Meenzer

This thread has kept me away from my work and watching the Aussie Open tennis for, ooh, a good 10 minutes now. I feel thoroughly violated. Carry on.

Neither. He graduates in the summer, and can we fuck afford to stay in London long-term, so...

Aye, a lot of the predictions (both doomy and optimistic) seem to be based on the number of people who've bought additional properties to let out. If they get screwed then there could be plenty of houses and flats becoming available on the cheap (relatively speaking), but I imagine all a downturn in selling prices is going to mean for most people is that they stay put rather than moving onwards/upwards/elsewhere like they might otherwise have done. The other factor you've got in Newcastle, I suppose (and the same is true of other "redevelopment" cities, as I'm sure the Fish could confirm for Leeds, for example), is a lot of new-build flats that are struggling to find owners. Council estates of the future, if you believe the worst pessimists...

Madeleine McCann gets my vote. We'd be guaranteed excellent tabloid sentiment for once.

RatGH - I Flambéed Ainsley Harriott

Срећан рођендан!

Closest any Wii owner is ever going to get to the real thing I suppose.

If you believe what you read in the papers.

Right. I'm off to the gym. Last time I did this, the ***BREAKING NEWS*** about Allardyce leaving flashed up on the TV screen just as I arrived, so we'll see what happens this time.

By playing beauuuuuuuuuuutiful football as we lose every game 7-6, because that's what the SHEERA!!1! brigade want?

I stuck a few quid on him just to jinx it.

I'd smack your bum, but you'd fucking love that Pssht. I'm far more S than M.

Careful as you step down off your high horse then.

but dad, he started it!

At least. There's a one-bedroom flat next-door to me going for £235k. And christ knows I don't exactly live in a salubrious part of Lahndan.

No. Don't rate him, but hope to be proved entirely wrong.

Okkervil River - The War Criminal Rises And Speaks

Just in time for Redknapp's sacking. Perfick!

Really? I bet T-Keith's heard of him. I bet Jonny's made a video of him, too.

Good call! The Fortunes - You've Got Your Troubles

Random topic-starting/interrogation-style bombardment. No offence meant.

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/busines...ob-20080110648/

I'm idly contemplating a move back up to Newcastle as one of many post-summer options, so I've been keeping an eye on house price movements and the like. It does appear that things are starting to slow down a bit, what with the supposed "credit crunch" and all - I've even seen Gosforth and Jesmond properties being slashed in price, although they were probably the most likely to be vastly overinflated in the first place. Sooo... how many of you lot already own? Are you concerned about the future? For those still to buy (and intending to do so) but currently priced out of the kind of places you really want, like me, are you willing to keep renting and waiting to see what happens over the next few years, or do you think it's a hopeless case and things will keep going up, up, up? Do any of you share the view that owning a house is pointless in the first place anyway? (etc. etc.) Sorry for coming over all Glasgow Mag, but I reckon it'd be interesting to get a wide range of views, and not just from those living in the north-east. I realise that house prices are the most dull dinner party conversation topic there is, but hey, I never claimed to be interesting.

Meanwhile: Counting Crows - August And Everything After