I've seen a few threads on MN about moving house and living in or moving away from London. The general gist of them seems to be that London is awful, unfriendly and overpriced, whilst living up north is mostly cheap, friendly and just, well, better.
I'm not sure that's actually always the case. Disclaimer: I don't live anywhere near London, or come from there (and I promise I'm not shagging Boris too!). I love to visit it however, and I don't think there's another city anywhere in the UK that can hold a candle to it in terms of cultural offerings, history, excitement or attractions, even though I love most of the big cities of the UK. I do accept that being a capital city means that it is expensive and has lots of the social problems that beset all major conurbations.
It seems to me that in the end, it boils down to personal preference, but I don't really like the fashionable anti-city, anti-London pose that so many people like, particularly when it comes to a debate about north versus south. (It's like that other knee-jerk, ignorant anti-American prejudice that such people often spout). I find it puzzling that people denigrate the amount of money spent in London when it raises much of the capital that goes into projects over the rest of the country. And when I've seen worse poverty in London than anywhere else in the UK - and it somehow seems worse when there are very affluent areas just a short mile away.
So, why aren't people proud to have as a capital such a vibrant, diverse city such as London?