No i agree skin color doesn't mean that much. And i never said that i was offended. The bottom line is that as more foreigners come to london who neither speak the language, nor are familiar with the culture, London will continue to lose its unique and distinct culture. It's a plain sociological effect. I am not referring to skin color, as it is just as bad when white eastern europeans flood london. If you believe that it's alright for a culture that has been formed and molded over hundreds of years to be watered down then fine. I would argue that it's the same as imperialism. It was wrong for Britain to colonize places like india, for it diluted and altered their culture, a process called cultural hybridity. The same is happening now in London.

Edited by Jamesrichards8 (07 Jun 2015 6.40pm)

When you’re knocked on your back and your life’s a flop...

Says the man on a London Football team website

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
[Link]

Bit of a contradiction as it's the 'rich kids' who can afford to be arty. Not that everyone else can't. They just stay skint and moan about it, paying through the nose to stay in arty areas like Camberwell which thanks to the Grove was on the up a century before this supposed golden period of 20 years ago where areas had their demographic, which formed the stereotypes which still persist today. They mention the sterility of Canary Wharf which has served the exact same purpose in this magical 20 years. Plus Notting Hill which has always been full of cnuts.

Interestingly another article on the site bemoans Shoreditchification, this time demonising hipsters rather than bankers. So I'm not really sure who's allowed to live where.

This said I do really hate the proliferation of the middle class in Peckham but that's because I think they're so fcuking stupid to want to live there. It's supply and demand, but more fool those chosing Peckham who aren't even rich kids.

To summarise, a load of sh1te and you're only interested in its socialist undertone.

Culture of a nation isn't specific or excluded from influences from outside (in fact arguably it imports and exports cultural influences). The Arts for example have never been 'specifically English' they've been influenced and directed by inspiration and cultural import, as well as exporting that influence back into other national cultures (The Beatles for example where heavily influenced by American Rock N Roll, specifically from Black American culture, and then exported a new form of Anglo rock and roll to the States.

English culture, if it can be said to exist, doesn't exist in a vacuum, but is informed, informs and is inseperable from all of its influences and peers, internal and external.

All you are doing is mearly contributing to the discourse of culture, by selecting to support discourses of tradition, rather than change. I wouldn't say either are positive or negative, they just are. Both views of English Culture are typically flawed due to the subjectivity.

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
[Link]

Firstly, London is still a great city, and if you think that there are no slightly quirky/underground scenes any more means you're simply not looking properly. The fact that these are promoted more quickly is not London's fault, it's probably the internet's. Information/word of mouth that used to take weeks to spread now takes minutes. One recent example is the dubstep movement which actually started in Croydon. I'm not a fan at all, but would that not count as something that started 'underground' and has now gone global? There is a reason prices keep going up, in the UK London is simply the place to be.

Secondly, the idea that London is now chock full of posh people is ludicrous. Walk around on any given day at 7pm and you will clearly see that this is not the case. Anyone that's studied city demographics will know that there will always need to be an affordable working class area, otherwise all the sh*t jobs don't get done. Don't tell me there aren't still awful parts of central London that aren't full of the working class (many of which are now immigrants), of course there are. Walk around ffs. I graduated two years ago from Sheffield Uni, and most of my mates are Northern, 90% of them have moved to London. It's just what you do. And they're not from rich backgrounds, they've just studied hard and now have good jobs. Doesn't mean they're posh, and it also doesn't mean they're boring, believe me they play hard at weekends. And they aren't all bankers.

Where I do agree with the article is that London's culture needs protecting. Don't shut places like Fabric/Madame JoJo's/Cable and don't pander to big companies that want to make everywhere a hub of Pret-a-f*cking-Mangers.

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.

Nothing round my part of London in the past 20 odd years has changed much....I love it.