Londoners have absolutely decimated my city

They all have to deal with these people on a daily basis and they are all, without exception, absolutely awful.

I don’t buy for a minute that every single one is awful.That’s your prejudice and small mindedness talking.

I’m amazed and dismayed by how many people seemingly object to any “incomers” moving in. Unless you’re content to marry your cousin, places, whether cities or villages, do need new blood.

Let me try again.

@Pollipops1 was born and bred in London. She is therefore a Londoner. It doesn’t matter where her parents or grandparents or great grandparents came from or what other cultural heritage she has. She is a Londoner. If she moved to Essex tomorrow, she would still be a Londoner.

The people who move to London for work or family or whatever other reason, who settle in London for any period of time, should feel like London is their home. It is their home. They’re as much a vital part of the community as people who can trace their London roots back to the Romans. They aren’t ’less than’ anyone born & bred there. But they are not Londoners. They are people who live in London. It’s not an insult or an attempt to make anyone feel unwelcome or unwanted. Part of what makes London the wonderful place it is, is different people moving in and out.

And because I obviously don’t speak for everyone born and bred in London, I’m sure there will be Londoners who disagree with me and consider anyone who lives in London to be a Londoner. But I firmly believe that if you were not born in London, then you cannot be a Londoner, in the same way that I couldn’t be a Glaswegian if I moved there tomorrow. It could be my home and my community and I could love it and feel tied to it, but there is not a soul in Glasgow who would consider me Glaswegian.

I’m amused and puzzled by so many people insisting that everything was in perfect in their own little of corner of Wales/Scotland/England until those damned incomers arrive, who are apparently all arseholes. Yet none of the “natives” seemingly were? I find it hard to believe that everything was oh so perfect before the “incomers “ arrived.

It reminds me of when we had new builds built here and a path opened up which allowed people from other parts much easier access to the woodland that I live next to, which caused a lot of complaints. Yes there was more dog poo everywhere which I despise but I’d expect it with greater numbers visiting but we had quite a bit of poop lying around before the path was open so who was leaving it then? Only the sainted locals.

I don’t know what that means either 😂

You sound very possessive

Yes, all of this, but in Wales. The only thing they bring to the area is loud voices and complaints. They're all SO arrogant and entitled. Their behaviour is disgusting and they've destroyed the local communities.

I have nothing against English people in general, but these ones from Kent/Essex/Lahndahn, Sarfffend etc are a different breed.

@Goldenbear houses with large gardens are not essential for a good community. Of course many in London owned and still do own houses but has always been a compromise in terms of space.

You see people on here bemoaning the faxt the can't fford anything in London and react with horror if a flat or a less fashionble part of London is suggested.

Also London has always been an international city. It was founded by the Romans as a trading port.

Try living in a small fishing village in Devon where all the newcomers have awful ‘sauf east Landan’ accents! I fucking can’t stand it! And why do they all talk so bloody loud?! And the older ones are so racist! Seriously, it boils my piss. And yes OP, you’re absolutely right about the home improvements. Add on stupid complaints too such as farmers are muck spreading and they don’t like the smell?!?!! Ohh bore off!

I’m obviously not speaking for anyone else here, but these shitty areas you refer to are our homes and communities. They’re not just a stop gap until the area is gentrified and you can properly enjoy it along with the rest of your avocado eating mates, or until you can profit from the property prices and move somewhere posher.

I’m glad you feel at home in London. Long may it continue. But you’re still not a Londoner.

I’m obviously not speaking for anyone else here, but these shitty areas you refer to are our homes and communities. They’re not just a stop gap until the area is gentrified and you can properly enjoy it along with the rest of your avocado eating mates, or until you can profit from the property prices and move somewhere posher.

I’m glad you feel at home in London. Long may it continue. But you’re still not a Londoner.

if someone was suggesting they were a Londoner I suppose I would have think they grew up there and would ask which part and what school they went to.

I’ve met a few people in my time who say they are Londoners from X (my bit of London) but when I’ve asked what school or do you remember X they have said oh I moved here as an adult. Admittedly I have found that a bit odd.

I would never dismiss anyone’s concerns? Why are you saying all this stuff to me?

I came to London as a student in 1990 and lived in shitty places like everyone else. I compromised and moved away from posh areas to somewhere I could afford on my public sector salary.

All I am doing here is saying I identify as a Londoner. It’s great. It’s the only place I feel I belong.

@Mirabai of course they do but they is an acceptance amongst Londoners that there are trade offs. Some people seem to want to big house, driveway, parking, big garden etc.. but also live in London. And then moan when that is not possible for most people.

@ExpressCheckout

There are tribes, absolutely, it would be naive to think otherwise. But people have often moved to London to escape a kind of tribalism that they feel has been forced upon them through the accident of their birth.

You have to allow people their right to determine their own tribes as opposed to forcing tribes from hundreds of years ago onto them. That’s kind of the whole point of London.

I am meaning in the literal sense not in abstract way- you can feel like you are part of a community, I certainly feel that in Brighton having lived here for 20 years but I would still not refer to myself as a Brightonian, I’m a Londoner. I know a few people who have been born and grew up here and they would ask you what school you went to such is a Brightonian such a rarity. I wouldn’t be offended by that, what’s to be offended by! When our DC started reception so a good 12 years ago for my eldest, some of the Mums went for a coffee to get to know each other on the first day and it was an array of areas people can from and nationalities, Sweden, Japan, a Mancunian Mum was asked by the Swedish Mum where she was from and she replied, “Brighton”, the Swedish Mum looked confused as she had a Northern accent. She was making a point but frankly I think that is ridiculous and what is wrong with being from somewhere else. My 90 year old neighbour is an original Eastender and still refers to being a Londoner despite living in Brighton for 50 years. My parents moved to London late 60s and lived their respectively for 45 and 25 years, they never referred to themselves as Londoners, that’s not to say that their identity and references weren’t of London but I suppose like me they thought Londoners to be in the literal sense.

I don’t think it is particularly helpful or fair to people who have lived there their whole lives to tell them their woes about a new development in Ealing or a redevelopment of Walthamstow grey hound racing stadium for example or invalid and actually move on if you don’t like it, in fact you probably won’t have much choice as you will be priced out of the area. Dismissing these issues as hostility doesn’t help anyone, is London to just be pocket studios for couples or single tiny spaces, then people shoved in 4 to a room, then incredibly wealthy people? You can’t really blame families that lived in communities where people had average income jobs, teachers, retail staff, etc, lamenting the absence of that now and be told that their concerns are irrelevant!

@ExpressCheckout

There are tribes, absolutely, it would be naive to think otherwise. But people have often moved to London to escape a kind of tribalism that they feel has been forced upon them through the accident of their birth.

You have to allow people their right to determine their own tribes as opposed to forcing tribes from hundreds of years ago onto them. That’s kind of the whole point of London.