To wonder why people choose to live in London?

[Cantbloodyrememberthenameonthread]

I always wonder. And reading a recent thread prompted me to ask the question. Why do people do it by choice? People complain about the house prices (rightly), ulez, nursery fees, cost of everything being more expensive, commutes, tubes etc.

if you’re not absolutely tied to London for work or health or I guess family. Why do you choose to live there when there are so many cheaper easier lifestyle options in the country?

Punitive targeted taxes ringfenced for social/affordable housing would be a fun start. Lots of ways you can disincentivise empty homes.

It's not hopeless though is it. We can't all keep moving out and on to cheaper - repeto! Unless of course the whole country is going to be bought up by Mega-Landlords. I mean, they are moving on to Manchester now!

I have family in Denmark and they say it works there.

You must be pretty rich if you have all those options. Are people who have lived in London communities, shaped the culture, the vibe, the excitement you are referencing irrelevant then?

I had no choice actually. I was a care leaver and they allocate you at flat to live in.

I was 17 at the time

You must be pretty rich if you have all those options
Would you like to just start your own thread asking people how much money they have/where they shop, and saying bitter things about people who you feel are too well off?

Why do assume it's bitterness and not empathy for those that don't have such options. We don't all think in such a narrow, self centred way.

As is in the spirit of most Londoners I know!

Shopping in an independent butcher or greengrocer (even assuming people are talking about expensive ones; my nearest greengrocer and butcher are both cheaper than Morrisons/Lidl) doesn't automatically make a person 'narrow' or 'self centred'.
And how do you know whether or not people donate money to shelters/give food to food banks/work or volunteer with people who are less advantaged?

Why do you have such a chip on your shoulder about 'most Londoners'? Or is it just the ones you know? If the latter, then you need new friends, because clearly they're narrow, self-centred and lacking in empathy and not very nice. I don't know many, if any, Londoners like that.

Why are you repeating back to me the words I used I.e. 'empathy' to describe why am I not bitter as you so kindly described me, I just have the ability to think beyond my own interests, as do many of the Londoners I know as friends and family manage to do. Erasing London communities- not cool in my book!

We might not need it so much if the Tories hadn’t sold off council stock to buy votes..

And if there was more commitment at government level to build social/affordable housing. Developers often promise x% affordable housing to get pp and then somehow along the way the unit gets smaller and smaller.

Also, what are you going on about - buying spices etc. from independent shops, well done you! That has zero to do with my comment on being self absorbed. I suggested that I think about the social cleansing as I have empathy even if it doesn't directly impact me but you have jumped to conclusions that I am bitter as you are prosperous and I am not or some other reductive, inane rubbish!

I just have the ability to think beyond my own interests

I'll say it again: it's possible to shop in more expensive shops, or live in London/NYC/HK/Paris/Milan, and still think beyond your own interests.
Or do you think everyone in all of those cities is lacking in empathy and only out for themselves?
Bitter.

Denmark is not the U.K. or in this instance London - a global centre of finance and business.

You are confused or deliberately quoting me out of context. The Many Londoners are the ones I know as friends and family, they are very kind and don't go on about soar grapes.

Well done, you know your geography at least.

I didn't say anything about spices I don't understand why you're speaking so patronisingly.

You said to another poster, who shared that they had the temerity to shop in a local butcher, fishmonger, greengrocer, cheese shop etc,
'You must have loads of money and time the if you use all of those.'
It seems like you can't stop yourself from sniping at people who you think might dare to be living above the poverty line.

And who said I was 'prosperous'? How would you know that?

Yes, I got that bit wrong, I acknowledge.

I was referring to you as you weirdly accused me of being bitter for thinking about social cleansing and the erasure of whole communities in London. You assume I don't have riches whatever that means.

When we win the lottery, my friend and I are going to ditch our husbands and retire to our own penthouse suite in Mayfair ;-)

I live beyond the poverty line why would I do that.

Time poor is the reality for many in London though so trotting around independent shops might not be an option. Isn't it something like 2.5 million in poverty in London that's half the population of Scotland so I doubt when you are trying to stay afloat with two or even three jobs you are thinking about all the independent shops you can visit. Admittedly, they can be convenient stores as well before you suggest that.

I helped some German tourists today who were stuck and asked me how to get from Oxford St to the British Museum. See, we aren’t all unfriendly here ;-)

You assume I don't have riches whatever that means.
No I don't. I don't know or care about your bank balance.

Read what I wrote again and you'll see I'm suggesting you're bitter as you seem determined to have a pop at anyone who says they like London and gives any kind of nice shopping/eating experience as an example.
As for for thinking about social cleansing and the erasure of whole communities in London, well, whether whole communities are being erased or it's just social change of the same kind that has always been present is highly debatable.
And I'll say again, someone daring to shop in a nice local cheese shop or otherwise not living a miserable hand-to-mouth existence absolutely can think about people less advantaged than themselves.
I'm done with this subject anyway. It's all too much of a race to the bottom.
I might go and ponce around my local overpriced deli looking for hand-harvested olive oil, and buy some artisan Italian organic wine. Feel free to have an apoplexy.

Enjoy

I am ignoring the negativity now. Many people are drawn to London, and I am so glad I came here as a student over three decades ago! There is simply nowhere else I want to get old in.

I was talking to a young person the other week who is working as a receptionist in the City. Her family is from a tiny village in Peru, parents are illiterate. This young woman was so proud of her new identity as a worker in a suit in London and said she loved it here and wanted to stay. There is clearly something special about this city.