Forum Topics

Putney tree loss

It seems a shame that Putney is losing so many trees on at least one  residential street. There are signs on lots of established trees on the east side of Clarendon Drive to notify of their immanent removal.  Whilst appearing to be thriving I imagine they have succumbed to a disease and need to be removed before they eventually fall down.  I see they are going to replace them with new trees but I seem to remember that Putney has very mixed (at best) success with developing saplings into established trees.  I wonder if other streets are impacted too.

John Geoffries ● 835d3 Comments ● 834d

Random pic 25 July 2024

The O2, North Greenwich https://flic.kr/p/2pSxf2W

Michael Ixer ● 835d0 Comments ● 835d

Harry Savage Reality Program

Front page, been found dead in his Putney home.

Barbara Stevens ● 835d0 Comments ● 835d

Lawrence Oates

I am preparing a talk on Antarctic  hero/martyr Lawrence Oates. He spent three years at Willington School in the 1880s in Putney now in Wimbledon. Any old boy or girl who has  any memories of this distinguished old boy and how the present school deals with his legend I would love to hear from

Hugh Thompson ● 835d0 Comments ● 835d

Labour Are Opening The Doors Again

Home Secretary Cooper, speaking in the Chamber this afternoon, has announced that the Rwanda plan is being scrapped.  So Starmer, like Blair before him in 2004, will in effect be opening the U.K. to unfettered immigration again.

Sue Hammond ● 837d32 Comments ● 835d

Random pic 24 July 2024

Sunset over the South Downs https://flic.kr/p/JkhJJW

Michael Ixer ● 836d0 Comments ● 836d

Why can’t Wandsworth Council count?

You may have seen news reports in the last few days about the General electionresult here in Putney.I thought I understood the result quite clearly. As a newly elected local Councillor Iwas at the count and saw the election result read out from the main stage in the earlyhours of Friday 5 th July.  Only that isn’t what happened at all. On Wednesday (17 th July) the council added anextra 6558 votes to what it announced as the result.It doesn’t change the outcome. Fleur Anderson clearly won, and I hope she does agreat job – regardless of who you vote for that’s in our collective interest.What has now emerged has left me shocked. For context the number of ‘extra votes’that have been added this week are more than the combined winning margin in 2019and 2017!Turnout has leapt up from 42,737 (59%) to a far more respectable 49,513 (68%).The number of votes each candidate received has now also changed even if therespective places of the parties has not.For almost 2 weeks 1 in 6 votes in Putney effectively didn’t count. They weren’tphysically lost. There was no hidden box or sack of voting slips.But Wandsworth Council have demonstrated they simply cannot count.The council’s highly paid Chief Executive Mike Jackson was the man in charge of theelections and within 24 hours has announced he’s going for what we are told aretotally unrelated ‘personal reasons’. I will take what he says at face value.But as a Putney resident and Councillor I think we need answers. What we have hadso far is a pretty muted apology and a vague promise it won’t happen again. MyCouncil colleagues have pressed for answers and tried to have the matter formallydiscussed. But rather than a full update and taking questions the Council sought toshut down debate.Openness and transparency are not the way this Labour run council operate. This isn’tFlorida and we ought to be able to quickly and accurately count paper ballots.A ‘spreadsheet error’ doesn’t explain why the system failed so spectacularly. After allthe votes cast should equate to the number of ballot papers issued. One sheet ofpaper, a pencil and a calculator should be enough.Having been so incompetent the Council needs to demonstrate it can do the basics.Next week we might learn a bit more. It will need to be impressive if voters can haveconfidence that when we get the result next time it wont then be overturned!

Nick Austin ● 840d51 Comments ● 836d

Random pic 23 July 2024

A reboot? https://flic.kr/p/2oCVYjbI guess a few IT support people needed a stiff drink on Friday 

Michael Ixer ● 837d1 Comments ● 836d

Random pic 22 July 2024

Sherlock Holmes at Baker Street Station https://flic.kr/p/2q2c6fF

Michael Ixer ● 838d1 Comments ● 837d

A new wrinkle in the election

Biden withdraws in favour of V-P.

David Ainsworth ● 838d2 Comments ● 838d

BT Broadband Cloud Storage Service

Sorry, I realise this isn't a Putney only issue but I know from previous forum discussions a number of people use BT's Broadband service. I've just spotted a news item that BT are closing the cloud storage service linked to their broadband product. After 31st October 2024 it will be turned off and all data deleted so anyone storing data in BT's Cloud will need to copy it elsewhere before that date. Full news article and link to BT's announcement:https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2024/07/broadband-isp-bt-confirms-closure-of-uk-cloud-storage-service.html

Michael Ixer ● 838d0 Comments ● 838d

Barnes Bridge scum

I had the most unpleasant experience of observing a group of 3 teenage boys (around 15 to 17 yrs so not very young) shouting at and then spitting on a family sailing along the Thames in a small boat under Barnes Bridge. They shouted "posh *****" as if to justify their actions. The scummily behaved boys were teens and no doubt any attempt to remonstate with them would have resulted in accusations of bullying and rascism. A sad indictment on the young and no doubt the ruination of a pleasant trip for those in the small boat. I image the aim on the teens was impeccable - no doubt next it will be a bottle or a brick. Hopefully those in the boat report it and they identify the perpetrators from CCTV as it's presumably assault but I doubt any resource will be given to it and as ever nothing will be done. Had they been grown men hopefully someone might have given them the slap they deserve.

John Geoffries ● 839d1 Comments ● 838d

Random pic 21 July 2024

The Roman Bridge, Trier, Germany https://flic.kr/p/2peK6EB

Michael Ixer ● 839d0 Comments ● 839d

Cashless society eh?

With the global outage caused by one flawed update it shows how reliant we have become on automated systems and how dangerous that is.Tried to buy a ticket for a footie match but systems are down so no go. Tried a phone call to the club no go. asked if I could pop to the box office and pay cash for a ticket,  computer says no ( in fact computer said nothing) man on the phone said no.A few weeks back at racing the wi fi was down so they could pour you a beer but couldnt sell it as they didnt take cash it was card only.how daft is that! Whilst I use card far more than i ever did ( pandemic hangover) I always have cash on me but apparently lots of places gave no plan b.

Andy Pike ● 839d8 Comments ● 839d

From Airstrip One to number one target

"JD Vance, the Ohio senator, was announced as Mr Trump’s running mate on Monday after the former president was shot in the ear during a rally in Pennsylvania at the weekend.Recounting a conversation he was having with a friend, the 39-year-old said he had been wondering which “truly Islamist country” would be the first to gain access to nuclear weapons.“I was talking about, you know, what is the first truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon?” he said. “Maybe it is Iran, maybe Pakistan already kind of counts, and then we finally decided that it’s actually the UK – since Labour just took over.”" (Independent today)Ban the Bomb as the "extreme left" CND would say.

David Ainsworth ● 843d27 Comments ● 839d

JimSkea IPCC on HARDtalk

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001zkvr

Philippa Bond ● 894d6 Comments ● 839d

Front Page

Also about lost votes in Putney.

Barbara Stevens ● 840d13 Comments ● 839d

Labour leaflets

HelloI just wondering if anyone received election promo leaflets from Labour? Where I live we seem to have had them from Conservative, Lib Dem’s, Green and ReformBut nothing from LabourI’m wondering if they are just delivering and engaging with certain areas?

Emma Blackwell ● 856d17 Comments ● 839d

Random pic 20 July 2024

Monitoring equipment in the Leaning Tower of Pisa https://flic.kr/p/294GyF5

Michael Ixer ● 840d0 Comments ● 840d

Do Republicans actually have a sense of humour? No, really.

Trump's "supporters at the Republican National Convention have started sporting their own fake ear bandages on the convention floor in a showing of solidarity with the Republican nominee."https://www.reuters.com/resizer/v2/P7ZJCCKG3ZMNRD6GIYQYTA34EA.jpg?auth=685bacb28f360bed4036894de9c361da6b1524e785e67fe0e102cd835d4bb916&width=720&quality=80But is it a sign that this is a real cult, or even a new faith? Is it like wearing a cross? "During his speech before the Republican National Convention on Thursday Trump said, “I had God on my side.”This was echoed again and again.Former Fox News host and Trump devotee Tucker Carlson said, “I think it was divine intervention.”"But why did He not save Kennedy? Or Martin Luther King?Anyway, I hope that it does not catch on over here, or Ms Hammond may hear of it.

David Ainsworth ● 840d0 Comments ● 840d