London Disappears & Is Replaced By A Fake Olympic Image Of Itself!

Even before the opening ceremony for the Olympics central London was strangely deserted. There were less people most places I went and a lot less traffic. Every now and then I’d run up against barriers to hold back crowds that were supposedly going to materialise to watch the Olympic flame procession – but I was pleasantly surprised by how few people appeared to be interested in this, although the media and Olympic organisers claim this non-event attracted huge crowds.


Now when I go into corner shops – such as newsagents – the owners complain that the Olympics has ruined their business. The endless warnings to locals to get away from London to avoid the total disruption of their lives, added to the fact that the roads are  carved up with Stalinist Zil lanes reserved exclusively for official traffic, have had the effect of transforming much of the British capital into a ghost town. Not even the city’s notoriously right-wing black cab drivers (many are ex-cops) seem to like the London Games because they’ve been banned from driving in the Zil lanes.


While the cops have cracked down on protesters – for example by  kettling and arresting those attending a regular pr0-cycling Critical Mass rally – and the Olympics itself is pumped up with corporate and nationalistic bullshit, having less cars running around the city is fabulous. The air is cleaner and the streets are safer! So why not make this upside to the Olympics permanent – by banning cars and black cabs from London forever?


And while you’re at it don’t forget to check – www.stewarthomesociety.org – you know it makes (no) sense!

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Published on July 29, 2012 12:53
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message 1: by Simon (new)

Simon Hey don't forget some of us black cab drivers read your posts!! Even if I agree it is a ghost town at the moment, as soon as ramadan began early all the arabs departed and then the families went with the school holidays and the business people scared off by the propaganda leaving us empty!! It is eerily quiet in places....


message 2: by Stewart (last edited Aug 02, 2012 01:00PM) (new)

Stewart Home I know some black cab drivers read my blog and that not all are right-wing (I just meant the overall image and as an average - made to appear worse perhaps by the views of many who call up LBC talk shows). Also last time I mentioned black cabs on the blog I got an angry response from some drivers... so I guess I know I got some black cab driving readers. I was pleased to see a woman black cab driver go past me today - you see more but still not enough, and the same goes for diversity of background among black cab drivers.


message 3: by Simon (new)

Simon Oh diversity of background we have in spades, but the trade can never be diverse enough in a city like London. Yes many of my brethren tend towards the right wing, but that often comes from the guys who went through the British Legion school, as many of the ex-servicemen tend to be a touch more gung ho than the rest of us.....


message 4: by Stewart (new)

Stewart Home Well less gung ho cabbies would improve the image but I dunno how you bring that about!


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