London seems to be a right cesspit.

TerriBull

I always thought the London Underground was pretty filthy until I went on the NY Subway utterly horrible worse than ours by far.

I can second that!

We had to use three different tube trains on Saturday, we got a black cab back in the evening.

I am really sorry about the dreadful stabbing earlier today. I have lived in central London for 30 years and have always felt safe here. I use tubes and/or buses on a more or less daily basis, including using night buses, and have never felt unsafe doing this. I do usually wear a cross-body small bag so that I can find items such as travel cards, purse, keys etc. easily, but I carry the same bag elsewhere in the UK and abroad. I too wonder why the OP has singled out London, and I am rather offended by the use of the word cesspit to describe the city that I love.

Think it would have been better to smarten up the central line rather than spending on rebranding the overground lines.
Not impressed with Sadiq Khan.
Also extending ulez was a cheek when they have permitted a 40% increase in City airport.
It's a vast city so there will be some incidents, unfortunately .
.

I see nothing wrong in the OP, London is our capital city, it attracts tourists from all over the world (yes I know other areas of the U.K. also attract overseas tourists)

It should be clean and welcoming.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

I think this is a dreadful over generalisation!
Yes recent violent events have been alarming but they are not unique.
There was a time when you couldn’t even drive through Moss-side yet a good friend and former colleague was brought up there. Little old ladies (like us) used to be mugged all over the country after collecting their pensions at the PO. Well at least we don’t have that danger any more - no post offices!
The rise of e-bikes has meant muggers/criminals can make a speedier getaway which contributes to street crime, but I refuse to believe that is unique to London. However, SIL told me at the weekend that you never use your phone out on the street any more. (I’ve always thought that was a crime waiting to happen anyway) so yes, while two wrongs never make a right, what about all the other cities and towns that do not make the headlines?
I felt quite safe in London over the weekend (apart from falling trees!) and generally, with common sense and my fingers tightly crossed, have had no problems.

I lived in and around London and worked in London for the most significant 40 years of my adult life.
In principle I come down on the "a man who is tired of London is tired of life" side of the argument.
All the great Metropolitan cities have dangerous bits. When you live there, you learn to avoid them.
I always adored the Tube for the freedom and flexibility it afforded me and freely travelled on it daily and also late at night. Different lines had different degrees of cleanliness/modernity.
I left London and its environs 7 years ago and now live abroad.
I have family who still live there so am sorry to hear that it has significantly deteriorated.

mae13

Message deleted by GNHQ.

I don't think it is helpful to describe London as a cesspit. Like a lot of things there are complexities, light and shade.

I only ever had my bag picked and my purse stolen in Dublin. However I spotted it and confronted the team of 3 and they threw my purse on the ground and claimed I had dropped it. This was after we screaming abuse at them for about 3 minutes by which time we were surrounded by curious tourists. They didn't want the hassle in the end. They were white Romanians I think.

Gangs operate in all big cities. You have to keep your wits about you. Helps to have lived in South London for many years.

Hopefully for FGT2 this new government will fund the police better than the last shower and make the streets safer. We live in hope.

Sago

Our son and DIL live and work in London.
They tend to stay clear of central.
It is going down dramatically.
I hate to say it but Boris was a good Lord Mayor.

In Her Late Majesty’s unforgettable phrase “ Revollections may vary”
Not all Londoners agree! He was good at “talking the talk” but according to my D’s and SILs hardly the paragon some think.

I live near Oxford. The city has it's fair share of crime.... but I would never describe Oxford or London as a 'cess pit'. My granddaughter used the tube in London four times last weekend. She felt perfectly safe. The last time I visited London, not so long ago, I too felt safe. Of course the shooting of a child (or adult) is shocking, but it happens in other towns and cities too.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

^
So why has the O/P singled out London? its clear, looking at the stats, its round the whole country^

I singled it out Wyllow3 because of the shocking news I’d just heard about an eight year old girl being shot this morning.

When news such as this fails to generate shock and outrage we have lost our soul.

Of course crimes like this generates shock , as most of us. Have heard or read for ourselves this morning

However, a quick Google will inform you of the slashing and a triple stabbing last night in Manchester, along with the Section 34 dispersal notice and 250 arrests for knife crime between 11th and 17th November..
This illustrates that London might not be alone in criticism.

My DD lives on the outskirts of London now but lived in Bow previously. I have never felt unsafe there. I am careful but then I am careful wherever I go. I think any big city can be dangerous. I was brought up in Leeds and went to Uni in Manchester.

There is a lot of knife crime around but it is scary to think this is extending to guns.

Wyllow3

FriedGreenTomatoes2

^
So why has the O/P singled out London? its clear, looking at the stats, its round the whole country^

I singled it out Wyllow3 because of the shocking news I’d just heard about an eight year old girl being shot this morning.

When news such as this fails to generate shock and outrage we have lost our soul.

But why does that make London singled out "a right cesspit?" We had 6 shot and injured in my city in August and it doesn't make it a "right cesspit", it was one sick individual. Of course every incident is shocking and one too many.

London does remain the homicide capital of the UK.

Sorry, meant to add this:

www.statista.com/statistics/288221/number-of-homicides-uk-by-region/

My apologies to everybody. Sincerely.

I think I fired off this thread because the news this morning that a little 8 year old girl had been SHOT at teatime in Kensington, London yesterday just horrified me. (We have a 7 year old granddaughter you see and the thought of a poor little girl sustaining ‘life changing injuries’ upset me greatly).

I ought not to have singled London out.

It’s probably no worse than many other major cities.

We ought not to rush to defend of course as whatever is going on (anywhere) is beyond awful but I probably touched a nerve with those who live there - and that was wrong of me.

I don’t feel unsafe when I visit London My children, my adult grandchildren all visit or stay in London, Camden, Brixton, Acton Shepard’s bush, Southall Covent Garden, Ealing and anywhere else
What’s happened to that little girl is awful but it can happen anywhere it really can
The quietest town can have a rogue person or group
It a shame to vilify a city by some happenings how about looking for some of the more positives things going on

FGT2 - completely understandable

To those not in favour of Sadiq Khan as Mayor of London, he was elected for a third term earlier this year, making him the first to be elected as Mayor of London three times.

We travel to London regularly and tbh I don’t find it any scarier or dirtier than anywhere else.

We normally walk through the City, looking at the places we used to work (mostly gone!), get a tube or black cab to Covent Garden walk around and then onto Chinatown, often pop across London Bridge to Borough Market then a leisurely stroll along the river.

As a Londoner I object to London being described as a “cesspit”, there are dodgy areas of course, the same as any big city anywhere, but I’m in central areas every week and feel perfectly safe. The main rail stations are mostly renovated and smart, the galleries and museums are brilliant and there are numerous smart areas, which are lovely at this time of year. I avoid weekends as it’s usually too busy but during the week there’s always a huge choice of places for a coffee or lunch, or shopping in lovely surroundings. Yes, look after your bag, like you would in any city. The only place where I have someone (unsuccessfully) to dip into my bag was Milan.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

My apologies to everybody. Sincerely.

I think I fired off this thread because the news this morning that a little 8 year old girl had been SHOT at teatime in Kensington, London yesterday just horrified me. (We have a 7 year old granddaughter you see and the thought of a poor little girl sustaining ‘life changing injuries’ upset me greatly).

I ought not to have singled London out.

It’s probably no worse than many other major cities.

We ought not to rush to defend of course as whatever is going on (anywhere) is beyond awful but I probably touched a nerve with those who live there - and that was wrong of me.

What happened though was horrendous and my heart goes out to their family

FriedGreenTomatoes2

My apologies to everybody. Sincerely.

I think I fired off this thread because the news this morning that a little 8 year old girl had been SHOT at teatime in Kensington, London yesterday just horrified me. (We have a 7 year old granddaughter you see and the thought of a poor little girl sustaining ‘life changing injuries’ upset me greatly).

I ought not to have singled London out.

It’s probably no worse than many other major cities.

We ought not to rush to defend of course as whatever is going on (anywhere) is beyond awful but I probably touched a nerve with those who live there - and that was wrong of me.

Thank you FGT. I also have a 7-year old grandchild so I do understand how personal these terrible tragedies can seem.

I have just apologised vegansrock. It was rash of me.
A knee jerk reaction I think.

My daughter had her phone snatched in Shepherd's Bush. Three Polish men chased after the snatcher and held him till the police arrived.

My son had his wallet snatched in Barcelona at a food stall. Nobody cared.

Parts of Paris are filthy. Has been like this for years. The streets are fouled by dog mess so they have to regularly hose the pavements down.

There are terrible things happening everywhere. Shooting/stabbing/fighting is grim irrespective of where it happens.

I have never been afraid to use the underground or busses etc or walk in London. That said, every city has "nicer" and less salubrious areas. I wouldn't walk through an industrial estate on my own in the middle of the night irrespective of the town/city.

Rough sleeping is terrible to see. I've seen people sleeping rough in the countryside as well as London.
The worst (most upsetting) I saw was actually Leeds about a decade ago.

I can't think of London as "a right cesspit". There are plenty of kind and generous people who care about their London community.

Thank you for apologising FriedGreenTomatoes2 - I assure you it's not just Londoners who found your initial post offensive!