Yesterday John Cleese posted a tweet regarding the character of London and how it has changed. His observations have created a storm - most notably accusations of racism. A couple more tweets followed from him in defence of the racism accusations. Here are the 3 primary tweets :
FIRST TWEET
Some years ago I opined that London was not really an English city any more
Since then, virtually all my friends from abroad have confirmed my observation
So there must be some truth in it...
I note also that London was the UK city that voted most strongly to remain in the EU
SECOND TWEET
I suspect I should apologise for my affection for the Englishness of my upbringing,
but in some ways I found it calmer, more polite, more humorous, less tabloid, and less money-oriented than the one that is replacing it
THIRD TWEET
I think it's legitimate to prefer one culture to another
For example, I prefer cultures that do not tolerate female genital mutilation.
Will this will be considered racist by all those who hover, eagerly hoping that someone will offend them - on someone else's behalf, naturally
Here is a tweet in response from the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
FIRST TWEET
Some years ago I opined that London was not really an English city any more
Since then, virtually all my friends from abroad have confirmed my observation
So there must be some truth in it...
I note also that London was the UK city that voted most strongly to remain in the EU
I suspect I should apologise for my affection for the Englishness of my upbringing,
but in some ways I found it calmer, more polite, more humorous, less tabloid, and less money-oriented than the one that is replacing it
THIRD TWEET
I think it's legitimate to prefer one culture to another
For example, I prefer cultures that do not tolerate female genital mutilation.
Will this will be considered racist by all those who hover, eagerly hoping that someone will offend them - on someone else's behalf, naturally
Here is a tweet in response from the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
Mr Khan responded: "These comments make John Cleese sound like he's in character as Basil Fawlty.
"Londoners know that our diversity is our greatest strength."
He added: "We are proudly the English capital, a European city and a global hub."
Cleese's comments come eight years after the comedian made headlines for similar remarks, saying London felt like a foreign city and that English culture was disappearing.
In his new message on Wednesday, the 79-year-old added: "I note also that London was the UK city that voted most strongly to remain in the EU."
This is my view :
I agree with John Cleese in his sentiments and I have posted my views before following visits to London.
In many ways you might find London is a fine city - a world class city - a great place to visit - a cosmopolitan energetic hub.
But London is not England. It does not feel like England. How can it? In the 2011 census 37.5% of the London population were foreign born of which 24.5% were born outside the EU - and it is much higher % in Central London.
Those percentages will have very significantly increased since 2011 and continue to do so.
Is that a racist observation? I do not see why it should be. It is a fact. It is a fact that a mass influx of people from abroad (coming here for their own benefit) has changed the nature of London. It would be amazing if all those people were assimilated into Englishness - of course they are not. Is that a good or bad thing. Is multi culturalism a good or bad thing? You form your own view - but it is obvious there is something amiss if English citizens feel the English capital city no longer feels like part of England or reflecting English values. London has been lost to England. It is effectively a different country - a soulless and confused caricature of what it was once. All people now want from London is what they can take out from it for themselves.
EU citizens living in the UK can vote in local elections and EU elections and therefore have a significant impact on the political map of London.
It is no coincidence London voted remain in the EU referendum. (given the economic and cultural impact of the number of EU citizens in London (300000+ French for instance - the 7th largest French city by population)).
EU citizens living in the UK can vote in local elections and EU elections and therefore have a significant impact on the political map of London.
It is no coincidence London voted remain in the EU referendum. (given the economic and cultural impact of the number of EU citizens in London (300000+ French for instance - the 7th largest French city by population)).
London is a remain city in a sea of leave. It is an indication of why John Cleese is right. It is a reality London is out of step with the rest of England and is a massive factor in why leaving the EU has become so torturous. Set London loose and it would have been done by now - but the genie is out of the bottle and it is causing a great deal of frustration and probably resentment !
Note to tourists - there are many street corner pubs in central London - with unchanging façades and décor. But don't expect the "cockney" experience. The real Londoners are long gone - you will be hard pushed not to be served by a foreign accent. Any attempt to retain these pubs is for cynical commercial reasons only. They are no longer what they seem and it is a great shame. Alas this is typical of just about everything in London.
Note to tourists - there are many street corner pubs in central London - with unchanging façades and décor. But don't expect the "cockney" experience. The real Londoners are long gone - you will be hard pushed not to be served by a foreign accent. Any attempt to retain these pubs is for cynical commercial reasons only. They are no longer what they seem and it is a great shame. Alas this is typical of just about everything in London.
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| 2016 referendum result by region - blue is leave |
And what is Englishness? Hard to define - ha!
Maybe some of this - democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs – are fine as far as they go.
What’s missing, though, is the essential quirkiness of the English character not to mention the suspicion of pomposity, which leads us automatically to reject state-prescribed value lists like the one above.
When we English get to define our own qualities, the ones we come up with are rather different.
Sense of humour comes top (80 per cent); then traditional (77 per cent); good manners (74 per cent); sense of fair play (72 per cent); friendliness (65 per cent); stiff upper lip and tolerance also come in at 65 per cent.
All this seems about right.
We like a joke and the pomp and ceremony of state occasions; good manners; we can’t abide a cheat.
As for tolerance, well, this is clearly not just a case of virtue-signallers telling the survey what it would like to hear.
We can see this from the answers to another question: 70 per cent of those surveyed think that all you need to be English is to have grown up in England.
