Forum Topics

Cressida Dick's leaving arrangements

A big dispute seems to be going on over Dick's leaving; it's reported variously in the Times and the Mail that she's arguing over her freedom or otherwise to speak afterwards:"Dick is said to have railed against a proposal by City Hall in which she would be blocked from speaking out about specific issues including meetings with Khan that led to her resignation. The deals are called settlement agreements, rather than non-disclosure agreements, and they ordinarily prevent employees from speaking out about events linked to their departure." (https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/city-hall-tried-to-gag-met-chief-and-block-payout-pscbxbl82)There also seems to be disagreement over the size of her payoff, said to be worth £500,000 (half a million!) and/or a £100,000 a year pension.And her deputy, Sir Stephen House, complained to the Home Office that due process wasn't followed over her sacking and, predictably, Patel has agreed to an enquiry. Hard to see why, since there was no process and no sacking: the Mayor asked to see her to discuss her plans to deal with the Met's problems but she refused because she expected an unfavourable reception and instead offered her resignation, which was accepted. Case closed, I should have thought.

Richard Carter ● 1687d6 Comments ● 1682d

Person pulled out of the river

Hi all,Yesterday morning I saw a person being pulled out of the river underneath the railway bridge.Does anyone know what happened or if the person is ok? I had a bad feeling when they took the person to the ambulance.Thanks.

Ties ● 1682d1 Comments ● 1682d

Are you wasting gas?

You probably have a boiler which is capable of condensing. The exhaust gases of a boiler contain steam. If you see clouds of white smoke coming from your boiler exhaust then this is steam which is condensing to water OUTSIDE your house and releasing energy outside, which contributes to global warming.Your boiler has a heat exchanger that is designed to recover the heat from the steam in the exhaust and warm up the water returning to your boiler from the radiators.However, it will NOT recover the heat from the steam in the exhaust if the water returning to the boiler from the radiators is too hot.If you turn down the dial on your boiler to give a lower flow temperature from your boiler, then the water returning to the boiler from the radiators will be cold enough for the heat in the steam to be recovered.  You can save up to 8% of your gas bill if you allow your boiler to condense!

Edward Thompson ● 1684d3 Comments ● 1683d

Random pic 2 April 2022

Guinness Time, Liverpool                https://flic.kr/p/2kZ7xok

Michael Ixer ● 1683d0 Comments ● 1683d

Are you supporting Putin?

Much of the gas burnt in houses in Europe comes from Russia (and helps to finance Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine).Around 4% of gas burnt in the UK comes from Russia.86% of UK homes burn gas for their heating.Almost all homes have condensing boilers.Almost none of these boilers condense – because the flow temperature (set by the dial on the boiler) is turned up too high.If you turn down the dial on your boiler you can save 8% of your gas heating bill – with no loss of comfort in your home at all (because the room temperature is controlled by the separate room thermostat – NOT the dial on the boiler itself.Please reduce the flow temperature on your boiler – unless you wish to contribute finances to Putin’s ghastly war.

Edward Thompson ● 1684d12 Comments ● 1683d

HHow to allow your boiler to condense and save gas?

To allow your boiler to condense you need to turn down the dial so that the flow temperature (shown on the boiler) is no more than 60°C.If you have a “combi boiler” you will have two dials on the boiler (one for the radiator circuits, and one for heating hot water for the taps).You should turn down each dial so that the flow temperature is no more than 60°C. If the flow temp is more than 60°C then up to 8% of your gas burnt will be merely heating the air outside your house! Remember that the temperature in your rooms is controlled by the room thermostat – NOT the dial on the boiler itself.If you turn down the dial on the boiler itself then the flow temperature from the boiler will be lower – but your room temperature will end up at the same temperature (although the room will take a little longer to warm up).  You can save up to 8% of your gas bill if you allow your boiler to condense!

Edward Thompson ● 1684d1 Comments ● 1683d

Random pic 1 April 2022

A sign of the times: I bet the ARPANET designers never envisaged every London bus stop having an IP address - hope it authenticated eventually               https://flic.kr/p/2knbubV

Michael Ixer ● 1684d0 Comments ● 1684d

Government UKHSA shoots itself in both feet

How very shortsighted, stupid, and typical of this criminal PM’s governments’ handling of the Covid pandemic (and everything else).“Dear Sir/Madam,Thank you for contacting the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to raise your concerns about the Zoe COVID Study.Now we have begun a new phase of living with the virus, as outlined in the Living with COVID-19 plan published on 21 February 2022, the Government will continue monitoring the virus by maintaining proportionate surveillance studies and other data sources including genomic sequencing.Throughout the pandemic, the UK Government has provided significant additional funding on an emergency basis. Moving forward, the UKHSA will continue to carefully allocate its budgets to monitor and mitigate the public health risk from COVID-19 over time.We now know more than ever before about the virus. The UKHSA is extremely grateful for the valuable insights that the Zoe COVID study has provided which, alongside other surveillance work, has informed Government decision-making throughout the pandemic. The UKHSA want to thank the study teams and all the participants for supporting this surveillance work during the most demanding public health crisis in living memory. As we move to living with COVID, we have reviewed existing surveillance programmes to maximise effective investment and remove any duplicative outputs. Moving forward we will therefore no longer be funding a number of studies, including the Zoe Study.The rationale for ending funding is outlined above and we hope we have been able to respond to your concerns. We are unable to enter into further correspondence on this matter. However, if you are unhappy with how your correspondence has been handled, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman with the support of your MP. The Ombudsman makes final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by the UKHSA. Their service is free and guidance on how to take a complaint to the Ombudsman is available at: www.ombudsman.org.uk.Yours sincerely,The Enquiries ServicePublic and Parliamentary Accountability TeamUKHSA”

Nicholas Evans ● 1684d3 Comments ● 1684d

Britain's proud tradition of welcoming refugees

We hear this endlessly: Tom Pursglove, a Home Office minister, repeated it yesterday in Parliament: he said that "This country has a long and proud tradition of providing sanctuary to those in need." Like Johnson and other ministers' claim that "Britain leads the world" (in whatever they're talking about at the time), this claim is a lie and it really is time it was acknowledged as such. Since at least the 1930s we have had a rotten record in keeping out as many as possible - even the kindertransport, so often boasted about, was besmirched by the refusal to allow in the children's parents, most of whom never saw their children again - and we're seeing the same now in the obstructive way the Home Office is making it so difficult for Ukrainian refugees to come here, despite the huge numbers of families who have signed up for the 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme.Why is the lie so prevalent? I suppose because it makes people feel good to tell themselves that it's true, rather like the widespread belief that the British Empire was a good thing: a 2014 survey by YouGov found that 59% thought that the Empire was something to be proud of. But it really is time to recognise reality, and not a fantasy based on how we'd like things to be.

Richard Carter ● 1692d27 Comments ● 1684d

Random pic 31 March 2022

From Waterloo Bridge                      https://flic.kr/p/2mTFBCF

Michael Ixer ● 1684d0 Comments ● 1684d

Baby P's Mother WILL Be Released!🤬

Yet another monster that deserves to be put down!🤬Yet another Parole Board fail! 🤬Mother of Baby P, who suffered months of abuse before his death, can be freed from jail, Parole Board says:https://news.sky.com/story/mother-of-baby-p-who-suffered-months-of-abuse-should-be-freed-from-jail-parole-board-says-12578189

Sue Hammond ● 1685d1 Comments ● 1685d

Random pic 30 March 2022

A stealth moth?                 https://flic.kr/p/2mVvBr5

Michael Ixer ● 1686d1 Comments ● 1685d

Parking warning

Was at Leaders Gardens this morning  2 parking restriction notices opposite each other  One stated no parking yesterday the other stating no parking for all of this week.  Make sure you read the correct one  The owner of Loo Loos was given a parking ticket today as she had only read the single day restriction  Decidedly wrong

Barbara Shillabeer ● 1687d5 Comments ● 1686d

Random pic 29 March 2022

Street art, Whitstable              https://flic.kr/p/2kCh6U3

Michael Ixer ● 1687d2 Comments ● 1686d

Random pic 28 March 2022

Dog chasing ducks:                        https://flic.kr/p/2mZHJhB This dog was chasing the ducks in the pond at Cannizaro Park Wimbledon. Although the dog's owner was berated by another passer-by for letting their dog panic the ducks I thought they were baiting the dog. They kept flying off when the dog got close to them then flew around and landed in formation a few feet in front of the dog; surely,  if the ducks were panicking they'd fly off in  random directions and not return immediately? (I've seen squirrels doing a similar thing with cats, repeatedly waving their bushy tails in front of the cat's face then hopping off before returning.) Thought more of a concern was the dog might tire itself out and struggle to get to the bank?

Michael Ixer ● 1687d0 Comments ● 1687d

Accident

Accident by the Arab Boy, opposite Ormond Court, about 2 today, don't know if a man or women, they had a crash helmet on lying on the floor. Somebody was directing the traffic around them. Then the Ambulance arrived.

Barbara Stevens ● 1688d1 Comments ● 1688d

CHICK'N 79, former Trespass site

Notice on shop front for booze licence indoors and outdoors. Sale of alcohol on and off premises. Is there a rear open air courtyard, could be noisy front and backWhat about Token Yard residents?

Penelope Becker ● 1690d5 Comments ● 1688d

Night Time Strategy consultation

As per a previous couple of threads...These are my personal thoughts on the Night Time strategy, having attended a presentation by the Council. This isn't just a Wandsworth Council thing. It was receommended by the GLA for all boroughs to do. It covers evening (6pm - midnight) and late night (midnight - 6am), and is to take account of leisure, hospitality, entertainment, late night workers including healthcare, delivery and logistics. It isn't just about bars and pubs, and is to find out more about those who work and travel at night too, the numbers of which are quite high. The biggest growth in public transport use is from 10pm -7am. The aim is to look at each of the Town Centres, which are all so different from each other. Clapham vs Balham vs Roehampton vs Putney vs Nine Elms etc and find out what people think, how they travel, how safe they feel, what's missing, what would make them feel safer, spend more to help High Streets thrive again, etcThey want to have interactive maps, and apps where you can see what's open late, what's available, what spaces are free to use and for what. It's across the generations.Obviously in Putney we have concerns that we're going to end up with more bars and pubs, and without proper policing and public toilets this would cause more issues. I personally wouldn't mind a 24 hour diner or restaurant where you could go and eat something decent. McDonalds opens the latest I think on the food front, and an alternative would be good, I'm sure.Positives too, such as theatres, cinemas, adult learning courses etcDo you want shops open later? What would make your life easier? At the moment we've got two licensing applications - old Trespass site, which would be Chik'n restaurant, and the old Subway which would be Thunderbird Chicken take away. Perhaps a chance to put in comments in the consultation that it should be a condition of licence that alcohol sale is not allowed without food sale? They've extended the consultation until 27 May.https://haveyoursay.citizenspace.com/wandsworthced/night/Do fill it out- positives and negatives all welcome, and the more who fill it out, the better.

Victoria Diamond ● 1688d1 Comments ● 1688d

Walham Green Farmers Market - open today

It’s Mothers Day so why not pop down to the market at St John’s Walham Green Primary School, Munster Road - today we have some delicious chocolates, artizan fudge or maybe she’d prefer some Spring flowers?Not forgetting our fabulous butcher, fresh fruit & veg, olives, cheese, cakes, sushi, crepes, homemade jams, organic wine, dog treats …..We’re open til 3pm every Sunday!

Fiona Campbell ● 1688d0 Comments ● 1688d

Random pic 27 March 2022

Union Street, Southwark                     https://flic.kr/p/2mTRFcm

Michael Ixer ● 1688d0 Comments ● 1688d