Where To England From Here?

A pot plant which receives no water will wilt and die. Likewise, all personal relationships need face-to-face time occasionally. Such was the thinking behind my recent visit to good old England. First off, to Suffolk where the village of Norton is the new home for a couple with whom I´d had a close relationship in Sydney, but who I had not seen in 20 years. Him an ex-RAF fighter pilot, her a human resources chief in the world of banking. Their corporate lives had variously deposited them into Hong Kong, Singapore and New York, before retirement took them to Italy for four years until Norton lured them earlier this year. Unsurprisingly, we found all the personality similarities which had bound us together 35 years ago are still apparent: and caused a lot of laughter during my two-night visit. Dropping in to the nearby Gardeners Arms raised the question…Is there anything more wonderful than a rural English pub?

Next, I travelled right across the country by train to my 89-year-old aunt in Branscombe on the East Devon coastline. Again, she is a world traveller who spent many years in Australia, Bolivia, Mexico, Washington DC and Spain before returning to England, the country of her birth. Our discussions about international politics never solve anything – but they give us a lot of pleasure. And finally to Haywards Heath which is halfway between London and Brighton. I met him (a Canadian-Brit) in 1981 when we worked together in a sports equipment store in Kensington High Street in London. He and his English fiancé came to Sydney in 1993 to tie the knot on Christmas Eve on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour. Back in England, their union has produced three wonderful children whose rise to adulthood I have witnessed during my various periods of living in London and spending weekends at Haywards Heath. All types of relationships give character to our lives: but the enduring ones give a comforting sense of stability and meaning.

Of course, a brief visit to England does not qualify anyone to give a definitive assessment of the country´s social health. Much less to pontificate on the solutions. However, I´ve lived in London on three separate occasions for a total of nine years. I also worked as a news and current affairs journalist within the BBC for six years. My first observation from this visit (the first in 18 months) was that the “browning” of England continues apace. On landing at Luton Airport, 45 km north of London, and then  being on a local bus for an hour through Luton and beyond, one is immediately confronted in equal measure by people of black, white and brown skin. All going about their daily business: working, living, contributing. By the time Norton was reached (110 km north-east of London), “white” England had resumed its majority position. My later journey to East Devon required me to change from Liverpool Street station to Waterloo station in London. Again, here was an opportunity to see a snapshot of the  racial mix, which was back to being evenly black-white-brown: with plenty of corporate foreigners thrown in.

From my train carriage window, I was surprised by the sight of so many new, tall apartment buildings abutting the train line: and at how tiny so many of those apartments seemed to be. London real estate prices defy belief: and the notion that someone would pay a huge amount to live in one of the shoeboxes I was seeing defied common sense. But a work-life balance is often thrown out the window by people eager to climb the greasy pole of business in search of riches. By coincidence, my great Tarragona friends, Miguel and Maribel, had been on a long-weekend visit to London a week earlier. They loved the city to bits. It was Miguel´s first time, at age 51. He was astounded at the multi-cultural face of London. “It´s like the crossroads of the world,” he told me on his return. Since first encountering London in 1981, I´ve always felt it´s comprised of at least six different cultural / social areas. On which point, you could probably divide the whole of England into (at least) 20 different socio-economic-cultural regions: each one with its own identity and purpose. My stay in East Devon offered a stark contrast to Luton and London. In two days of wondering around the sizeable towns of Sidmouth, Seaton, Beer and Honiton, I did not see one single black or brown person.

Crisis? What crisis?…the good folk of Sidmouth might ask. Indeed, at a time when England (and the UK overall) is politically and socially tearing itself apart, one´s opinion on the nation´s social health depends largely upon where you live. There has always been a North – South divide. In the Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle areas, they continue to believe that Westminster (the parliament) only serves the interests of London and the wealthy people in the south. Likewise, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland feel they are treated like second class cousins. The disaster that was the Brexit decision in 2016 has turned UK citizen against UK citizen. And now Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party are sewing further division whilst promising a   return to the past – an exclusively white England – in which immigrants are cast as the enemy.

Despite the infighting, there is still reason to believe England will remain a powerful country, and the UK a prominent force in world events. The rule of law still gives a sense of security to the citizenry: and is an attraction to foreigners who want to live there. The UK economy is still the fifth largest in the world. “There are so many little businesses in the streets, so many of them run by immigrants,” said Miguel. So, yes, London is a crossroads of humanity and England is a relatively safe haven. However, the whole place is in desperate need of stronger and wiser political leaders than the present lot. And the citizens of the United Kingdom would do well to focus more on the “united” part, if they want to succeed.

Footnote: Technology has simplified and quickened so many elements of travelling. The ticket buying and using process on the London / England transport systems is first class. And the proliferation of indicator boards at train and bus stations means commuters are always fully informed. It doesn´t mean the trains run on time. But at least you know how late they are going to be.