London 2012: Facelift, fiasco and fear

I was pleasantly surprised to have a no-glitch journey to work on Monday, 30 July 2012, the first working day after the opening of the London Olympic Games. The tube was unusually empty, and my journey from  Piccadilly Circus along Regent Street was more like a stroll rather than a brisk walk interrupted by the usual stream of visitors. 

  Volunteers had all the time to pose
for the camera 

In the tube, I was seated next to two London 2012 volunteers who were saying how lucky they were to be part of this great event. It is indeed a special moment for the youth in this country to have the flavour of a high profile work experience, especially at a time when jobs are few and far between.

However, not everybody  is interested to be part of the great experience. The G4S fiasco speaks not only of the inefficiency of the organisation assigned with the responsibility of providing the necessary security for the London games, but also about the apathy of a section of the youth to excel themselves. 
                                           

Oxford Circus, London's celebrated
shopping district was unusually quiet

The armed forces have saved the British politicians from a major embarrassment, but it needs to be seen if any under the table deal shaped the involvement of the security firm G4S with London 2012. One thing is for sure, if such a fiasco would have unfolded in any other country, especially in the developing world, Team GB would have been the first to back out citing security concerns.

People at the helm of affairs in Britain are yet to come to terms with the geo-political reality that their heydays are over and British history is no longer synonymous to the phenomenal changes taking place all around the world. Notwithstanding their tall claims, Britain in particular and Europe in general are the biggest losers in the socio-economic upheaval that is shaping the world today as a fall out of the current phase of globalisation.

Shops are even hiring models
 to lure customers 

The economic fulcrum has tilted to the East, and coupled with the demographic dividends that the oriental countries are reaping, they have rendered Britain and Europe forces of the past.

Performers often ensure their superiority and success by the way they manage human emotions, which is intrinsically linked to the societal changes that take place around the world, and Danny Boyle is no exception. That Britain is now a backbencher in the global arena - both politically and economically, probably tempted him to rely on the golden days of the past rather than the harsh reality of the present.

I must admit that initially I was overwhelmed by the opening ceremony of London 2012 - its treatment of the trajectory of the modern civilisation and synchronising it with that of Britain, the cerebral component, the suave and sophisticated approach rather than a blatant exhibition of national might, as was demonstrated four years ago in Beijing.

The Dutch tourists tried to boost
themselves up

However, since Saturday morning, Friday night's euphoria evaporated and gave way to a more realistic assessment of things.

If China exhibited the national might of the present, Britain tried to showcase why it was ahead of others in the past. Moreover, Boyle and his advisors were so sipped into the glory of Britannia of the past that they probably overlooked that Olympics after all is an organic - not archaic - global event and the world has moved a long distance away from the period which epitomises the heydays of Britain.

Despite the best of efforts to portray an acrobatic Queen, accompanied by an iconic on screen James Bond, probably to demonstrate an interface of a monolithic monarchy and its dwindling empire (receding influence of Britain in geo-politics) with a fast changing moment of time, yet her grumpy face often scripted with gestures of disinterest - like surveying the nails of her fingers, extremely dull peach attire and an out of fashion hair-do were symbolic of the fact that 2012 was not a time to cheer for Britain.

Activities to drum up the spirit haven't
had much success so far

The empty seats in the games venues, an exceptionally quiet afternoon in the heart of London on the first working day of London 2012 were stark reminders that the best of Britain was over.

Prime Minister David Cameron and his spin doctors may be trumpeting that London 2012 will lift Britain from the miseries of a double dip recession, but as the latest figures show, the socio-economic woes are much deep-rooted and profound than it catches a politician's eye.

If the thin crowd at the Piccadilly Circus or the empty shops at Regent Street are any indication, the worst for Britain is not over yet.

All comments are personal.

Tirthankar.Bandyopadhyay.Blog@gmail.com

Hell in Hounslow: London's dirtiest borough

Hounslow has been adjudged the dirtiest borough in London. This is not the first time that the West London borough has got this dubious distinction.                                                                                  

An alley beside a popular shop on
Staines Road is a fly-tipping hotspot

In 2010, Hounslow streets were labelled second dirtiest in England, following compilation of the Audit Commission league table figures by the campaigning trade union, GMB.

This time however, Hounslow was adjudged the dirtiest London borough on the basis of a study of the combined figures of 2010-2011 and 2011-2012, and it was published last week by the council's own overview and security committee.

The day the results of the latest finding was made public, I went around some areas of central Hounslow, notoriously known for illegally dumping rubbish and fly-tipping.

Dumping rubbish in backyards, as on 
Clipstone Road, is like hiding head in sand

The random pictures reveal that some Hounslowites, around Hounslow Central underground station, adjoining areas along Bath Road, Staines Road, Hanworth Road and near the Hounslow British Rail Station are least bothered about the state of affairs of their borough. The truants hardly realise that their irresponsible behaviour is actually giving the whole borough a bad name. 

The lackadiasical and often "feather-touch" approach of the Hounslow Council is also to be blamed. In theory, they claim to be doing their best, in reality, however, they often shrug off their responsibilities, making it easy for the errants to go scot free. Adequate actions are not taken even after the necessary complaints and reporting procedures are complied with by the responsible residents. 

After Hounslow streets were labelled second dirtiest in England, Councillor Corinna Smart, then Lead Member for Environment, had written to me stating: "The GMB figures date back to 2008 and there has been some improvements since then. But overall there is clearly much more that must be done. So we need to take a long hard look at the current cleansing regime and respond more swiftly when residents report litter, dumped rubbish and graffiti. That's why one of our pledges is Grimebusters 24/7  Phone line to respond to graffiti, litter and dumped rubbish."

Despite tall promises nothing has
 changed in Cromwell Street

The latest revelation shows that nothing much has improved. There has been blinding indifference on the part of many Hounslow residents about the poor state of affairs. At the same time "negligence" of some officials also cannot be overlooked. 

This is a communication I received from a Hounslow Council official after complaining against rubbish dumping: "I visited the area in Hanworth Road between Clarence Terrace and Derby Road on Wednesday 23rd June, no rubbish or litter was seen. I have on previous occasions seen domestic black bags along this stretch. I have emailed the Waste and Recycling team to ask for an officer to look into this problem, I think the domestic premises do not have a rear area to store their waste between weekly collections, so a solution needs to be found."

The reality, however, is that even today bin bags are dumped ahead of schedule at the junction of Clarence Terrace and Hanworth Road, sometimes on the very day of bin collection, hours after the rubbish has been disposed off by the council staff. Many people are making big money by renting out every inch of their properties without providing the basic facilities to the tenants, like an area to dump rubbish ahead of the scheduled bin collection day. 

On any day a bin bag can be seen at the
Clarence Terrace-Hanworth Road junction

My experience of campaigning for a cleaner Hounslow has taught me that the problem is much more complex than it seems from the surface. Even the well off are indifferent to  keeping their surroundings clean and shy away from behaving responsibly as far as dumping rubbish is concerned. Not only day to day household rubbish, often electrical gadgets, mattresses, furniture, cardboard boxes etc are dumped at unwarranted places. The law states that the errants would be penalised even to the extent of imprisonment but the reality is far from that.  

Dog fouling is another serious problem facing Hounslow. The concerned department dealing with this issue are cash-strapped and short-staffed. They often seek information from the complaining residents. While many residents are willing to offer their help, they do not necessarily have the information about the errants and the authority to deal with the issue. I had previously suggested that those with pets pay an additional amount as council tax to deal with the financial black hole of the department dealing with dog fouling.

Even relatively well off places, like Williams
Drive housing professionals, are no diffferent

Over the past few years, I tried to understand the reasons behind the apathy of the Hounslowites to keep their borough nice and clean. I tried to find out if there is any co-relation between the profile of the borough residents and their attitude towards general cleanliness. 

According to the figures available from the Office of National Statistics based on the findings of the 2001 census, "Hounslow is generally economically buoyant, providing approximately 140,000 jobs and has an important role to play in the health and well-being of West London, London and the UK as a whole."

The figures also reveal that unemployment is relatively low in Hounslow, over three per cent according to the 2001 census (lower than the similar figures in London and England), with "one in six adults working full-time" and almost two-thirds working part-time, on wages higher than the corresponding average figures in Greater London."

The annual average household gross income in Hounslow, according to the 2001 figures, is around £38,000, with a large number of professionals choosing the borough as their place of residence. 

However, the education figures are not that promising with the GCSE attainment level (52.1%) in Hounslow schools being lower than the national average (53.7%), as per the 2005 figures, although there are some signs of improvement in recent years.

Many landlords, like this one at Station Road
-St Stephens Road junction, rent out properties
for hefty profit without providing all amenities

Many say one of the reasons behind the borough's environmental degradation is the presence of a significant floating population, coming from the Indian sub-continent and eastern Europe, who do not develop any longstanding bond with Hounslow and are broadly indifferent to its well being. 
 There is also a demand for the people renting out their properties for hefty profits to take a share of  the blame. There are allegations that those who are renting out their properties often do not provide the minimum amenities, like dedicated bin areas etc., to the tenants forcing them to dump rubbish in the open.

Whatever be the reasons, it goes without saying that the crux  of the problem in Hounslow is much more deep-seated and complicated than it seems from the outside. However, it is high time that both the council authorities and the residents take their call before it gets too late and Hounslow becomes the rubbish capital of the country.