gridlocked zoom. What has become a yearly rally focussing on the closure allows people to protest about what is essentially the scandal of inactivity by the previous Conservative Government and now by the Labour Administration. The idea of further years in which the Hammersmith Bridge Rally reoccurs is depressing. It needs to be clearly understood that only pressure on the present Government may be the cause of funding being made available to solve a problem which at present seems gifted with eternal life.

Miles Thompson ● 1d1 Comments ● 14h

Random pic 26 January 2026

Augmented Art, under the arches, Vauxhall (Jan 2020) https://flic.kr/p/2igskC2

Michael Ixer ● 21h0 Comments ● 21h

HoL Has Voted In Favour Of Social Media Ban …

…for the under 16’s.  Very good news!   Now it has to be implemented.   Any ideas how  it could be done, Michael Ixer?

Sue Hammond ● 5d11 Comments ● 1d

Chagos ~ Another U-turn On The Way?

Pressure grows on Starmer to ditch 'terrible' plan to hand Chagos Islands to Mauritius as Labour MPs say it should be an axed.Pressure mounted on Sir Keir Starmer to ditch his ‘terrible’ plan of surrendering the Chagos Islands amid mounting opposition from his own LabourMPs.The Prime Minister faced calls to heed the concerns of Donald Trump and scrap the plan entirely – not just pause it.Senior Labour backbench MP Dan Carden said: ‘This is not about obeying Trump - it's about using common sense and doing the right thing for the country.’The plea came after the surprise news on Friday that Sir Keir was pulling the next stage of legislation needed to ratify the controversial territory – which includes a giant joint UK/US military base – to Mauritius.The Bill was due to be discussed in the House of Lords on Monday but the draft law was withdrawn just days after the US president came out strongly against the handover.It also came after Tory peers demanded to know if the agreement complied with international law, with the Tories warned it would break a UN treaty between the UK and US in 1966 which stated: 'The territory shall remain under UK sovereignty.'But the Government insist that the deal – which critics say could eventually cost the UK £35 billion in payments to Mauritius, more than 10 times the Government’s estimate - will still go ahead.A Government spokesman said: ‘The Government remains fully committed to the deal to secure the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia, which is vital for our national security.’This is irresponsible and reckless behaviour by peers, whose roles is to check legislation, not interfere with our national security priorities.’https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15494287/Pressure-Starmer-plan-Chagos-Islands-Mauritius-Labour-

Sue Hammond ● 1d5 Comments ● 1d

Putney High  Street.

Front page of forum. A long article.

Barbara Stevens ● 3d21 Comments ● 1d

Strange phone calls

2nd call I have have had in a couple of weeks, 1st a man the today a woman. But really AI, wanting to give me information on Iran, has anybody else had the calls, so polite and the voice so accurate you know it's a computer. Obviously going to ask for money. But the call did not get that far.

Barbara Stevens ● 4d6 Comments ● 1d

Cuts to ODA budget

As a Borgen Project Ambassador and Putney constituent, I am writing to express my concern and repulsion at Labour’s announcement to slash the ODA’s foreign aid budget nearly in half (from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3%). The latest round of cuts threatens to strip an estimated £150 million from programmes fighting tuberculosis, AIDS, and malaria—diseases that continue to kill millions and disproportionately affect the world’s poorest communities. These abhorrent cuts follow the dark path set out by Boris Johnson and Donald Trump, who’s governments slashed the ODA and USAID budgets, also resulting in massive global deaths from disease and hunger. I think it’s important to clear up a few common misconceptions around foreign aid spending. Surveys show that Britons routinely overestimate how much we spend on foreign aid, with many believing it accounts for 10% of national spending when, even at 0.7% (now 0.3%), it was less than a penny in the pound. In addition, there’s often a notion that foreign aid is a leftwing or progressive concept, in truth, both Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher strengthened development efforts, recognizing that stability abroad furthers security and prosperity at home. Wandsworth is proudly “the Brighter Borough” and “the Borough of Culture,” these slogans reflect our shared values of compassion, openness, and outward-looking values. Standing up for foreign aid means standing up for who we are. I’d like to commend my local MP, Fleur Anderson, for upholding these values through her work opposing these cuts and championing effective, life-saving development assistance. I encourage her to continue and urge her colleges to join in her courageous efforts.The Borgen Project works to ensure communities like ours speak up for smart, humane foreign policy. Wandsworth should continue to lead that effort.Oliver Lefferts

Oliver Lefferts ● 3d5 Comments ● 1d

Railway footbridge

The railway footbridge Dyers Lane/Beauchamp Terrace will be closed from 2200 Saturday 7th February to 0600 Monday 9th February.Hopefully they'll do more permanent repair work on it this time.

Sarah Stevenson ● 2d0 Comments ● 2d

Coffee for a pound at new cafe at St. Mary's

Just for today (Fri 23rd Jan) there is an offer of coffee for a pound at the new Ground Coffee Society cafe in St. Mary's Church.

Barry Elms ● 3d1 Comments ● 2d

Random pic 24 January 2026

The BT Tower from Paddington Street https://flic.kr/p/2rH6SUc

Michael Ixer ● 2d0 Comments ● 2d

Speeding

A vehicle was doing a out 90mph at 1.55pm this afternoon in our road, all smoke was coming from it's exhaust. It was so dangerous and the noise. A builder got out of his van he was in shock he said his whole van shook. This is not the first time it can be about 3pm I have been out the front and it has shot past. Might not be the same vehicleOne also at 6.30 am in the morning. Very dangerous especially as other people get done for going 22mph.

Barbara Stevens ● 4d5 Comments ● 3d

Stayed a little back, a little off the front lines

"Donald Trump never served in Vietnam; he received five draft deferments that prevented him from being conscripted.  In an interview with Fox News in early 2026, Trump criticized the contribution of America's allies in the Afghanistan conflict, stating: "They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan… and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines".These remarks sparked widespread condemnation from British veterans and politicians, who pointed to the 457 British personnel who died in the conflict as proof that they were indeed on the front lines. Donald Trump’s Vietnam War Record Trump himself did not see combat or serve in the military during the Vietnam era: Draft Deferments: He received five deferments: four for being a college student and one for a medical diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels."Personal Vietnam": In a 1997 interview with Howard Stern, Trump controversially compared the risks of dating and avoiding sexually transmitted diseases to the dangers of the Vietnam War, calling it his "personal Vietnam" and stating he felt like a "brave soldier" for navigating the dating scene.Lottery Number: While Trump has frequently claimed his high draft lottery number (356) kept him out of the war, records show he had already received his medical exemption over a year before the 1969 lottery took place.""Casualties: Over 3,400 NATO-led coalition troops died during the conflict, including approximately 1,100 non-U.S. personnel from allies such as the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Denmark.Intense Fighting Zones: British and Canadian forces, in particular, were responsible for some of the most dangerous frontline regions, including Helmand and Kandahar provinces, which were heartlands of the Taliban insurgency.Highest Per Capita Losses: Denmark and Estonia suffered significant casualty rates, with Denmark experiencing the highest number of combat deaths per capita of any coalition member.Article 5 Invocation: The mission in Afghanistan remains the only time in history that NATO’s collective defense clause (Article 5) was invoked, specifically to support the United States following the 9/11 attacks."------------------"Research suggests that for post-9/11 veterans, the number of suicides (estimated at 30,177 between 2001–2021) is roughly four times higher than the number of personnel killed in action (7,057) during the same period."

David Ainsworth ● 3d4 Comments ● 3d