London is not as bad as people say

Complaints that ‘London isn’t what it used to be’ or ‘London is a hell-hole these days’ are hardly original or new, but reports keep giving succour to this perception. The news that the capital has recorded its highest-ever level of mobile theft will only confirm what nostalgics and those who regularly watch TV already know: that our once-great capital is overcrowded, overpriced, crime-ridden and barely English anymore. While this stereotype is founded on much truth, I think some redress is in order, not least an infusion of nuance. By way of putting perspective on matters, here’s my story.

When I first revisited my native, home town of London in 2013, after five whole years away, I was horrified. This was scarcely the place that I knew and loved. It did indeed seem utterly foreign – both figuratively and literally.