London, is it all that?

Submitted by wojtek on February 26, 2017

I've barely been, is it worth moving to? If not, what's the best place in the UK? :p

Serge Forward

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Serge Forward on February 26, 2017

That London used to be brilliant but these days it's far too expensive to live in unless you're a bourgie bugger. The best bits have been wrecked by evil hipster scum as well.

Sheffield is sound. Leicester's okay. Glasgow's good, as long as you give the sectarian cunts a swerve. Bristol seems alright, even if it is down South.

Best place to live? Anywhere but fucking Chorley :D

jef costello

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by jef costello on February 26, 2017

I loved living there but renting is a nightmare and too expensive unless you earn good money.
It depends on if you're happy with a room in a house share for a big chunk of your salary.

You could try one of the many dormitory towns. You can rent a two bedroom house for the price of a room in London. Or go to Gateshead and you can rent a whole street :)

fingers malone

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by fingers malone on February 26, 2017

London is the dog's bollocks. My family have been here for 200 years, there must have been a good reason.

Serge Forward

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Serge Forward on February 26, 2017

Forget it. Back in the day, you squatted. That's much harder to do these days. Now it's more likely you'll be stumping up £800 quid for a cupboard in a former council flat that's now massively overcrowded with partition rooms and zero communal/socialising space (unless you count the shared bathroom and kitchenette). Fucked if I know how anyone on minimum wage gets by.

Ed

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Ed on February 26, 2017

Yeah, I grew up in London, it's where I live now and I still love it but it's a tough city and there are days where you just feel like the whole city is conspiring to fuck you over and before you realise it you've spent a tenner just coz you took the tube and bought a sandwich! I sometimes wonder whether I'd still live here if I wasn't from here or if I'll even live here forever..

That said, if you're up for a bit of struggle, can cope with long journeys on public transport and stay vigilant about how the city can rob you (peak-time travel), it's one of the best cities there is (though was better when I was a young'un!)..

I suppose it's prob more useful tho to ask what you want from London. How come you're thinking of moving?

In terms of other places on the UK: I could probably live in Bristol and Glasgow, and Manchester too (if it wasn't always fucking raining!). And, yeah, heard good things about Sheffield. Lived in Brighton when I was at uni but couldn't live there again as it feels like Katy Perry's Pinterest page..

Fleur

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Fleur on February 26, 2017

I loved London when I lived there, missed it to bits when I left, wild horses wouldn't drag me back now. I think my last visit killed my nostalgia, everything is so goddamned expensive and I swear to god I was breathing in a fine mist of dirt. I guess if you're OK with spending all your money on housing and transport as a trade off for the benefits of living in London - and there are many benefits - but as a quality of life thing, I wouldn't rate it anymore.

Steven.

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Steven. on February 26, 2017

Serge Forward

The best bits have been wrecked by evil hipster scum as well.

sorry, but this is completely stupid. "Hipsters" aren't even a thing any more. I did write a blog once about this after seeing a ridiculous Class War sticker with "hipsters fuck off" on it, but I didn't bother to post in the end because it was too pointless.

Anyway, unfortunately yeah London was pretty awesome 10 years ago. Now I would say it's only good if you earn really good money. And then it's still not that great, because so much stuff has shut down (half of all music venues in London have shut in the past eight years I think for example). There are loads of good restaurants though. But again to enjoy these you need money.

That said, couldn't really face living anywhere else in the UK, because compared to here everywhere is tiny and there's nothing to do. So if not here I'd go to another country.

Serge Forward

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Serge Forward on February 26, 2017

"Hipsters" aren't even a thing any more.

Well whatever the buggers are called now, those that are all over Shoreditch like a rash. Apologies for sounding all Class War-ish by the way.

AngryWorkersWorld

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by AngryWorkersWorld on February 27, 2017

If you want to find a job quick and take part in a modest, but fairly roots working class newspaper collective, come to Greenford - you can even pretend to still be in London! It's the place to be if you don't mind ugly suburb streets, high levels of Heathrow kerosin in the air and Polish beer cans floating around your feet...

Steven.

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Steven. on February 27, 2017

Serge Forward

"Hipsters" aren't even a thing any more.

Well whatever the buggers are called now, those that are all over Shoreditch like a rash. Apologies for sounding all Class War-ish by the way.

ha ha, no worries. There was a genuine "hipster" subculture about a decade ago, but basically the press just use it synonymously for "young people", normally young people who go or have been to university. And now people mostly just use it to mean "yuppie". For the past eight years Shoreditch has mostly just been full of "lads" and "lasses" out on the piss. Anyway sorry the misuse of that term, especially by anarchists, is a pet peeve of mine!

For the unpublished article I also made a graph of property price increases, to show they rocketed everywhere, completely unrelated to were "hipsters" were…

Auld-bod

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Auld-bod on February 27, 2017

I lived for several years in London in the later part of the 1970s. The majority of people in London (I understand) are not London born, which leads me to suspect that for many folk London is a place to find refuge or to escape. For me it was both. I lived in Chiswick, Hendon Central, Stamford Hill and Crouch Hill. All proved very different places in terms of accommodation and environment. It is a patchwork rather than a homogenous entity. Similar to Glasgow living north or south of the river was an important distinction for the locals. I had a girlfriend who told me she’d thought anyone north of the river was a toff or a tourist.

London has energy and its only constant is change, both good and bad depending on your point of view. When I first got to know it in the 1960s it was possible to walk up Charing Cross Road and still find for sale boxes of 78s outside on the pavement. Dobell’s and Collets were record shops where it was possible to find legendary musicians blethering with the shop staff.

By the mid-seventies, in my bedsit with headphones on, I’d listen to John Peel or Charlie Gillett spin old and new 45s. One Saturday afternoon after visiting Cheapo Records in Rupert Street, I entered a little Italian café and sat down on the only vacant seat. Across the red plastic table top sat a young couple playing with their coffee. The Italian lass quickly took my order, and avoiding looking directly at the couple opposite, I started reading my book. It was impossible not to be irritated and entertained when Nancy began squeezing Sid’s blackheads (for it was them). Several minutes later they left and the lass returned with my order saying nothing, just rolling her eyes.

So that’s the way I feel about London – irritated and entertained. Chances are if you look hard enough you’ll find what you’re looking for, assuming you can afford it. In the end I just got very tired of living out of a suitcase so left the glitter and the grot.

Chilli Sauce

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Chilli Sauce on February 27, 2017

Not much to add. London's great but it's expensive as shit. For you Woj, TEFL jobs are fairly easy to come by, but the pay really isn't enough for how expensive it is to live in the city.

As for other parts of the UK, Scotland in general just seems awesome, Bristol's really nice, and I've enjoyed it when I visited Manchester and Liverpool as well.

Devrim

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Devrim on February 27, 2017

I lived in London from my late teens to early twenties back in the 80s. I enjoyed it at the time, but whenever I go back I find it quite depressing. It's probably due in part to the weather, and in part how it feels so tired, and old, and run-down.

Devrim

Craftwork

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Craftwork on February 27, 2017

London is civilisation. Outside of the M25 is nightmarish, post-apocalyptic hellscape.

As for paying the rent, these guys had the right idea:

cactus9

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by cactus9 on February 27, 2017

London was literally amazing when I lived there 1999-2004.

Birmingham is pretty cool now. I don't really know any other cities. Newcastle seems nice but I've only been through it on the train. Swansea is nice I think.

cactus9

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by cactus9 on February 27, 2017

Craftwork

London is civilisation. Outside of the M25 is nightmarish, post-apocalyptic hellscape.

Only the south. I think the north is ok. The south is just like a little piece of hell (Norwich is ok) and honestly I think London is going the same way.

I feel like I'm telling you all my "good place" secrets. Or sat at a dinner party talking about housing and schools.

wojtek

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by wojtek on February 28, 2017

Thanks for the offer AWW, but doing that kind of work for the nth time is shit for my self-esteem and a step backwards. I may not have a choice in the matter and the lines/machines may be cackling, waiting for me as we speak, but still.

cactus9

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by cactus9 on February 28, 2017

Just a thought inspired by my afternoon's listening, I couldn't imagine the Clash song London Calling being written now and I think that's telling.

Swim-Two-Birds

7 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Swim-Two-Birds on February 28, 2017

I've always lived on the outskirts of London, just south of Heathrow, but my girlfriend lives in a guardianship property in central London, so I've been de facto living there for about six months. Guardianship properties tend to be non-residential properties (my partner is in an old office block), usually in shit condition, that companies place 'guardians' in (more about them here and here), with the occupants having very few rights. Rent is a little bit lower than you might pay for a rented place, but not low enough that you could live comfortably with anything less than a decent income.

As a city, I like it, although I haven't had much to compare it to. Lots of good music to see for cheap or free, if you keep your eye out. Sneak a bottle of something strong in with you if you want a drink though, even a lot of small venues are charging upwards of £4.50 for a pint of anything worth drinking. As Steven has pointed out, though, many venues are closing down.

Other than that, I'd have to agree with what most posters above have said.

Noah Fence

7 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Noah Fence on March 3, 2017

Wojtek, what you want is to move to the remotest part of Exmoor you can find and not see another person from one week to the next.

Edit: Sorry, that's actually what I want. As for you, I've no idea, so long as you don't invade my spot on Exmoor - nothing personal, it's not that I don't like people, it's just that I seem to feel better when they're not around.

Noah Fence

7 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Noah Fence on March 4, 2017

Steven.

Serge Forward

The best bits have been wrecked by evil hipster scum as well.

sorry, but this is completely stupid. "Hipsters" aren't even a thing any more. I did write a blog once about this after seeing a ridiculous Class War sticker with "hipsters fuck off" on it, but I didn't bother to post in the end because it was too pointless.

Verily Steven, thou protesteth too much. Go on, admit it, you're hipster as fuck. I'm imagining you in the Libcom loft sitting there smirking like an anarcho Jonathon Yeah?. Am I wrong?

Ed

7 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Ed on March 4, 2017

Noah Fence

Steven.

Serge Forward

The best bits have been wrecked by evil hipster scum as well.

sorry, but this is completely stupid. "Hipsters" aren't even a thing any more. I did write a blog once about this after seeing a ridiculous Class War sticker with "hipsters fuck off" on it, but I didn't bother to post in the end because it was too pointless.

Verily Steven, thou protesteth too much. Go on, admit it, you're hipster as fuck. I'm imagining you in the Libcom loft sitting there smirking like an anarcho Jonathon Yeah?. Am I wrong?

This is basically 100% accurate..

potrokin

7 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by potrokin on March 5, 2017

I like London but I can't imagine living there really, as it is so fucking expensive to rent and to exist there. I like visiting London but at the same time it is busy as fuck and I sometimes find that, and the underground system quite frustrating. Having said that, I've had some good times there. It's not a place I can envision me ever living though, and I think a part of that is hearing about all the evictions over recent years putting me off but as I say there is no way I could afford it anyway at the moment.

Chilli Sauce

7 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Chilli Sauce on March 5, 2017

the underground system quite frustrating.

Man, you should try New York....

wojtek

7 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by wojtek on March 5, 2017

How does Lundun compare to Ma'hrid or Barthelona?

Ed

7 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Ed on March 5, 2017

It's better but at the same time infinitely more depressing.. ;)

But yeah, anywhere in Spain would be pretty good to live in.. got a couple of mates who moved out there (to various bits) and they're not coming back for the rainy summers and student loan repayments..

Steven.

7 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Steven. on March 5, 2017

Ed

Noah Fence

Verily Steven, thou protesteth too much. Go on, admit it, you're hipster as fuck. I'm imagining you in the Libcom loft sitting there smirking like an anarcho Jonathon Yeah?. Am I wrong?

This is basically 100% accurate..

this is pretty much it. I even had the full stop added by deed poll.

Although like Yeah? I was a hipster years ago, and just dress the same now. Whereas people who are actually hip now dress like this:

petey

7 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by petey on March 5, 2017

Chilli Sauce

the underground system quite frustrating.

Man, you should try New York....

works fine for me

petey

7 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by petey on March 5, 2017

Steven.

Ed

Noah Fence

Verily Steven, thou protesteth too much. Go on, admit it, you're hipster as fuck. I'm imagining you in the Libcom loft sitting there smirking like an anarcho Jonathon Yeah?. Am I wrong?

This is basically 100% accurate..

this is pretty much it. I even had the full stop added by deed poll.

do you still have justin bieber hair?

jura

7 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by jura on March 5, 2017

Steven.

Although like Yeah? I was a hipster years ago, and just dress the same now. Whereas people who are actually hip now dress like this:

Can confirm. I'm basically the second guy from the right.

Noah Fence

7 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Noah Fence on March 5, 2017

Steven.

Ed

Noah Fence

Verily Steven, thou protesteth too much. Go on, admit it, you're hipster as fuck. I'm imagining you in the Libcom loft sitting there smirking like an anarcho Jonathon Yeah?. Am I wrong?

This is basically 100% accurate..

this is pretty much it. I even had the full stop added by deed poll.

Although like Yeah? I was a hipster years ago, and just dress the same now. Whereas people who are actually hip now dress like this:

You know what? I've been trying to get me a black Adidas trackie jacket with red stripes for the anarcho-Kevin chic effect. Apparently they haven't made them for years. Know any good vintage clobber emporiums?

ajjohnstone

7 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by ajjohnstone on March 5, 2017

Maybe the topic question could be widened ..."UK, is it all that?"

I made my choice :) but not for political reasons, but economic refugee reasons

jura

7 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by jura on March 7, 2017

Noah Fence

You know what? I've been trying to get me a black Adidas trackie jacket with red stripes for the anarcho-Kevin chic effect. Apparently they haven't made them for years. Know any good vintage clobber emporiums?

I have the one in red with black stripes. It matches my anti-bolshevik marxist schtick very well.

cactus9

7 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by cactus9 on March 9, 2017

Nottingham is ok. I went to a castle there today that seemed to have a council-run cafe. I don't know what kind of socialist paradise you have to be to have any council run amenities but it was very nice.

wojtek

6 years 7 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by wojtek on August 30, 2017

Any tips, advice or book recommendations (especially language) for Spain?

Ed

6 years 7 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Ed on August 30, 2017

Apart from obvious Homage to Catalonia and For Whom the Bell Tolls, there's also Guerra. Description from Amazon:

After twelve years in Spain, Jason Webster had developed a deep love for his adopted homeland; his life there seemed complete. But when he and his Spanish wife moved into an idyllic old farmhouse in the mountains north of Valencia, by chance he found an unmarked mass grave from the Spanish Civil War on his doorstep.Spurred to investigate the history of the Civil War, a topic many of his Spanish friends still seemed to treat as taboo, he began to uncover a darker side to the country.

Politically the guy's a liberal lefty type but I remember it being a real page turner with lots of chats with people who participated in the Civil War about their experiences but also normal stuff about contemporary Spanish life, football, etc. There's a bit about Durruti in there as well which I remember being a bit disappointed by but can't remember why tbh. Still recommend it though.

Whereabouts in Spain you moving? And what are your plans? Mad jealous! :)

ajjohnstone

6 years 7 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by ajjohnstone on August 31, 2017

Wojtek, Robbo who posts here, lives in Southern Spain - in the Alpujarras, south of Granada

Ex-SPGB and went on to try and develop World In Common group, if you care to use the search facility for background on his politics.

I'm sure he'll help out if he can.

wojtek

6 years 7 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by wojtek on August 31, 2017

Gracias for your responses Ed & ajjohnstone! >.< I'll try to contact Robbo. I think it's government policy that one has to reside in the country to be eligible for interview, so I may travel around Catalonia/Madrid/Andalucia first...

Croy

6 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Croy on September 16, 2017

London is great, but affording living here is very hard. I only manage it because I am still at my parents. Expect to pay 800-1000 for utter shite

wojtek

6 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by wojtek on March 1, 2018

Spending habits and regions aside, how much does one need to earn in the UK to saving 9/10k annually?

jef costello

6 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by jef costello on March 1, 2018

wojtek

Spending habits and regions aside, how much does one need to earn in the UK to saving 9/10k annually?

Can't put those aside and give an answer!

You'll be lucky to rent a decent room in London with bills for much less than 800, tube is a couple of hundred, so you need to earn a fair amount to put that much aside a month. That's 23 grand before you buy food, clothes, go out etc. And iirc 23 grand salary is a take-home of about 1300 which adds up to 16k. 40 before tax would be enough for that.

wojtek

6 years ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by wojtek on March 2, 2018

Thanks Jef