Why is everyone hating on London

I'm a Londoner but think it has lost some magic vs my youth. It definitely seems more divided, housing is a mess. I also think I read it's the only city that has got older.

The traffic is a pain & it's very congested.

A lot of the "London is a cesspit" people probably don't ever go to London.

I lived in London for a few years in my 20s. Yes, there was lots to do and see. Many of our friends worked in the city 'during the loads of money Thatcher years). We were not earning that amount nor would we with our chosen careers. Yes, our choice to work in NHS andEducation. Ofcourse, we had London Allowance which was generous. Promotion was quick, and easy. It would have taken much longer to progress in the North. Took a year travelling. Came back walked in to jobs, with more promotion in London.

When we decided in our 30s to start a family we didn't want to stay in London. We wanted to live in a place where people acknowledged your 'good morning'

We initially wanted to go back North but there was a recession and cutbacks. We headed to the leafy shires. Found people more relaxed and friendly. It is easy to make friends through NCT, schools etc.

We can still go on the train to London, usually involves a change and takes just over an hour. Went in last week and found it dirty but thoroughly enjoyed the play I had gone to see. The service in the restaurant and bar were far below par.

It is lovely to walk into my local shops and coffee shops to be served with a smile and be called by my name.

It's a right wing trope, and it's racist. Look very carefully at who is posting this crap and whether all of it is domestic in origin, whether they are real people, who is amplifying it, etc.

It's either deliberately destabilising or they're just really jealous of our superior A Level results.

Exactly. We all have a preference.

Not for me. I don’t like London because I find it crowded, dirty, expensive and touristy. Nothing to do with hating Muslims or the mayor….it is possible not to like something just because of things in it and not because you are right wing.

Yes of course you're allowed to dislike it. Personally I couldn't imagine living somewhere like the Yorkshire Dale but that's just me. I think I'd be bored out of my mind, and it's the only place I've ever personally experienced racism (I'm brown - mixed race) in all of my 43 years.

Well I should try not to worry about it too much.

I adore London, and visit several times a year, staying for as long as I can. So much to see and do, wonderful variety, always interesting. I live in a city, but I wish I could afford to live in London - that will never happen now, so I'll just have to keep up the visits.

London has the largest Muslim population in the UK. Places like Bradford and Leicester have large Pakistani ethnicity communities whereas I think London is a lot more diverse. We're a small percentage but a lot of us are quite visibly Muslim with headscarves, etc which can be full of joys but also unfortunately makes us an easy target for some. Women are often recorded and posted online as evidence of the "take over", which is lapped up by people who have often never set foot in London.

But why care what other people think? London would be one of the last places I would want to live (along with a couple of other big cities). If you're happy in London then great - enjoy. But others are allowed to dislike it 😂

I ve always found it unfriendly, dirty, expensive and in some places threatening. And I am from the Black Country! Our neighbours are Londoners born and bred and they agree, wouldn’t go back if you paid them.

@GypsyQueeen

Not quite sure what the purpose of the thread is. OP asked why some people hated London. Some people told her. OP then wants to get into a back & forth with them & try to argue about how wonderful London is ...😅
Some people seem to think the whole country is London.
I personally think there are many beautiful places in the North of England, Wales & Scotland, and would much rather live there than London (and I'm a southerner). It's just personal preference.

I think you're missing the point. It's not about wanting to say "how wonderful London is..." it's just those of us who live here get tired of being constantly bashed over the head about how awful it is (usually by people who have hardly ever set foot in London) when the same objections are not made about other cities.

The one thing I don’t agree with is some of the traffic calming measures. I hardly ever drive but with these low traffic neighbourhoods and re-routing of traffic, some other areas have suffered. Cars are now at a standstill in some areas and choking up the roads and affecting shops on those busy main roads and the air quality there. Some of the cycle lanes have meant that parking has gone from outside some shops so they are no longer getting as much custom. I appreciate the end goal, but there have been negative consequences which I am not sure Khan has addressed.

Yes!

Not quite sure what the purpose of the thread is. OP asked why some people hated London. Some people told her. OP then wants to get into a back & forth with them & try to argue about how wonderful London is ...😅

Some people seem to think the whole country is London.

I personally think there are many beautiful places in the North of England, Wales & Scotland, and would much rather live there than London (and I'm a southerner). It's just personal preference.

I grew up in the north and left at 18 to come to London. I have now lived here for 35 years. I absolutely love it. It is a massive city with 9 million people. If you find the bit you like, that’s all you need.

I live in a borough that’s not too rich and not too poor. It flies below the radar and it is not crime-ridden. Thankfully, my young adult kids come back from central London on their own all the time safely.

I love that my kids have grown up here. Don’t bat an eyelid at whoever gets on the tube. My daughter is always at the west end getting cheap last-minute tickets to stuff. I work with a multicultural academic group and we learn from each other. Despite going to unis outside London they both claim they want to settle here one day. If they can afford it…

I don’t mind if people hate it here though! It’s not for everyone. I love it like an (imperfect) family member.

Very few need to drive in London...If you have a Blue Badge, you are not subject to charges

Not any ruder than Londoners who imply that those of us in ‘the provinces’ are toothless yokels.

Perhaps your energy would be better spent objecting to those who call it a cesspit directly, instead of quoting me.

Me too. The country literally and mentally makes me itch (hayfever is my nemesis).
I've lived in south east/west London for over 30 years. Love it.
Love the culture, diversity and excitement.
I am sad that key workers can no longer afford to live here. Much of this is driven by foreign investors buying up properties and never living in them. That's what needs to be fixed.
Boris was a dreadful mayor. Sadiq was good at the start, but has gone awry.

I support ULEZ as well. The awful stories of kids dying of asthma attacks due to the shit air quality we used to have show it's a no brainer. If you're disabled (or not!) and need to drive you CAN you just need to get a ULEZ compliant car. Seems fair enough to me.
Doesn't have to cost a lot either. My car is a 2011 one and it's worth about £1,500. Not out of the reach of most people who can afford a car.

Just the current slang, I think.

Rent and police numbers in london are down to sadiq though - I remember rent being something he ran on in one of his elections

There's a labour government now, we've heard nothing from sadiq about rent or police improvement

He got in the last election, with something like a 50% turnout, because of the racism he was getting, sorry - i'm no racist, but it definitely helped!

That and the tory candidate was shockingly shite

He doesn't deserve much of the criticism he gets up and down the country, which is because of his skin colour and faith, but he definitely deserves some criticism

Fingers crossed he won't get a fourth term - i voted green

Off topic but where has “hating on” something come from?

I’ve seen “loving on” as well- as in “I was loving on my dog” or “my dog just wants to be loved on” and for some reason it’s nails down a blackboard.

i think it conjures up an image of a one way activity- a recipient that may not want to be “loved on” or indeed “hated on” .

could just be my slightly odd brain of course.