What surveys can't tell you about life in the capital
This week saw the publication of yet another survey branding London the least friendly city in Europe. This astonishing and ill-considered conclusion is based on some vital statistics. Apparently only a third of us would answer back if spoken to on the tube. And only half of us would strike up a conversation with a stranger on the street.
This reporter finds the notion of unfriendly London hard to credit. When nearly two million people are expected to turn out for carnival, dancing in the streets, eating dodgy food, and crashing living room parties, how can anyone say that we’re trapped in a hostile place?
The summer has seen Londoners hit the streets in their millions for hundreds of public events. It may be true that the suburbs are quiet and reserved, but that’s because people are out in town. When you come home, it’s time to put your feet up.
Just because I’m only a nodding acquaintance with my neighbour doesn’t mean I don’t smile when I see him taking out his small fleet of children in their matching blue and white hoops at the start of the football season. And I’m grateful that the kids re-enact the match in our huge local park rather than booting the ball against my back fence. Does that make me a curmudgeon?
I think what’s needed is a clearer definition of what constitutes neighbourly and friendly behaviour. We’re not living in LA, where a huge fake smile for every passing pedestrian is de rigueur. The quality which Londoners have, which prevents us from yammering willy-nilly with strangers on the bus, is known as good old fashioned British Reserve.
I say ‘quality’ because our reserve is in fact an admirable characteristic, one for which we are admired by Europeans, and envied by Americans. It’s different from the grumpy money focus of New Yorkers. The moment when this reserve breaks down, is hugely rewarding. Striking up a conversation in London brings a broad smile to the face of both participants: they have decided to stop and make time. Because you’re worth it.
In a decade where immigration and working lifestyles are supposed to be fracturing society, London leads the way for the rest of Europe and the world. We are a model of cosmopolitan living – and our multicultural events, like Mela, Carnival, Chinese New Year and the Polish Festival, are not just ‘right on’ ideas. They are wonderful events that Londoners born and bred look forward to immensely.
A bit of reserve on the daily commute and between groups of friends doesn’t make us unfriendly – it helps to underline the serious pleasure we take in life in the most multicultural city in Europe. There is so much going on in London every day and we would not be doing it if we didn’t enjoy ourselves.
And finally, the best thing about British reserve, as I’ve said, is when it breaks down. There’s nothing funnier than watching a weekend warrior with his blazer tied around his waist and his face painted by toddlers, swaying behind a carnival float with a beer in one hand and a hotdog in the other.
See you on the All Saints Road.
Tooting: the Final Frontier
It appears residents of Tooting have had a close encounter of the third kind. Stunned witnesses gawped in amazement as two sets of bright orange lights flew eerily across the skies of Balham and Tooting. Onlookers tried to capture the action on film as the unexplained flying objects fleetingly lit up the sky. Experts are now calling for more spectators to come forward in a bid to help them discover what they were. Keen to find out the nature of the objects, UFO specialists are currently speculating that it was experimental craft or military activity. At the moment however, it’s a complete mystery and the truth evades us all.
Wag Tag
Last year, 7,021 stray dogs were found on streets of London and over 157 of them had to be put down. These shocking statistics were published by Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, and clearly reveal the need for dog owners to take more responsibility for their canine pets. They are also urging Londoners to ensure that their dogs get a microchip and ID tag to ensure that any lost animals can be reunited with their owners. Last year the technology helped to reunite 24 percent of the capitals stray dogs with their owners.
FA ‘confident’ Wembley will host Cup Final. Again
The fiasco that is the new Wembley Stadium is never out of the headlines. Due to have been finished in August 2005 the venture has been crippled with problems and still hasn’t been completed. However, the FA remains confident Wembley will host next year’s FA Cup Final, despite builders saying it won’t be ready for test event until June 2007. The organisation claims that no plans have been made to book the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for the FA Cup Final. Blame is squarely placed on the shoulders of Multiplex, the construction company responsible for building the stadium. The company is already behind on revised deadlines for 2006. It is fair to say, the situation has become something of a national embarrassment. We won’t be holding our breath for an FA Cup final in the stadium but we certainly wish them luck.
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