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Flight of the minorities: London's soul is in the suburbs Flight of the minorities: London's soul is in the suburbs
(7 months later)
It's a piece of news that no doubt had good burghers from the shires choking on their cornflakes. Taking the 2011 census finding in London that respondents self-identifying as "white British" now constitute a minority, the Today programme interviewed people who had made journeys both between the capital's boroughs and beyond them; both black and white. While the central headline of diversity in the city may be of little surprise to anyone living or working there, counter-intuitively it's the suburbs positioned at London's outer rim, not its inner cities, that are now experiencing the depopulation phenomenon known as "white flight".It's a piece of news that no doubt had good burghers from the shires choking on their cornflakes. Taking the 2011 census finding in London that respondents self-identifying as "white British" now constitute a minority, the Today programme interviewed people who had made journeys both between the capital's boroughs and beyond them; both black and white. While the central headline of diversity in the city may be of little surprise to anyone living or working there, counter-intuitively it's the suburbs positioned at London's outer rim, not its inner cities, that are now experiencing the depopulation phenomenon known as "white flight".
Historically this expression was taken to describe how moneyed members of the "host" community escaped the big bad city to suburbia, leaving minorities behind in decaying inner neighbourhoods. This time, however, ethnic minority populations themselves seem to be moving from the inner city to the suburbs. Black and Asian people on the move could be termed "brown flight". Indeed suburbs today are the first point of arrival for many, like Tamils in Tooting or South Koreans in New Malden.Historically this expression was taken to describe how moneyed members of the "host" community escaped the big bad city to suburbia, leaving minorities behind in decaying inner neighbourhoods. This time, however, ethnic minority populations themselves seem to be moving from the inner city to the suburbs. Black and Asian people on the move could be termed "brown flight". Indeed suburbs today are the first point of arrival for many, like Tamils in Tooting or South Koreans in New Malden.
Along with this residential mobility there is a corresponding "ethnic vote". Although suburban Asian electors helped New Labour to power in outer London constituencies that the party had never won before, like Harrow and Brent North in 1997, there is a danger of taking minority voters for granted. This was highlighted when the party was defeated in suburban seats from Manchester Withington to Hornsey and Wood Green by an alliance of Muslims and Guardianistas post-Iraq war. Furthermore most UK Asians are now British-born with English as their first (and sometimes only) language, making this no longer an exclusively "immigrant" category.Along with this residential mobility there is a corresponding "ethnic vote". Although suburban Asian electors helped New Labour to power in outer London constituencies that the party had never won before, like Harrow and Brent North in 1997, there is a danger of taking minority voters for granted. This was highlighted when the party was defeated in suburban seats from Manchester Withington to Hornsey and Wood Green by an alliance of Muslims and Guardianistas post-Iraq war. Furthermore most UK Asians are now British-born with English as their first (and sometimes only) language, making this no longer an exclusively "immigrant" category.
The current displacement of the white British is essentially a new version of an old story, one that has made London the city it is. Twentieth-century Jewish suburbanisation away from the East End provides earlier precedent, as do similar journeys made by French Hugenots and the Irish. One of the reasons Thatcher was selected by Conservatives in Finchley in the 50s was her pledge to end the ban on Jews joining Finchley golf club.The current displacement of the white British is essentially a new version of an old story, one that has made London the city it is. Twentieth-century Jewish suburbanisation away from the East End provides earlier precedent, as do similar journeys made by French Hugenots and the Irish. One of the reasons Thatcher was selected by Conservatives in Finchley in the 50s was her pledge to end the ban on Jews joining Finchley golf club.
The essence of the city in the modern era has been its vibrancy. The last century saw an exodus of residents trading Dickensian housing for suburban semis built on the principle of defensible space and the home-as-castle. But the reverse process of gentrification has made inner London now the playground of the rich – and the super-rich. In turn established white suburban dwellers cash in their houses for bigger property outside London altogether as changing work patterns make commuting less necessary. New arrivals of all ethnicities take their place.The essence of the city in the modern era has been its vibrancy. The last century saw an exodus of residents trading Dickensian housing for suburban semis built on the principle of defensible space and the home-as-castle. But the reverse process of gentrification has made inner London now the playground of the rich – and the super-rich. In turn established white suburban dwellers cash in their houses for bigger property outside London altogether as changing work patterns make commuting less necessary. New arrivals of all ethnicities take their place.
Though the world depicted in The Good Life – the burbs as oases of serenity disturbed only by the twitching of net curtains – is vanishing, this is not a cause for national mourning. Polski skleps (Polish convenience stores) and boldly designed Hindu temples (such as at Neasden) and mosques appearing alongside pre-existing churches not only contradict both notions of suburbs as private worlds and the decline of religion in the UK but have also been welcome additions to the suburban landscape. Ethnic retail has saved many high streets from adding to the sense that we are living in boarded-up Britain.Though the world depicted in The Good Life – the burbs as oases of serenity disturbed only by the twitching of net curtains – is vanishing, this is not a cause for national mourning. Polski skleps (Polish convenience stores) and boldly designed Hindu temples (such as at Neasden) and mosques appearing alongside pre-existing churches not only contradict both notions of suburbs as private worlds and the decline of religion in the UK but have also been welcome additions to the suburban landscape. Ethnic retail has saved many high streets from adding to the sense that we are living in boarded-up Britain.
The urban gentrifiers who patronisingly deride the same suburbs they grew up in as featureless, bland zones of mediocrity miss the point. In reality, contemporary suburbia is the opposite. If you want to see the real London forget the tourist traps of Buckingham Palace and Big Ben. Instead take a trip to Dagenham, Hounslow or Brent because in 2013 it's in the suburbs where you'll find London's true soul.The urban gentrifiers who patronisingly deride the same suburbs they grew up in as featureless, bland zones of mediocrity miss the point. In reality, contemporary suburbia is the opposite. If you want to see the real London forget the tourist traps of Buckingham Palace and Big Ben. Instead take a trip to Dagenham, Hounslow or Brent because in 2013 it's in the suburbs where you'll find London's true soul.
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