Nigel Farage 4/1 to succeed Starmer into 10 Downing St.

He failed first 7 times as a candidate for MP.

The last Irish pub in Kilburn disappeared decades ago, lapsy pa, but back in the late seventies they used to come around collecting for the IRA.

There was a transformation during my time in London. By the time I left, Irish incomers were better educated than London raised.

A huge net benefit to the metropolis. But the old Irish "drinkers" disappeared from Fulham Broadway, Hammersmith, Kilburn .. I guess the crack was good in Cricklewood until we lost that too.

What was the big place in Kilburn, the National? Only went to see a concert there (Billy Bragg '86).

But I knew people who worked at the great Irish Pub further up Edgware Road. The Crown. The landlord made a million.
The builders used to pick up labourers and skilled workers at dawn from there.

There was hardly a pub or betting shop in London that did not benefit from an Irish employee.

The Irish never readily volunteered to pay Poll Tax, so the population of London was officially underestimated through that time. Also (c '90) I gather there were many Irish emigrees seeking to escape an unhappy marriage ..

I would like to think that London enriched their lives as much as I know Irish people enriched my life and the life of London.

Sorry for the late reply Ub, i was mostly in East Ham,Stratford,(lol Newham!). I seen an influx of ahem non Cockneys into the area then,i think i kind of understood it from many (indigenous) attitudes then, it was being 'lost',not all roses but there was a sense of community.

Re poll tax, i was working at the worst for £20 a day,rent was maybe £45 for a room in a krap house,i was cycling into central London to save on tube fares,i couldn't pay it and was arrested for cycling down a one way street because i wasn't on poll tax register. Me and push bike went into paddy wagon to Snowhill police station.
A lot of bombings in Central London at the time so not much ill feeling though i knew i was fecked once i opened my mouth.A few years later i got a break doing price work,a different ball game but 7 days a week.

Quite a big 'influx' of Irish into London but it was short term late 80's early 90's, many went back.
Clubs and gigs were brilliant,a mad eye opener to a small scene and same faces always,i think it most certainly enriched many , me anyway.38 years on my wife would be testimony to that,she has but once won who answers most questions on 'who wants to be a millionaire' and gave me a £ each time all these years but... she is a very clever person x.

And that was in a pub where irish lads drank , They worked hard and Bought houses it was a time of Opportunity  ,and fair play to them , for them the Streets of London were paved with Gold

After a lot of very hard work they found it  ,A freind of mine  His house in Epsom has to be worth 4 million , he also has a house in Eire he goes back to , He was one of many

The Irish have been ethnic cleansed out of north west London, which is rather ironic!

The galty, the village, dicey riley's, hole in the wall, windmill, national, did them all lol.

iirc the crown was the one near the big chichele road junction in cricklewood. right sh1thole that was, never keen on going in there

The good thing if Farage was PM is that he could take his Cabinet to tgd people all over the country in an Uber!

was basically an irish club. good value and 2 for 1 on members nights, so it was a good starting point

I rarely got that far out. I was a West End boy

Good times.

Good times is a song that changed the World

This is the problem with Reform. The more they split the vote, the more likely are the party not involved in the split to simply pick up seats for nothing. In Scotland, it's the SNP.

I think it is really open with everything you play for. The Conservatives are a busted flush right now. Bad Enoch is pretty thick imho. I would imagine the last hurrah of the right will be to get get Jenrick to try and out do Farage. This would be delightful to watch.

Not sure how the Conservatives recover but I think they do over time with a return to One Nation moderates. I liked Rory Stewart but he will not appeal to the basket of deplorable types.

The Right is hopelessly split.

Nobody likes Starmer or what Labour have become but they have the benefit of 14 years of incompetence and corruption

Most of us hate the current politicians and have nowhere to go.

We can only hope something develops

Obviously not racist and misogynist for some on here too

The part of London I know best- within a couple of miles radius of Chelsea football ground - is heavily indebted to the Guiness Trust for good housing supplied in place of slums. Social housing. Some of these properties are now worth more than a million but when money appears corruption is never far behind.

Even thirty years ago it was accepted - by those inside - that applicants could not progress until a bribe was offered. Five grand even then. Dread to think what it is today.

Still, I expect the Guinness Trust hold the freeholds.

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