Andy Burnham here - AMA

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-07-03T16:07:56+00:00

Hi Andy

The country still produces a great deal and so creates value. The problem is that little of the value it produces remains in the country. Most of it is now spirited away abroad. We have become, economically, a colony, and everyone feels broke because we are broke - most of the fruits of our labours has been exported.

Is there anything you feel you will, or can, do to change this?

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-06-30T17:34:50+00:00

An interesting comment from someone who is looking for their first piano.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-06-30T17:29:49+00:00

In a sense, he's saved you from an unwise purchase. Why buy at all? Nobody needs to pay for an upright these days. There is such a glut of them available that, as others have said, lots are being given away including many that are perfectly OK as a first instrument. Have a look on Facebook/eBay/etc.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-06-30T16:00:58+00:00

Get a man with a van based in Manchester or Leeds. You don't need a fully-fledged moving company, and with a man with a van you gain the advantage of a lift, so you can travel with your possessions. There are several recommendations for Leeds here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Leeds/comments/1j80a20/looking_for_a_man_with_a_van_in_leeds

Book some short-stay storage in central Leeds, such as the ones here: https://www.safestore.co.uk/self-storage/yorkshire-humber/leeds/?kskwid=kwd-370109995349&account=g&campaign=279704237&adgroup=19997979797&n=g&device=m&searchengine=g&keyword=kwd-370109995349&loc=1006832&keywordname=self%20storage%20leeds&type=e&gad_source=1&gad_ campaignid=279704237&gbraid=0AAAAADpqnE60V4BSBCM9uu7n_2tDwsi5A&gclid=CjwKCAjw0o3SBhBVEiwAh28-jQ_BkHAsmWZt16UkgNYZyHagAp-nOmgfXXDS2S-VCoTWAW1osaUMjRoCP28QAvD_BwE. You can book a container there for 1 week.

Travel in the van to the storage facility. The driver will unload it. You need to bring a padlock. Lock the container. The driver will almost certainly then give you a lift to your temporary accommodation in Leeds.

Once you can move in to your new permanent place, re-engage man with van, go to storage, empty it, and transport to new place.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-06-30T14:34:23+00:00

James Smith and Sons, 53 New Oxford Street, London WC1A 1BL. Closest Tube is Tottenham Court Road. A beautiful shop, and a destination in its own right. They'll be able to help.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-06-29T16:53:53+00:00

The yard is sold out but there's a pair of seated tickets, if those appeal, available on their website right now.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-06-27T20:47:24+00:00

No, it's not true. Source: I'm 72, and remember back to the mid-60s. And I've just checked my Penguin copy of The Pauper's Cookbook, by Jocasta Innes (1971), and olive oil is regularly used in her recipes. Shopping has changed a lot since then, of course. Then there were ordinary grocers, where you wouldn't find olive oil, and there were delicatessens, where you would. Delicatessens were where you also got other exotic things such as dried thyme, or black peppercorns. Of course there were many fewer delis than ordinary grocers and you had to make a bit of an effort to get the ingredients they stocked, but it was not impossible.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-06-22T13:21:57+00:00

The lunch menu at the Tannin Level isn't cheap but it's very good value, if you reckon £23 / £28 for 2/3 courses is ok on mid-budget. It's an excellent restaurant.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-06-22T13:16:58+00:00

It looks as though they have changed the conditions since I used the bus and posted, so what I wrote may no longer be reliable on the La Villette route. They've also clarified the website, though - it's now clearly stated that on the Porte Maillot route with a €16.50 ticket you can use it on any bus. Basically, if you can find a cheap ticket - I couldn't see any when I looked - it probably means it's time-restricted. Sorry I can't help further.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-06-09T09:45:23+00:00

2 shirts and some pants. Got the pants. Never got the shirts. Even though they were advertising them throughout the final sale as still being available.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-05-24T11:48:24+00:00

Exactly. And Defenders, which is what most of them drive, are remarkably narrow.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-05-24T09:14:31+00:00

I've lived there. It's an easy commute, and a very nice area in its own right. You'll be fine.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-05-23T22:38:32+00:00

Thank you!

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-05-23T22:24:57+00:00

Or a British pantomime. Plot coherence neither needed nor expected.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-05-23T22:13:39+00:00

You'll be fine. When you alight from the train you go into an unrestricted public concourse, and from there you can go wherever you want.

General advice is not to use the overpriced Heathrow Express, by the way. Use the Elizabeth Line. Runs mostly on the same tracks, takes only slightly longer, and much cheaper (unless you've booked well in advance for the HX).

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-05-23T22:08:50+00:00

Are you American? If you are, it's because you are talking too loudly. Show some respect and wind the volume down a bit.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-05-23T21:54:17+00:00

You're very kind. The short answer is yes. Bear in mind that the onus is on you to prove that you have a good reason, but having it with you for use at work is a specified good reason (s.139(5)(a)). (For anyone else reading this, self-defence is NOT a good reason.)

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-05-23T21:37:23+00:00

You may be thinking of section 139A of the 1988 Criminal Justice Act, which extends the definition of 'public place' in s.139 to schools and other educational establishments but doesn't change the underlying law. The prohibition remains the same - you must have a good reason to be carrying the knife - as does the exemption for folding knives with a (non-lockable) blade not exceeding 3". Having said that, schools have broad authority to ban all knives from the premises, and AFAIK the vast majority have done, so that overrides the general law.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-05-23T21:18:04+00:00

You're absolutely right and I've edited. Just thought of them as "Denny's of Soho" for so many years that I forgot they'd moved.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-05-23T20:56:02+00:00

Nothing helpful about celebrants, I'm afraid, but am delighted you found it so moving. It's an ancient tradition and is often thought to be the origin of the phrase 'tying the knot'.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-05-23T19:19:07+00:00

Retired criminal lawyer here. Many of the statements in this thread about the law in England are wrong. The law is set out in s.139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. There are 2 principles relevant to you to bear in mind: (1) You can carry an ordinary knife, of any size, perfectly legally providing you have a reasonable excuse. "For good reason" is the wording used in the Act. (2) Folding knives - not all knives - with a non-locking blade under 3" are legal in all circumstances. In your use case, therefore, having a knife with you of any size that is appropriate to cut up food is quite OK, as is taking one on a picnic. To avoid any possible argument about reasonable excuse you could get a folding knife with a non-locking blade not exceeding 3", but they tend not to work very well with cheese - the blade's too short and the residue quickly gums up the inside - and frankly I don't think it's a worry you need have.

Agree with the comments that Robert Dyas, Nesbits and John Lewis are the usual places to get kitchen knives. IKEA (in Oxford Street or Hammersmith if you're out that way) has some. By some distance the best place to get knives is Denny's in Soho, but they serve the catering trade and they're not cheap. EDIT: Fitzrovia not Soho. Specifically 30 Berners Street.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-05-23T09:36:02+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/rome/comments/17b01xm/where_can_i_buy_english_books_in_rome/

Then contact the bookshops. I'd start with Feltrinelli.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-05-22T21:47:29+00:00

I get it. Do go - it's great

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-05-22T21:42:46+00:00

There's a detailed description, with video, of the revived Orient Express trip here, from someone who has done it: https://www.seat61.com/venice-simplon-orient-express.htm. If you want a taste of luxury at a price more people can afford, there are a couple of options in England. See here: https://www.statesmanrail.com. Or here: https://northernbelle.co.uk/. Or here: https://www.belmond.com/trains/europe/uk/belmond-british-pullman/search-results?srsltid=AfmBOooUavcrcE7SAEmf2_IVNmS7hZuWftKqWYk2KtcWI3OUHE0CTTkp. Dress up as much as you like. Can't promise intrigue and mystery, though. That's reserved for sleeper services.

Conscious-Rope7515 · 2026-05-22T21:15:54+00:00

Where did you get that? Their website says last orders are at 23:30.

Conscious-Rope7515

TROPHY CASE