What’s funny about this is that *Tower Hamlets* has Canary Wharf in it, which for decades has been a site of immense wealth. It, like Holborn (which also has a lot of poverty, above the national average for child poverty) contains multitudes.
Then as now, Holborn is a place where London’s rising number of rough sleepers is particularly obvious. But very few parts of inner London don’t have wealthy people knocking around somewhere. (Sorry, I’m a Tower Hamlets native and I become v boring about it with v little provocation.)
one great thing is unlike Paris London has people of rich and poor living alongside, that makes for a better city but makes the contrasts much more jarring
Don't know about Holborn but in many parts of London the mismatch between perceived affluence and measured poverty is to do with much higher spatial densities of low income households. Once walked a clearly wealthy area in Fulham to see why our data showed it as poor: three mid-rise social blocks.
If you walk around Holborn you will often see a lot of unhoused people trying to earn a living on the streets from exactly those wealthy peopls. I used to work in an office there and it was heartbreaking.
Paul Newman was similar; he thought he was absurdly overpaid for what he did, and ended up giving most of his money away in some form or other, often anonymously - in fact, he was annoyed when his six-figure donation to Live Aid went public, as this was against his wishes.
After George's mum died, he put on a free concert at the Roundhouse, London, for MacMillan (palliative care) nurses & guests. It was opened by Catherine Tate. Such a glorious way to have fun & say thank you at the same time. He's the bee's knees.
This. This is the kind of thing I want to hear more about. Not because of PR or Spin, but because the rich person just... Did it and didn't ask for anything.
Steve Buscemi returning to his old FDNY team during 9/11 with no announcements is another example.
I was never much into his music. Be he jumped from frothy pop star to top bloke in my mind when he refused to shake Norman Tebbit's hand at a televised awards show. Wham! weren't particularly well established at the time and he could have been a grin-and-bear-it conformist.
Always liked George a lot even if I never was into Wham much.
Read recently that Murduch's rubbish media really went for him badly for years. Sorry for being rude but will dance on Murdoch's grave when he goes.
When he played Hampden he handed in a load of free tickets to the Victoria Infirmary for the staff. My bro and his wife got two. A true gentleman with such generosity of spirit
On a smaller scale admittedly but #AlanMerrill, (writer and original artist of "I Love Rock n Roll) on hearing I was upset over a hefty electric bill, sent me £100 cash to put towards it,
Comments
Were you already aware of this?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardboard_City_(London)
Steve Buscemi returning to his old FDNY team during 9/11 with no announcements is another example.
Thanks for blessing us with the memories of a decent and kind person. May his legacy continue.
Read recently that Murduch's rubbish media really went for him badly for years. Sorry for being rude but will dance on Murdoch's grave when he goes.
Once for him, once for Lachlan.
They failed
Morning Des.
Have a lovely day Des.