I normally shy away from discussing politics in blogs, but reading an article about 3 hour wait times to enter the UK at Heathrow Airport finally pushed me over the edge.
Not only have such wait times become standard, even their “goal” (which they’ve missed for the past 3 years) is a 45 minute wait time! I’d argue that after a long international flight, making people stand in line for even 45 minutes so a border guard can ask them questions they’ve already answered online and look them in the eye is ridiculous!
And this is pre-Brexit! I dread to think what will happen once all those in the “speedier” EU lines get shunted over into the international lines.
This is just one example of many where I see the UK slipping backwards.
It seems ironic, because when I look out the window I see construction cranes all over the place. Building is happening, driven largely by obscenely high rental prices in London.
But as my taxi driver commented, there’s no planning. They give out all these building permits with no apparent thought to the fact that with everything being built at once they are blocking off so many roads in the same area that it becomes almost impossible to get around.
Next, let’s talk about the trains. Not only do they not run on time, they are subject to staff walkouts, unexplained slowdowns, and frequent breakdowns.
On Sunday morning at the Farringdon train station, which has a direct line to Gatwick Airport, there was a huge lineup of stressed out people waiting in front of the one machine out of 4 (or 5?) that was working. Yep, the others were all broken. And there was no open ticket office.
There were a couple of security guards milling around, but when people asked what they were supposed to do, given the risk of missing their train and, as a result, their airplane, the answer was a shrug.
DH asked the magic question, “Are there any other machines elsewhere in the station?” Yes, as a matter of fact, up an escalator on one of the tracks that is not currently in use, there is another machine and it was working. Why hadn’t they told anyone else this? Why was there no sign, directing people? Is that really so hard to think of?
Modern Buildings Not Built to Modern Standards?
I’ve already ranted about the amazing number of buildings, including major tourist attractions, that have lifts (elevators) that are out of service. Many of these are modern buildings. (Business opportunity for lift repair people! Or maybe not — maybe it simply isn’t a high enough priority to get them fixed? I don’t know.)
Beyond that, though, there are places like the apartment that we rented, where the owners simply don’t seem to care about things being done shoddily, even though the rent is shockingly high. They do know how to take nice photos though. Totally misrepresented the place. (Sadly, we looked around, and given that we need a furnished place with wheelchair access, that is close enough to University College London that DH doesn’t have to rely on unreliable trains, we don’t really have any alternatives. Also, to be honest, the other places in the $6,500/month or below range (I kid you not!) aren’t really any better.)
Here’s what it looked like on AirBnB:
What the AirBnB Photos Don’t Show You
I think they must have photoshopped the paint colour: it is nowhere near that bright and white. Might have something to do with the lightbulbs; see the delightful fixtures:
Apart from the dingy colouring, the place is falling apart. Note, for example, the duct tape needed to hold the shower curtain in place.
Here are a few more examples.
Who knew that they still manufacture sinks where the hot and cold water don’t come together? (Not that it makes much difference: they both run warm only.)
Let’s have closer look at those taps.
Same story with the bathtub taps.
Moving to the other end of the bathtub…
Now step into the bedroom… that has no shelves, closets or drawers and only one tiny imitation IKEA wardrobe. Thus we continue to live out of suitcases. Note the deluxe London Bridge wallpaper. Which is coming off the wall. We’ve had to tape it up too.
Some of the things are just sloppy design or installation. In the kitchen, for example, note that one cupboard opens into the living room instead of the kitchen. And the little fridge (1/3 height and no freezer) opens to the hallway instead of into the kitchen. Seriously?? And what is the purpose of the half-height wall that is too narrow to rest anything on?
Moving to the living room, the sofa has a huge rip in it!!
And, for the piece de resistance, the living room window, photographed from the balcony side. Frame is disintegrating and one pane is broken.
Income Inequality in England
I look out my cracked window at the construction cranes building gleaming glass towers, and fantasize about what those apartments must be like. But even at our income level, which is far higher than that of the average Londoner, there is no way we could afford to rent a truly nice place. The average apartment rental price in central London is currently £724 per week. That’s nearly $5,000 (Canadian) per month.
Income inequality in the UK is more like that of the US than like other European countries. And once inheritances and capital gains are taken into account, the gap between the top 1% and the rest continues to grow.
It is a sad situation, and one that is likely to get worse once Brexit hits, I’m afraid.
