Britain - The Official Thread

  • Thread starter Ross
  • 13,071 comments
  • 544,071 views

How will you vote in the 2024 UK General Election?

  • Conservative Party

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Green Party

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Labour Party

    Votes: 14 48.3%

  • Liberal Democrats

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Other (Wales/Scotland/Northern Ireland)

    Votes: 1 3.4%

  • Other Independents

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other Parties

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Spoiled Ballot

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Will Not/Cannot Vote

    Votes: 8 27.6%
  • Total voters
    29
  • Poll closed .
Keef
Desperate hour? Trump played a round of golf yesterday lmfao. Hell he slept in his own bed the night of the shooting.
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Farage is the pound shop equivalent of Enoch Powell. He's only interested in himself and is using the people of Clacton to further his aims to a) make money b) have more power.

He's just signed up to GB news for a 3 night a week TV show so it should be obvious to the suckers people who voted him in where his priorities truly lie.
 
I'm mostly positive about the new plans announced by Charlie on behalf of the new government today, although they could still go further on some things, but I see they are sneaking back in ID cards (digital this time) despite denying it a couple of weeks ago. A huge centralised collection of data from everyone in the country, what could possible go wrong?
 
Fezzik
A huge centralised collection of data from everyone in the country, what could possible go wrong?
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The data is held anyway, and it's currently held in multiple places probably with varying degrees of competence in the security. ID cards manifest the fear in a single form, but in practice we all have a digital existence splattered across various virtual locations already. What could go wrong is data breaches, both digital and physical, and cyber attacks like we already get.
 
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Apologies to try to discuss something less serious, especially as a non-resident of the UK, but I'm curious as to your opinions on Piccadilly Circus, as I had visited there about a decade ago. It came across to me as being like a British version of Times Square, and I also remember being there during the opening of the first Five Guys in the UK - there must've been a line going on for blocks! But is the comparison to Time Square apt, or is there more to it?
 
MIE1992
But is the comparison to Time Square apt, or is there more to it?
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I've been to both. Picadilly circus is somewhat iconic to look at, but that's it - you're not going to hang about there since it's basically just a busy road junction. And, it's next to Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, a short walk from Covent Garden, or St. James Park... which are all nicer places to be (for varying reasons). Picadilly Circus, is a quick photo - and done...

... which in my experience, makes it pretty much the same as Times Square. I went there, took a photo or two, bought a roll of dollar bill toilet paper as a souvenir and went and relaxed in Bryant Park. As I recall Union Square was a much better pace to actually be.

Neither are human spaces, they're transit spaces with retail outlets known for their signage.
 
MIE1992
Apologies to try to discuss something less serious, especially as a non-resident of the UK, but I'm curious as to your opinions on Piccadilly Circus, as I had visited there about a decade ago. It came across to me as being like a British version of Times Square, and I also remember being there during the opening of the first Five Guys in the UK - there must've been a line going on for blocks! But is the comparison to Time Square apt, or is there more to it?
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Essentially, yes. I'm not overly familiar with London either, but Piccadilly Circus i guess acts as a central starting point or meeting place for one of the biggest entertainment areas in the city. It's a tourist trap really, i doubt many locals frequent it other than passing through or using the tube stop.
 
TheCracker
It's a tourist trap really, i doubt many locals frequent it other than passing through or using the tube stop.
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Seems precisely like Times Square, haha! Seriously, even in Manhattan, I'd recommend pretty much any other given square foot than there.
 
West Londoner here.

There used to be an average-ish club in the Rainforest Cafe in the Trocadero complex back in the 2000s(?).

But now I only go there when walking/driving to other nearby areas.

EDIT: If you're coming again to London, I'd recommend a trip to Hampstead Heath. I've only been twice but both times have been great experiences. And if you fancy authentic Indian food you can't go wrong with restaurants in Kenton/Harrow, especially Blue Ginger and Venue 5. Good Thai food is at Spicy Basil in NW London.
 
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MatskiMonk
which in my experience, makes it pretty much the same as Times Square. I went there, took a photo or two, bought a roll of dollar bill toilet paper as a souvenir and went and relaxed in Bryant Park. As I recall Union Square was a much better pace to actually be.
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Not sure when you were last in Times Square, but it is car-free now.
 
I lived in London for 6 years - it should have been 10 but I have a good lawyer.

I lived in Mile End which was close enough to walk into Central London, and I often did. Despite the joke above, I have very fond memories living in London, and I always enjoyed wandering around central London, even with the amount of noise and people - I always found it a lively and fascinating place. Granted, Piccadilly Circus is not the greatest area, but nearby Soho was always fun to explore and stop for a drink, and the nightlife was not dissimilar to NYC/Greenwich Village type vibes.

Incidentally, "It's like Piccadilly Circus" is an expression that my Mum always uses to mean uncomfortably or annoyingly busy, so that's maybe one reason why I always quite liked the place.
 
Barra333
Not sure when you were last in Times Square, but it is car-free now.
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2000 and 2012, so not recently!

Latest street view imagery from May shows that it's still a car orientated space though, everything revolves around the roads, the pedestrian space is still the sidewalk with heavy bollards to separate people from vehicles - to my eyes it certainly doesn't look as if the space has been given over to people, even if there's less cars.
 
MatskiMonk
2000 and 2012, so not recently!

Latest street view imagery from May shows that it's still a car orientated space though, everything revolves around the roads, the pedestrian space is still the sidewalk with heavy bollards to separate people from vehicles - to my eyes it certainly doesn't look as if the space has been given over to people, even if there's less cars.
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A whole side has had the road removed and replaced with an area for pedestrians but it's not what I'd call "car free" as there is still a pretty busy road running through there to the left of this photo!

peds.png


As for Piccadilly Circus it's sort of similar to Times Square in that it's a large area full of tourists, tourist based shops/performers, and large advertising screens. It doesn't feel as heavily commercialized as Times Square though as at it's heart it's still primarily a big road junction.
 
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Whenever I do venture into London, Piccadilly Circus always seems to have some sort of demonstration on the go but that's just an odd coincidence as it's only about once a month
 
Moglet
A whole side has had the road removed and replaced with an area for pedestrians but it's not what I'd call "car free" as there is still a pretty busy road running through there to the left of this photo!

View attachment 1373416

As for Piccadilly Circus it's sort of similar to Times Square in that it's a large area full of tourists, tourist based shops/performers, and large advertising screens. It doesn't feel as heavily commercialized as Times Square though as at it's heart it's still primarily a big road junction.
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Oh, I see now. They closed several blocks of broadway either side of Times Square to traffic but left the grid streets open. It feels much more open once you get away from the intersection a little.
 
Moglet
A whole side has had the road removed and replaced with an area for pedestrians but it's not what I'd call "car free" as there is still a pretty busy road running through there to the left of this photo!
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Ah, fair enough, I see now.

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Maybe over time it'll develop into a bit more of a human friendly green space.

Anyhow,

I wonder if Shibuya crossing in Tokyo also fits this discussion, Iconic imagery, but again, a busy road junction, with signage and retail.

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Moglet
A whole side has had the road removed and replaced with an area for pedestrians but it's not what I'd call "car free" as there is still a pretty busy road running through there to the left of this photo!

View attachment 1373416

As for Piccadilly Circus it's sort of similar to Times Square in that it's a large area full of tourists, tourist based shops/performers, and large advertising screens. It doesn't feel as heavily commercialized as Times Square though as at it's heart it's still primarily a big road junction.
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I didn't realize Broadway had been road dieted so heavily along its southern half. I suppose I'd never tried to walk its whole length but the last time I actually explored this portion of NYC was maybe 2016.
 
HenrySwanson
Videos coming out of the Manchester airport incident are not putting the police in a good light.
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I'm not sure what else is in the video after the clear attempted murder in the first few seconds, but that guy needs to go away for an exceptionally long time.
 
It only took a couple of seconds with me after I pasted a paragraph from the BBC article into Google and saw the original ad.
 

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