Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Me too. That seems like it should be much easier than doing Oxford Street.

Jesus Christ. Greg Smith is in the Shadow Cabinet?

Josiah Mortimer
‪@josiahjourno.bsky.social‬
Tory Shadow Transport Sec Greg Smith tells Politico - Khan's Oxford St pedestrianisation plans are “yet another move by the London mayor to drive people out of London”

“He may as well put up a sign saying ‘don’t come here, your money isn’t welcome in our shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants"

Deluded

In principle: great idea. Urban pedestrianisation can only help ailing city centre shops.

In practice in Oxford St. in particular: it’s too late. It’s been absolute dogshit for *decades*. Bond St? Sure. But Oxford St - especially the TCR end - is just scam auction shops, tat shops, American candy definitely not money laundering shops, and 40,000 branches of Pret A Manger.

I wouldn’t want to go there even if it was pedestrianised, because if I wanted to go somewhere shit and commercialised where the park bits were full of drunk tramps and hyper aggressive beggars/chuggers, I’d go to Leicester Square.

In practice in Oxford St. in particular: it’s too late. It’s been absolute dogshit for *decades*.

Time for a radical face lift.

I used to like dive bar Metro up by Tottenham Court Road. That was about it.

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Tue Sep 17, 2024 1:56 pm Jesus Christ. Greg Smith is in the Shadow Cabinet?

Josiah Mortimer
‪@josiahjourno.bsky.social‬
Tory Shadow Transport Sec Greg Smith tells Politico - Khan's Oxford St pedestrianisation plans are “yet another move by the London mayor to drive people out of London”

“He may as well put up a sign saying ‘don’t come here, your money isn’t welcome in our shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants"

Deluded

When was the last time one could drive up Oxford Street, park and pop into a shop, pub, café or restaurant? My guess is the 1930s.

Is he aware how much it costs just to park In Central London? Nobody, absolutely nobody, drives there to spend money.

I was wondering what angle they would take.

Very guessable, maybe I thought they thought better of their voters.

They aren't aiming at Londoners. Nor are they going for people visiting London.

They're aiming at people with a very clear idea of what London should be like, but won't go there because of what they think it's like.

And the chap who came up with the idea is one of “them”

They're wasting time and effort preaching to the converted. For normal people outside of London the announcement that a major London thoroughfare is going to be pedestrianised is greeted in the same way as an announcement that Cantaloupe Road in Ross-on-Wye is to be pedestrianised - an enthusiastic "So what?". The second thought, for people like me who are only occasional visitors to London is "It's about time".

This may actually draw more visitors into central London.

It's the Sky TV mentality all over again, as well.

Explanation - in the early days of satellite TV, the point of having a dish and receiver was not so much to access great programming, but to deny it to others. If Sky had not existed, then top flight sport, the Simpsons, new films etc would have been shown on terrestrial TV. If you subscribed to Sky though, you got to see them while your neighbour couldn't. Exclusivity.

So, how does this apply to Oxford Street? Simple - if the only way to enjoy traversing the thoroughfare is to walk it or to catch a bus - which just about anyone can do - then it's not exclusive. You're getting rained on and jostled and have to breathe in next to them. Ugh. If on the other hand you can drive in (or even better, be driven in), you can choose where to park, where to get out, how long to stay, and so on. You don't get rained on. You can threaten to nudge proles out of your way. It's a big old sign saying that you're richer than the plebs - even if it costs you a bomb. You're still richer (and thus better) than them.

I wonder if anyone will notice…

Admittedly her uselessness wasn’t entirely her own fault - the job didn’t exactly come with teeth included - but she’s still spent the last few years being paid a great deal of money for effectively fuck all.

How did Amy progress from Danny Baker's sidekick to London politics player?

What does a "night czar" do anyway?

Abernathy wrote: ↑Thu Oct 03, 2024 1:58 pm What does a "night czar" do anyway?

Right after the Summer Solstice, they publicly proclaim that "the night czar drawing in"...

[coat etc]

Abernathy wrote: ↑Thu Oct 03, 2024 1:58 pm What does a "night czar" do anyway?

Bed at 10pm before the night Rasputin takes over.

“Amy Lame: night czar” sounds like a very cheaply made US import superhero series of the sort you’d get on a c-list streaming service

It's a good idea for cities and bigger towns to have someone with the remit to bang head together and impose some sort of strategy for things such as late-night transport, safety on the streets and a wider variety of nightlife than Wetherspoons, All Bar One and Walkabout. Londn, though, is too big and too diverse. The problems of the West End are different to those in Hackney, which is different to Islington, and so on.

She seemed very tone deaf in her role.