The Off Topic Topic

[garbon]

The census seems a lot shorter than usual this year 🤔

51 potential questions is short? Note 2011 census was apparently 56 potential questions.

[Josquius]

Maybe it's the hidden follow ups and pagination that makes it seem small.
And my memory being poor.
But I had the impression  it went into a lot more detail last time.

Suffice to say I put European for my national identity. 🇪🇺

[Syt]

[Sheilbh]

And the response of the Finns:
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/finland-is-the-happiest-country-in-the-world-and-finns-arent-happy-about-it/

We Finns reacted the same way as we have reacted to other top rankings in various international comparisons: we criticized the methodology of the study, questioned its conclusions and pointed to the shortcomings of Finnish society.

It is really interesting in that article that this is basically a measure of contentment - how happy are you in your life and circumstances. Surveys on whether people are feeling positive emotions is pretty different - lots of Latin American countries at the top.

[Sheilbh]

The Carlton Tavern has re-opened

This is one of my favourite recent stories. Property developer buys a 1920s pub to convert into flats. They're denied planning permission and the pub is also being considered for grade II listing. So two days before the pub is listed the developers demolish it to present the local authority with a fait accompli - they either approve their plans or have a vacant lot.

But the local planning officer decided (and the courts agreed) that the developer had to rebuild the pub brick-by-brick - it's the first time there's been such an order because the previous punishment of a fine plus planning permission for a new development didn't work:


This developer was particularly brazen, it's more common to just take off a lot of tiles in the roof and then go to the council and say "look the site's derelict you need to approve the flats".

[Tamas]

God forbid we build even more flats in this country. It is pubs we have shortage of.

[Sheilbh]

Give us flats but give us pubs too!

I also thought the census was pretty quick

[garbon]

God forbid we build even more flats in this country. It is pubs we have shortage of.

I'm with Tamas. I don't really see how Britain needs more pubs.

[Sheilbh]

They're important community hubs.

More importantly developers shouldn't be able to get around negative planning decisions in that way - especially when the building's just about to be listed.

[celedhring]

https://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/29313/spain-has-more-bars-per-inhabitant-than-any-other-eu-country-study-shows

[Sheilbh]

https://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/29313/spain-has-more-bars-per-inhabitant-than-any-other-eu-country-study-shows

Bless you

The lack of all day coffee options/cafes is something that really annoys me about this country. After about 6-7pm the only options are pubs or restaurants.

[Josquius]

God forbid we build even more flats in this country. It is pubs we have shortage of.

I'm with Tamas. I don't really see how Britain needs more pubs.

.
100% disagree. The pub industry really is in trouble in the UK. They're closing at a massive rate.
If I were PM /empra one of my policies would be to mess with the taxes to make drinking out cheaper so there is less temptation to just drink at home.
Helps alcoholism, depression, and various other societal problems. Especially in light of the dying high street this is needed.
Oh. And some kind of special fund for community pubs. Would be very vulnerable to exploitation by spoons and the like though so needs to be setup smart

[Richard Hakluyt]

Quite right Tyr, the taxes can be used to make the cost of a drink the same in a pub as it would be from a supermarket.

In addition young people should be allowed in to drink in pubs subject to not irritating the senior clientele 

[Tamas]

Tyr aren't you too young for "there's change to how things used to be, the state should spend money on keeping things the same!" talk?

[Duque de Bragança]

Quite right Tyr, the taxes can be used to make the cost of a drink the same in a pub as it would be from a supermarket.

In addition young people should be allowed in to drink in pubs subject to not irritating the senior clientele 

Old Senior gentlemen drinking their vintage port in a corner, the youths having their pints in the far, opposite corner.