What an Existence

Thursday 9th March

Standing in line, slowly shuffling forwards one pathetic stumbling step at a time.  Those still disgorging themselves from the crammed tube carriages pushing us on to those in front being funneled onto the narrow escalator, a few brave souls struggled up the long fixed stairway.  It took several minutes to get from the train to the escalator, all of us frustrated penguins waiting patiently, some pushing in, most just standing in line.   And I thought, what an existence.  I had had to wait for the second train, the first was simply far too full though one or two more athletic souls forced themselves onto the already crammed train.  As the second came in we were all scanning the carriages, and yes this one looked a little less crowded, just room for two or three of us to squeeze on.  No need to reach up for the handrails (I pity short people) as we were jammed solid with no danger of falling.  As we passed Canary Wharf the melee thinned out a bit, still no seat but a bit more room.  I was surprised by how many young Chinese women there were on the train.  When I first came to London it was almost exclusively white then we seemed to have an influx of black faces and then brown ones  then more white people but speaking Polish or some other Eastern European languages. But now all I seem to see are young immaculately dressed and remarkably beautiful Chinese women.  I assume that most are here studying, or maybe working in the City.  I really don’t think that immigration policy, however stringent or lax it may be perceived has much effect at all on the numbers of people flooding into London.  People seem to come here anyway, attracted by and adding to the economic hub that is London.

The DLR, which I came in on is only a few years old.  It was created to service the regeneration of Docklands and, just like the Jubilee line before it, has rapidly filled up.  It seems an unwritten law that the more you improve the transport, build new tube lines (and Crossrail will open soon) improve roads and so on, it simply drags more and more people into our Capital City.  HS2 (if it is ever built) will do nothing for Birmingham and the North, it will simply allow even more people to commute to work in London, especially as housing is now so expensive in London and the SouthEast.

And they are even commuting from Walton and Norwich and even further afield.  People spending in excess of two hours commuting each way just to earn a living.  What an existence I thought as I shuffled forward.  But I did this every day for over forty years.  My dad used to bike to work when I was a boy, hardly anyone even worked in Ipswich, only twelve miles away.  What an existence, and all just to keep standing still, just to pay the mortgage, just to put food on the table, just to try and raise your kids and maybe one day to stop this nonsense and be able to retire with anything like a decent income and relax.  It is no use asking if it is worth it, we are all trapped in the system like flies on a strip of flypaper twisting and turning in the gentle breeze until possibly the weight of the whole thing becomes too much – and then someone will undoubtedly hang up another strip of flypaper for even more to cling on to.