London's Burning ...

eddyabs

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At last someone who has actually had experience of the appalling NHS at its' very worst speaks.
These Pollyannas who blithely state that the NHS is free and people choose to go privately live in Tony Blair-land .
People HAVE to pay privately for treatment or they will get appointments in 2008 which will be cancelled without telling you.
I have gone privately since the 1970s because the "free" NHS is useless .
Tony Blair didn't wait in casualty for 6 hours when he had his little coronary ?
Ditto, Maggie who when she fell, was treated with kid-gloves at the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital !
NHS dentists in London are few and far between and offer limited treatment regimes.
Reality checks, all round . [/quote]

Nelly, yes, but not all of the NHS is that bad. I had cancer last year in my Sinus, and I had excellent and speedy treatment. It seems that for major diseases, the NHS is performing an excellent service (HIV/AIDS, cancers, Dialysis...)....so let's not get too over dramatic. It just seems that for everything else, such as my partner Patrick having an injured back, the NHS falls flat on it's face. Big time.

Tony-Blair land......fuck, don't get me started again.
 

eddyabs

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London is shit

thats why I moved to Tokyo

I pay 400 quid a month for a 2 roomed place in central Tokyo, what would almost certainly be considered zone1 of london, next to a massive park and 2 mins walk from two train stations!

Always wanted to travel to Japan. £400 for a 2 roomed place in Tokyo!! DAMN!! How is life in Tokyo man? How are the natives? And oh yeh, London is really really shit....
 

Nelly Gay

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At last someone who has actually had experience of the appalling NHS at its' very worst speaks.
These Pollyannas who blithely state that the NHS is free and people choose to go privately live in Tony Blair-land .
People HAVE to pay privately for treatment or they will get appointments in 2008 which will be cancelled without telling you.
I have gone privately since the 1970s because the "free" NHS is useless .
Tony Blair didn't wait in casualty for 6 hours when he had his little coronary ?
Ditto, Maggie who when she fell, was treated with kid-gloves at the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital !
NHS dentists in London are few and far between and offer limited treatment regimes.
Reality checks, all round .

Nelly, yes, but not all of the NHS is that bad. I had cancer last year in my Sinus, and I had excellent and speedy treatment. It seems that for major diseases, the NHS is performing an excellent service (HIV/AIDS, cancers, Dialysis...)....so let's not get too over dramatic. It just seems that for everything else, such as my partner Patrick having an injured back, the NHS falls flat on it's face. Big time.

Tony-Blair land......fuck, don't get me started again.[/quote]


Yes, I understand paediatrics (treatment for children) is excellent with great Ormond Street being world class.
Sadly, with cancer it is a postcode lottery ...
As regards mental health issue ?
URGH !
 

Tovidious

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I'm an American from Allentown, PA, (1 hour from Philly and 1.5 hours from NYC but with no rail service connecting to either city), who loves London in spite of the extremely high cost of it. The exchange rate makes things even worse for Americans. Still, it is the only city in the world that I am in love with and wish I could live in or near. I get over regularly, (will be there from Boxing Day til 9th January), staying mostly with a friend in Ruislip and sometimes Bromley. Personally, I'd like to live near Rickmansworth, but hey, living there is a dream unless I win the lottery. In my opinion it's the most exciting city in the world and I even grew up getting into Manhatten a lot.
 

rob_just_rob

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For shits and giggles:

Toronto - a good sized one-bedroom condo or apartment is at least C$1000 monthly. Gas is currently about C$0.90/liter.

(to get approximate US$ equivalents, divide the above figures by about 1.15.)

Public transit here is crap - slow, infrequent, and expensive. And we drive on what is statistically the world's second busiest highway. Viva le auto!
 

Nelly Gay

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For shits and giggles:

Toronto - a good sized one-bedroom condo or apartment is at least C$1000 monthly. Gas is currently about C$0.90/liter.

(to get approximate US$ equivalents, divide the above figures by about 1.15.)

Public transit here is crap - slow, infrequent, and expensive. And we drive on what is statistically the world's second busiest highway. Viva le auto!


And how are your serial killers or would that entail a move to Vancouver ?
 

jeff black

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For shits and giggles:

Toronto - a good sized one-bedroom condo or apartment is at least C$1000 monthly. Gas is currently about C$0.90/liter.

(to get approximate US$ equivalents, divide the above figures by about 1.15.)

Public transit here is crap - slow, infrequent, and expensive. And we drive on what is statistically the world's second busiest highway. Viva le auto!

I have to admit, the series 400 highway is rather busy at times, but it sure makes travel easier.
Not many serial killers in T.O though... and that makes me happy to visit.:rolleyes:
 

Heather LouAnna

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I have lived in London for 30 years and don't even remember such general levels of dissatisfaction.
Transport is poor, housing costly , schools bad, hospitals dire, crime at record levels, immigration soaring, asylum problems, ad nauseum.
Happy Christmas !

And I was thinking about visiting in the summer. You make it sound like *such* a grand time. My pasty white skin screams "OMG THE HOMELAND."

Then again, I'll probably be out mostly at night. Show me to the dj and the dancefloor plz.
 

D_Humper E Bogart

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Wooo...something sexy comes to these shores! :p

Well, I can't add much more, but expect London as A CITY not a giant tourist attraction, you need a high-er pain threshold then expected, but it's like any other city. NO ONE hangs around where I live anyway, so you don't see the worst of the city, anyway.

Oh, and for Baal's sake! Watch out where you hang around at night. Anything that isn't that capital (dead cente) is a no-go. No, seriously, the rape ratios are disgusting. Heck, some poor soul got raped just down the road where I live at 8:00PM!
 

snottybooger

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I bet London will be fantastic in 20-30 years time. After the Olympics, after mass regeneration of the East End (which has been going on for decades anyway) and after the wave of recent immigrants from the EU have integrated more with British society. I think London is a great city. I agree with all the comments about the transport, high cost of living etc etc...

However, I think London will have its moments again. I just have a strong feeling it will take a few decades for this to happen. I am sure I will be far far far away from this city anyway!

When other cities in Europe become more developed and people move around a bit more, maybe London will have more space and opportunity? I don't know, just a random thought!