Ha ha, cheers.
Well the outcome, much to everyone's astonishment, was a conservative majority. No one expected that. The upsetting thing is (via facebook etc.) how much it's dividing friends and people I know. Political opinions are now public and it's causing real friction between people who have been buddies for many years. In fact, one of my best friends from school recently accused me of being either "rich, stupid or a bit evil" for voting conservative. Not very democratic in my eyes. Tongue in cheek (see my earlier comment about treason) is one thing but I never expected this.
In truth I don't think there is yet confidence in the government and I still expect massive shakeups in the next 2 years. Especially following the upcoming referendum on the EU.
It sounds like the UK is experiencing what's been going on in US politics for the past three decades or so, plus or minus a few years: deep societal polarization between parties and their positions. Probably more than a little of "haves versus have-nots" going on, but that's hardly new for the UK, correct?
I've been having conversations with many New Yorkers who feel that the city they once knew and loved is irrevocably gone, destroyed in a mad dash to gentrify every popular neighborhood within a stone's throw of the Financial District, stripping it of its soul at the same time the residents are being priced out and all the new construction is luxury high-rises, completely out of character with the surroundings - at least until all the surroundings are luxury high-rises. It's been there since I was in high school and has only gotten worse.
I find myself wondering more and more why I live here, other than the salary I'm earning - I'm making more money at my job than I would anywhere else in the country, but I'm also paying a very high cost of living, among the highest in the country as well. I recently drove into the city and parked my car in Midtown for just over three hours. With tip, it cost me $65. If it gets much higher than that, the parking ticket I'd get for parking illegally on the street will actually be more affordable. My wife and stepson all share a one-bedroom apartment which we rent, not own, and it's more than simply cozy - it's crowded. My car insurance increased by a few hundred dollars a year when I moved within the city limits - and increased a few hundred more when I bought a new car. A typical meal at McDonald's - a "brand name" burger with fries and a soda - runs about $8.
I'm looking into purchasing tickets for a magic show, Penn and Teller on Broadway - the cheapest tickets, in the nosebleed seats at the rear of the mezzanine, are nearly $60 while the best seats, first nine rows of the orchestra, are over $210. That's per seat - over four hundred bucks for a couple on a date to see a show, before you've even bought a meal or a souvenir program, before you've paid for parking or a cab.
Even hitting the movies is a wallet-breaker, owing a lot to the fact that real estate's so expensive that movie theater screens are more scarce per capita here than in any other major city. Two tickets to a 2-D presentation, plus a medium popcorn and two medium sodas runs between $40 and $50. For a 3-D feature, add about $10 more for that couple. If it was a family of four, you'd be lucky to make it out of there without spending over $100.
Forgive me for ranting, but it's reaching the point where it doesn't matter that New York has culture, shopping and all those attractions - it's a moot point when the average person can't afford it. The middle class has long been a dying breed in this country, but in New York, I'm pretty sure it's dead already - they just haven't finished the headstone yet. Over a decade ago, I read an article about living in Manhattan on a middle-class income - fewer than 7% of the island's residents fit the description at the time. That number can't have grown, especially when you factor in that incomes overall have been dropping since 2007. The ZIP code ("postal code" for the Europeans and Aussies) in which I work has what might be the highest concentration of "extreme wealth" in the country - over 100,000 inhabitants with a median income of over $90,000.
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