As I am one who no longer pays any Rates the Birmingham City Council, and as I have lived outside Birmingham for many years now. I feel this debars me from any criticism I may have on the City and of its people, but not from any praise I may wish to endow on it. Firstly I would like to say, at least Birmingham tries. Twice in the last fifty years it has entirely remodelled its city centre. What other city has done that? What other city has had the guts to stand up and say “right we made a mistake, let’s try again”.
As for some of the fatuous comments that have been made, take for instance these comments by “kadoodey”
“what I hate about birmingham is the way the people dress,like little lambs they all follow each other and must wear brand names,trouble is they all look the same!
i hate the graffiti,gardens that look like steptoes back yard!the swearing amongst the younger generation,and older!the glum faces that never smile,so what are the nice things about brum then?”
What part of this statement is exclusive to Birmingham, having travelled extensively around these Isle I find Birmingham no different to any other major city in this country. As for the glum faces that never smile. What I put this rubbish down to is that we tend to see reflections of ourselves in the faces of others. Then these comments are further endorsed by Graham,
“Ditto!
And the shopping centre now looks just the same as any shopping centre in Europe, all the same shops, all the same brands, all the same goods. Birmingham has missed a great chance to be outstanding in Europe, attracting many tourists=£££. But then again they would all run away from those sour faces”
Graham, I think you will find that tourism is on the increase, so our “sour faces” and the nondescript shopping centre is pulling in the visitors from all over England and the rest of the world. London is having to bribe exhibitors away from the N.E.C. and business at the Conference centre and the N.I.A. is booming. On the whole tourism in Birmingham is on the increase. So Birmingham City must be doing something right.
Phil