Why is everyone hating on London

[greenwichvillage]

Recently a lot posts I read on social media is about how much people hate London. Its has been called all sorts of names - cesspit, dirty, crime ridden and the foreigners have taken over. They don't recognise London anymore and they are glad they have moved to whiter areas with cheaper housing.

For context, I have lived here all my life, lived in North West London and now live in Southwest London. I admit there are parts of London that have deteriorated, equally there part parts of London that are really nice. Yes it is expensive to live in and properties are expensive but that does not make it a cesspit.

I love living where I am and I love all that London has to offer. I'm not English but I am British and I'm not white and I feel really safe here in London. Yes there are problems with crime, but there is crime everywhere.

I have been to other areas in the UK and really none of it appeals to me, I have been to beautiful country side and small towns and cities and tbh I would get bored after two days there. But I would never go as far as insulting it which people seem to do quite a lot with London.

I think Farage/ Reform and Tommy have a lot to answer for.

Nor my part. I'm in SE London. Never seen anything like this at all. Sounds like Tommy Robinson bullshit to me

What’s everyone’s favourite bit of our fab city? Despite living here for 35y, I still love Covent Garden at Christmas. All lit up and sparkly!

I think its unfair to people around the country to pretend that some of these issues are only a problem in London.

We are heading towards a breakdown of the social contract that no amount of economic growth or stopping migration will fix.

Other than those in cloistered affluent enclaves with secure wealth, this will impact people across the country. It can't be avoided simply by not living in London.

We'd be better off trying to reach mutual understanding and empathy towards a common goal then sniping at each other.

how is he ruining London? Can you give specifics? And can you explain how Boris was better?
ULEZ is often trotted out, but we are just following lots of major cities in the world, and so we should as people are literally dying (not hyperbole) as a result of air pollution.

Leadenhall market is beautiful at Christmas too :)

Are you aware of your tone. You are grilling me, as if you disbelieve me. There is only one reason for this lack of willingness to accept my reality: it doesn’t sit comfortably with your ideology.
if I told you I’d been harassed sexually on a crowded tube, you’d be sympathetic. You’d be comfy with that. You wouldn’t say “ well where were you harassed? I haven’t been harassed on the central line.”

you are uncomfortable with what I’m saying, so you’d prefer to say it isn’t true. You are in denial and working hard to collude against peoples lived experience with a comfy little narrative that suits you.

Absolutely spot on. Well said.

@Decisionsdecisions1

What confuses me is on the one hand MN tells us London is so dangerous and if you raise your kids there they’ll end up ketamine fuelled, knife wielding gang members but at the same time were also told the schools are apparently unfairly advantaged and get the best of everything, literally snatching resources from schools around the country.

Exactly. There is of course much to dislike about London (not least the insane housing costs). But the reason housing costs are so high is because people want to move here. Because there are more jobs, those jobs are better paid, there is more to do once you get here, etc etc.

That means its busier, harder edged, more stressful and more competitive than the average quiet market town and the fight for resources makes people sharper-elbowed. And a lot of people don't like that, and that's absolutely fine. But you can't have it both ways and say both that is a "cesspit" but then in the next sentence complain that people are aggressive and that it gets more resources etc. London creates a substantial chunk of the wealth in the UK because it's still a huge world city with a thriving financial centre and a lot of ambitious, hard-working people.

If it really was the "cesspit" that some people would have you believe, people wouldn't move here from all over the world. Not just the sorts of immigrants who the Farage/Robinson tendency want to slag off but high net worth immigrants or the sort who create the jobs we need.

Cities go in cycles though, don't they? When I first started visiting London in the middle of the 90s, it was only just starting to improve after the 80s doldrums. There were still massive homelessness encampments in waterloo, loads of white flight, the schools were the worst in the country. Then everyone complained it was too sanitised and had lost its edge. Now everyone is complaining it's too edgy again. Rough bits get posh, posh bits get rough, populations shift and move, new immigrant communities come in (bringing shops and food).

There's also widespread misunderstanding of what the mayor's role is. They're basically a glorified transport planner and commander in chief of the emergency services. They can't get the bins collected more often in Camden or set up a youth club in wembley. That's the job of the boroughs. There are some pan London planning responsibilities as well via the London plan, but boroughs are still first line there. The Mayor of London doesn't have enough devolved to them to make much of a difference - for example the Met's budget is set by the Home Office, not mayor. Less power than some of the other metro Mayors.

I'd be worried if London was the same as 20 years ago. That's not how cities work.

The housing crisis is the big one but who's been in charge of housing policy for the last while? It hasn't allowed boroughs to do the right kind of long term housing investment with housing associations and partners.

Oh, so because it's not in your part of SW London, it's not happening? Privileged much!

Is this a serious question!? I don't need to elaborate. Just step outside SW for a minute, open your eyes and look around. You'll see for yourself!

But London's streets aren't 'clogged' with motor vehicles - that's just the narrative the media and Khan are peddling, just so he can come up more ways to fleece motorists of cash in order to fill the enormous black hole in TFL.

You still haven't answered my question though, as a previous poster said there is only so much Khan do. The rest lies with local councils and government. What did Boris do as Mayor of London thatvwas acceptable.

So do I @IndyNial ☺️

I live in the Square Mile close to the Barbican though, so that's my favourite (and it's not in the least bit dirty, touristy or unfriendly; quite the opposite).

I grew up in the north of England in a miserable, grim shithole of a town with no culture whatsoever (plus active suspicion and mocking of anybody who might like some) and appalling casual racism and sexism day in and day out. I've visited since and it's barely any different now.

That doesn't mean I think everywhere else outwith London is a craphole, because my experience is limited enough that I don't know whether it is or not. But as other posters have said, nowhere else seems to get multiple threads and posts about how crap it is, whereas it's apparently perfectly fine to slag London off in this way?

Sorry you must be blind or you don't live in London, they absolutely are clogged with motor vehicles.

And you havent sniped once...

Oh I have been outside if Northwest London, I have family in North London and I don't see what has been described. I have travelled extensively through London and yes there are pockets of deprivation but you can't say the whole of London is like this that's for sure.

Ah i must have imagined all those traffic jams and grid locks

Ooh we are getting a bit defensive aren't we. Your reality is yours bit it's not everyone's reality and if you cant accept that then that's a you problem.

We recently went to Wiltshire for a wedding and the town we were staying in had nothing, it comprised of 5 charity shops, a couple of pubs and not much else. yes the scenery was nice and the air felt fresher but it just felt dead.

Op which town in Wiltshire?

Your lived experience is not everyones

Wasn't he elected by londoners?

A place called Westbury, dont get me wrong it was beautiful and peaceful, but when you you are used to the hustle and bustle of London the pace of Westbury really wasn't for me. But I wouldn't call it derogatory names like some have about London.

Thank you for answering my question. I wondered if it was Westbury or Calne.

Yes elected 3 times. So the majority of Londoners must be happy with him.