What you call ghettos, I see as minority communities keeping the British high street alive.
On my return from the airport on Saturday night, I had to make a diversion through Slough after forgetting to exit the M4 onto the M25.
Making my way through the centre of the town, heading north towards Beaconsfield, what took my attention was an unusual sight: row after row of shops that were not boarded up!
But I get it: that’s not what you see. No, you just see a Polish supermarket, the local Lebara phone shop, an alien Chaiiwala, and an assortment of European and Asian restaurants.
Slough, of course, is supposed to be one of those ghetto towns, completely taken over by the foreign other. A no-go area for the white minority, who only make up 63% of the population.
Would I like to live there? Not really, but that’s mainly because I’m a country bumpkin who’s grown used to the slower pace of life out in the sticks.
Still I wouldn’t describe that stretch of high street fifteen miles from home a fearsome ghetto. Looked like they had a vibrant street scene to me.
Last modified: 29 February 2024
