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Is London sucking the life out of Britain and

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crazylemon

I actually find this quite interesting having moved to London last year.
For some things it is unparalleled and I love the connectivity, since being back home I have learnt to appreciate this (even though I can drive). I like the collection of theatres and opera houses etc that I can't get anywhere in the country other than there.

I do think it has its faults people ARE less willing to talk to strangers etc. I have helped many people who have been lost, talked to them in the queue shopping etc but this is very much not the norm and I seem to be singled out to ask directions because I am the only one who makes eye contact and smiles at strangers rather than head down march to tube, sit on tube reading free paper, get off that the machines of London do for the most part. I do find this very sad.

Saying that it is the only city I think I can tolerate, if I can't have London I would rather live in the sticks. I prefer countryside.

Londoners also seem obsessed with London, I get confused looks when I say I think 6 years will be enough then I will probably look to leave. The isolationism of Londoners annoys me greatly, the bitch about the ube too when it is really in fact amazing.

Wow. That was longer than expected.

I agree with you about Londoners thinking that it is the bees knees... I have lived in/visited many big cities and I would say that London would be my 6th choice after NYC, Paris, Miami, Vancouver and Seattle.. but hey that is me, right now I prefer Bristol to London...

Reply 21

lukejoshjedi

sucking the life out of Britain? well Noooooo but monopolising the talent, media interest, economy etc etc etc of the UK

but Hey London's cool, it can feel so existential at times, like everyones completely separate and no one cares about each other yadda yadda yadda but from my experiences anyway, on any random given day I can run into / be around nice, genuinely friendly people, on the tube or just walking anywhere, it's all relative really - You can't just generalise and say Londoners are this or that cos you don't know all Londoners, they're soo culturally diverse and diverse in personality as well

It's an interesting city cos of that. So YEAH

Reply 22

Focus08

London sucks. I hate it

Reply 23

Focus08

London sucks. I hate it

London rocks.

LOL at these people from outside London discussing it. Personally I would be happy if they just build a wall around it so all of you people out in the sticks can't ******* come in with your travelcards taking pictures of yourselves like "LOOK AT ME I'M ON THE TUBE LIKE A BUSINESS MAN LOLZZZ!!!!111111111".

Reply 26

vnupe

Focus08

London sucks. I hate it

I thought you hated KCL? Why do you hate London in general?

Reply 27

W.H.T

what and have stoke as the new capital city?

:mmm:

Reply 28

+ polarity -

Rimipie

londons the bestttttttt :suith:

it will be a sad, sad day if i have to move away for uni

london makes the UK i think

Where else in the country have you been to?

Reply 29

mikejpb

It's hard to take such an article seriously when the author of it believes that Birmingham is in the north. Regardless, it's a good point.

I can understand foreigners looking at London as if it represents everything good about England as it is the capital, but it's a view that is almost actively promoted by anyone in a position of authority. The government typically resides there, most mainstream media is produced within London (newspapers, national radio, TV shows/channels) and its often the setting of many major celebrities, TV shows, etc.

As the capital city many would guess that it is inevitable for important businesses and government, but it would be nice if England were to take an American approach and separate certain things to other cities. At the moment the general consensus is that one must go to London to be successful at anything; it would be nice if theatres and entertainment were situated outside of London.

Reply 30

Focus08

vnupe

I thought you hated KCL? Why do you hate London in general?

Both.

London: Price in relation to what you get. Extremely overrated..

Reply 31

pendragon

I haven't read your whole post OP, but if London sucks talent out of the rest of the country then the rest of the country sucks money out of London.

London is the main driver of the economy and pays substantially for the welfare state across the country, it would be a much nicer place if it kept all the tax revenues of those living in London to spend on its own residents, but people would still flock to London as long as they were not stopped from doing so.

So I would say its the rest of the country that sucks money and better infrastructure and hospitals out of London.

Reply 32

vnupe

Focus08

Both.

London: Price in relation to what you get. Extremely overrated..

Where do you want to live after graduation? Any big city will be over priced and overrated depending on your point of view...

Reply 33

D.R.E

London works, the rest of you ignorant hicks take our money.

You should be grateful we let you ingrates come and join the party :P

Reply 34

Reformed2010

Comparing London to Britain's New York isn't fair in my view. Better to compare London as Europe's New York and Brussels as Europe's Washington DC. :yep:

Reply 35

Focus08

vnupe

Where do you want to live after graduation? Any big city will be over priced and overrated depending on your point of view...

NYC, Chicago, Boston, Tokyo, Shanghai...

Reply 36

vnupe

Reformed2010

Comparing London to Britain's New York isn't fair in my view. Better to compare London as Europe's New York and Brussels as Europe's Washington DC. :yep:

Why do you say Europe's NYC, don't you see Paris as equal to London?

Reply 37

vnupe

Focus08

NYC, Chicago, Boston, Tokyo, Shanghai...

You have any plans on how you expect to get to those placers? And why Boston or Chicago?

Reply 38

Focus08

vnupe

You have any plans on how you expect to get to those placers? And why Boston or Chicago?

I've been to all of them on vacation. They live up to expectations and I can live there despite big city costs..

I think Boston is amazing. Not too big, really clean, organized, good baseball (ice hockey, and bball too)....

Chicago has cool skyscrapers and has that "big city' feel to it..

Reply 39

Reformed2010

vnupe

Why do you say Europe's NYC, don't you see Paris as equal to London?

Well I am a Londoner, born and bred :wink:

However to back up my claim, London is seen as the leading financial centre of the world. Its always said to at least matching New York or ahead of it. I think the consensus is that it beats New York. So as New York is America's financial hub I compare that too London for Europe. Paris can go have a fight with Los Angeles :lol: