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Brixton news, rumour and general chat - August 2014

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I tried to get a quote for home insurance the other day from John Lewis. They wouldn't even give me a quote because apparently I live in a flood-risk area. :confused::D
 
boohoo said:
From the Effra?
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They didn't know. It was a "computer says no" moment. The guy on the phone was baffled. Not had a problem with any other insurer. There was a problem with flash flooding some years ago, but our property wasn't affected and they've improved the storm drains since then.
 
Ms T said:
They didn't know. It was a "computer says no" moment. The guy on the phone was baffled. Not had a problem with any other insurer. There was a problem with flash flooding some years ago, but our property wasn't affected and they've improved the storm drains since then.
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That's a bit odd.... They can usually be very precise to the house. My parents and their neighbours get charged different amounts for insurance because they are a flood risk and my parents' house isn't
 
boohoo said:
Ideally there would be more social housing built and secure tenancies for any kind of renters - however can't see either of these things happening.
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Fundamentally, as long as our "system" is run along neoliberal lines, it's economically impossible, and ideologically unsound.
Give the less well-off security, when you can profit from their insecurity? Not going to happen, is it?
 
Ms T said:
I tried to get a quote for home insurance the other day from John Lewis. They wouldn't even give me a quote because apparently I live in a flood-risk area. :confused::D
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We had this nonsense too - they wanted to know if anyone within 100 yards of our flat had been flooded. Well, yes, I could go round all of the streets knocking on doors and asking if those buildings had been flooded but it doesn't seem a very efficient way of organising insurance. I can't remember what the outcome was and I dare say I left it to friendofdorothy to deal with (as usual.)
 
Ol Nick said:
Let's just remove it. Take down the boards. Put them back in the house they belong to. What actually is anyone going to do? Next time I'm pissed and wandering about Brixton I'll do it.
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Just found an email from the developer, Anthony Thomas of Antic, telling me building work there would be complete by spring.

He's ignored the enforcement notice, telling him to remove the boards.
 
Ms T said:
They didn't know. It was a "computer says no" moment. The guy on the phone was baffled. Not had a problem with any other insurer. There was a problem with flash flooding some years ago, but our property wasn't affected and they've improved the storm drains since then.
Click to expand...
Sorry can't remember which company - but it was one of those hounding us for business for contents insurance - We are within a 100m of the (underground) river Effra, but they didn't want to know that. They did ask the bizarre question 'has any of your neighbours within 100m ever claimed for flood damage?' yes I know people around here were flooded yes, but were they within 100m, did they claim? I've no idea - that could include people 3 streets away - how could I possibly know? they seemed genuinely surprised when I couldn't answer.

There were some people on basements on Railton rd you were flooded by sewer water up to ground level about 6 or 8 ft in some cases. If you go to the bathroom shop on the corner of Dulwich rd and Effra terrace in their basement showroom if you look up at the ceiling there is a mark on the ceiling - caused the the Effra exploding and the solid metal grid cover hitting the ceiling! in the great HH flood of 2004.
We have flood defences now provided by Thames Water - but they are only any good if you are at home to put them in place when the rain starts.

If I ever move, I want to live at the top of a hill - not a basement in a river valley. Yes buscador you were quite right we should have bought those thigh length waders when they were on special offer in Lidl a decade or so ago.
 
el-ahrairah said:
what's that got to do with the discussion?

can you tell the difference between owning one thing and owning lots of things in a manner that ensures that others go without?
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What we need to do is add up the total floor area of residential buildings in London, then divide it by the number of people living in London. Or should it be divided by the number of people who want to live in London? Anyway, then we have a number of square metres per person, and anyone who owns a property that exceeds this figure in floor area is banned from being meaningfully left wing.
 
You know that thing where you have someone on ignore, and then you decide to have a look at what they said, and then realise, that it's the usual rubbish missing the point trolling nonsense for the lulz that you can't be arsed with. Yeah, that.
 
el-ahrairah said:
what's that got to do with the discussion?

can you tell the difference between owning one thing and owning lots of things in a manner that ensures that others go without?
Click to expand...

It was a genuine thought and question and while not exactly the same, not unrelated.

There is certainly a view that those who buy mean others go without by raising the price to levels many cannot afford and ensuring that the only call for social housing comes from those less well-off thereby reducing the impact of the demand on politicians. London is a prime example of this.

When I met mr nags he said that he would never own a property. Unfortunately he hooked up with me and I was already a property owner and still am. Like most people I have capitulated to the idea that I need a house of my own, mostly for security in old age reasons. But this doesn't mean I don't have sympathy with the idea that property owning is part of the problem.
 
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friendofdorothy said:
Sorry can't remember which company - but it was one of those hounding us for business for contents insurance - We are within a 100m of the (underground) river Effra, but they didn't want to know that. They did ask the bizarre question 'has any of your neighbours within 100m ever claimed for flood damage?' yes I know people around here were flooded yes, but were they within 100m, did they claim? I've no idea - that could include people 3 streets away - how could I possibly know? they seemed genuinely surprised when I couldn't answer.

There were some people on basements on Railton rd you were flooded by sewer water up to ground level about 6 or 8 ft in some cases. If you go to the bathroom shop on the corner of Dulwich rd and Effra terrace in their basement showroom if you look up at the ceiling there is a mark on the ceiling - caused the the Effra exploding and the solid metal grid cover hitting the ceiling! in the great HH flood of 2004.
We have flood defences now provided by Thames Water - but they are only any good if you are at home to put them in place when the rain starts.

If I ever move, I want to live at the top of a hill - not a basement in a river valley. Yes buscador you were quite right we should have bought those thigh length waders when they were on special offer in Lidl a decade or so ago.
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The thing is we weren't flooded in 2004, but the houses at the other end of the row were. I've never been asked about flooding before, and obvs we have had buildings insurance the whole time.
 
Ms T said:
The thing is we weren't flooded in 2004, but the houses at the other end of the row were. I've never been asked about flooding before, and obvs we have had buildings insurance the whole time.
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Exactly the situation here.
 
nagapie said:
It was a genuine thought and question and while not exactly the same, not unrelated.

There is certainly a view that those who buy mean others go without by raising the price to levels many cannot afford and ensuring that the only call for social housing comes from those less well-off thereby reducing the impact of the demand on politicians. London is a prime example of this.

When I met mr nags he said that he would never own a property. Unfortunately he hooked up with me and I was already a property owner and still am. Like most people I have capitulated to the idea that I need a house of my own, mostly for security in old age reasons. But this doesn't mean I don't have sympathy with the idea that property owning is part of the problem.
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sorry, i was a bit in argumentative mode then, my apologies for being a bit politics-forum with you then.

one day i'd like to work towards all property owned in kind and no-one going without or having too much. for now we're going to have to destroy the livelihoods of the landlords and the speculators by a combination of housebuilding and redistribution of wealth.
 
nagapie said:
Can you be a property owner and meaningfully left-wing?
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I think that that is possible, because at root a "property owner" is more often a mortgagee, and someone who is effectively paying money to a bank in order to occupy a property. The difference is that you (may) build equity. Obviously, you couldn't be meaningfully communist, but (at least in comparison to the soft-left Parliamentary froth) you can be genuinely socialist in most ways that matter.
It's also essential that in terms of politics, we as individuals and communities acknowledge political realities "on the ground"< and work with what we've got, not with what we'd ideally like.
 
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