Editorial 2003 -Blighty

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It's a curious thing to be back in the UK. All the things you completely forgot about slap you in the face the moment you arrive. The unbelieveable state of the railways for example. The ancient London to Portsmouth train vibrates so much between Petersfield and Portsmouth you cannot read a newspaper. The overflowing toilets on the Kings Cross to Leeds stink and no one turns a hair, the massive overcrowding is astonishing and the fares astonish that are more than going by air.) You forget about the petty squabbles of the Government. Luckily Tony Blair no longer walks on water. The litter, the way motorists seem to want to murder any pedrestrian they see, and how normal it is to read of vicious killings and abductions of children every single day. England is not 'classy' or quaint. In seems to be in a constant state of anquish. Don't even mention the tennis. No wonder the 'Royal' Beckhams decamped to Spain. More on them by Colin Todhunter in the main page.

I am amused when overhearing American tourists complaining about the state of the trains and buses, the food and hotel showers, nevermind the prices and the lack of service everywhere. You almost feel the British take a pride in their lack of willingness to please or be polite; things taken very much for granted in the States (excluding New York). Clearly the Yanks feel they have disembarked off a plane in Liberia instead of 'historic Britain'. Everyone smokes, blowing fumes over your food in restaurants and you cannot believe there is a fashion industry here at all. Does everyone shop in charity shops? Everyone talks very loudly on their cellphones on trains and I learned more about chickens, food processing, Sainsbury's pricing policy or perishables, missing pallets and what some Doctor did to a woman's ovaries than I need to know thank you.

The newspapers are incredibly partisan and so therefore you cannot believe anything you read. Everyone is very smug that their house prices have risen so high you could buy small countries with the sale of just one plain ordinary little depressing hovel. But there are no first time buyers left, wages have been left far behind and the cost of living is totally absurd. People are asking when will house prices crash and although no one knows and no one wants to believe it can ever happen, one trip on a railroad will tell you truth about the economy, everything is either closing or for let. Huge office complexes stand empty outside Guildford and Woking and other London dormitory towns. This is not a healthy situation. Prices stay high but deflation is the name of the game in Japan and now America. The UK economy follows the UK so it can only be a matter of time.

By comparison with Canada everything is exactly double in price. Now I am no mathematician but Canada has just 30 million people and the UK nearly 60 million. Clearly there is an economy of scale to be had here and by rights Canada should be more expensive. OK they have the USA on their doorstep but there is no genuine reason that everything should be double the cost. (Example: One latte in the Sherlock Holmes hotel is £3.58 ($8.00 CND) for a little cup. Rent for a one bedroom flat in rather nasty part of Portsmouth is £680 pounds a month ($1400 CND) with water, heat, tax and theft of all your possessions by the neighbourhood thief all extra.

The longer you are away from the UK the harder it is to come back and accept the appalling service, the complete complacency and general shabbiness. Perhaps after a month I shall sink beneath a tide of litter and come to just put up with everything, but the sad fact is the British people live in rather deprived circumstances and yet think they have it good. The Labour Government must be very good at spin to make them all believe how well off they are. Perhaps they should make the next Matrix movie. (Can't do worse than the current writers)
Ah well. At least as a Brit we know how to moan well (we have so much to moan about.)
Update: July 16th
Well the UK in a heatwave is certainly causing ripples. Mostly on the railway lines that ‘buckle’ at 30c and on the roads where the tar sorts of turns to gravy. Of course, some people think they can get away with saving money in this high cost region of Europe. Some people, who once swore they’d never buy a second hand car again have gone out and bought one. A 1993 Golf. It lasted 20 miles and caused a ten-mile tail back on the A3 in 32c temperature. Embarrassed? Moi? I should co-co.
Kit wasn’t very happy as the smoke billowed out of the engine and even unhappier as we missed dinner and had to catch taxis to the station and then wait for hours for a working train.
It’s my own fault of course for being cheap. You cannot afford to be cheap in the UK.
I am not entirely sure how people survive actually. With or without a job.

So I promised something positive to say about England.
Nope, can’t really say I have found anything yet. I guess you’ll just have to wait.

Meanwhile there's new material from Colin Todhunter on site and he too has been thinkiikng about England. Check out his comments on the Beckhamisation of the UK

all the best

Sam
Email: editor@hackwriters.com


This summer Hackwriters: Tabytha in Cape Town, JT Brown in Japan. The film to see is Whale Rider and more to come.

© Sam North July 16th 2003

Previous Editorials:
June : Saying Goodbye
Returning to Blighty
MAY- DYSTOPIA OUR FUTURE?
Art and the Matrix
BLOSSOM TIME IN THE CITY
Forget your troubles - April
INTERESTING TIMES -March
Oscars have a message
WAITING FOR WAR February
Winning the Peace
THE MUNSTER HOUSE
Renting in Kits
Winter Escape to the UK
Hacks takes a break
TOO MANY MOVIES- IT'S AN AVALANCHE OF CULTURE
What will you seeing at the movies? November
VANCOUVER REALLY IS A FUN CITY October
'The city where everyone gets to live a millionaire lifestyle'
It’s SECTION 9 in the N.Y. Sunday Times
A cornucopia - October
LADY LUCK
The Kids stay in the picture- August
PEOPLE IN GLASS HOUSES
Hacks visits the new Museum of Glass in Tacoma- August
Hot Sweats in a Cold Read at the Anza Club- August
LIFE ON FAST FORWARD - Vancouver on speed -September
SUPERNOVA NINA & ROAD
SweetSista'Shorts Carousel Theatre- Granville Island - Off Fringe
ROUNDHOUSE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY. - September
Arts in the Community is for real -
WE ARE ALL GURUS NOW - September
Time to enrol
MOVIEWORLD October
Vancouver Film Festival Trade Show report

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