London ILB - FAP?

Pre-pandemic you could usually get a table.

Yes - unlikely to be rammed; I imagine I'll be there fairly soon after 5.30 so I feel reasonably confident that we should have a table

I’ll see you there around then Tim, I’m in town myself so should be able to head over fairly early

i'm wandering over from the beano show at somerset house so will probably also be early

Excellent x2

I'm thinking of coming but I probably shouldn't or rather I shouldn't drink but if I can manage to nurse a pint all night I will.

I've stopped drinking during lockdown so if you need someone to look lame next to you I'm there.

It's not so much about looking lame as my inability to go into a pub and not drink more than I should.

Tom D I will be there in solidarity with you! You should come!

Btw picked up a copy of the stories of Heinrich Böll off unwanted books shelf at the station, anyone want it?

FYI Royal Oak closed for an event 🙄 suggest people come to The George on Borough high st instead, everything inside reserved but we have an outside table, wrap up warm I guess

Cool

lovely to see ppl and sorry to scoot like that but i was just s-o-o-o-o cold!

Was lovely to meet people I hadn’t met before and to see the rest of you again, going to go home and hopefully not die of pneumonia now

I was glad to meet poster Gyac from Co. Offaly. I strongly agreed with her comments about "melts".

It was lovely to meet you too pinefox, thank you for validating my comments about melts ❤️

A good discussion at the FAP concerned membership of the Labour Party - why maintain it? One good reason was given: so that you can still look forward to exercising the right to cancel it.

Today I finally cancelled my Direct Debit. I also sent a message via their website noting this. But given the incompetence of the party, I won't be surprised if they keep trying to take my money.

Very proud of you

They got to you, pinefox!!!

(Just kidding; I cancelled mine ages ago. Here's to the New Left Party whenever it feels like starting)

Would like to do this next month, preferably second half of the month without the hypothermia from last time. Any takers?

Yes.

Wonder if our former venue will become available again. Though it's not what it was.

Never been, wouldn’t know. Regardless of where we end up, there’s surely no way it can be as bad as last time?

Can do any Thurs in March bar the 10th. And yes let's go to Royal Oak.

Does it have to be Thursday, zero enthusiasm about the 17th tbh

It doesn't have to be but FAPs are almost always held on a Thursday.

So we still the 3rd or 24th (even the 10th but I am travelling back that day and could miss it).

My availability is currently rather unpredictable for one reason and another, meaning the following should not be used to inform any decision, but I'm pretty certain I can't make anything in the first half of March, 17th would eb the earliest.

First half is out for me as well, second would be better

Ok, I’m willing to concede on the 17th but ye are all to blame if it’s bad

ilxor fizzles arrives in one of those big Guinness hats

we should be so lucky for that level of taste

Wins you should come to this btw

xp Oh dear, yes I see why 17th might be unfavourable..

Lol ah ok..

24th it is :-)

Surely Royal Oak, whatever its flaws now, is not a St Patrick's Day kind of pub?

I wonder, on the other hand, what an actual Irish pub (NOT a chain O'Neill's or the like) - for instance McGlynn's near King's Cross - is like that night. I really don't know.

I've never been in McGlynn's on St Patrick's Day but I've been there on plenty of other occasions!

xp the greatest horseplay of all time

McGlynn’s a classic of course but also never been on St Patrick’s day.

Xyzzzz___ seems to have decided the 24th now?

Are we still on for the 24th?

My assumption though ofc this might now not be good for some.

I'll be in Scotland on the 24th anyway.

i haven't expressed a pref bcz these days i don't really know till the day how tired i will be on the relevant evening (i am old and on beta blockers)

but i wd like to see everyone and all dates are fine with me!

oh *this* is why the 24th has been in my head. it’s the afternoon of our work christmas party, and i kept on thinking “but isn’t there a clash?” and looking at my work and home diary and not finding anything.

read this as "woke christmas party" tbrr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee639qaoYnE

I'll be in Scotland on the 24th anyway.

― Alfred Ndwego of Kenya (Tom D.), Saturday, 5 March 2022 bookmarkflaglink

17th is good for me btw. Can we all agree to switch?

Er, I'll be in Paris on the 17th!

Ah ok then :)

they seek him here they seek him there