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My son has lived there more than 20 years so I have been there numerous times. “Class” of people never went away in England. If your accent is a certain accent, you are of the upper class - you have been educated among a certain class so you speak that way. If your accent is not that certain way, you will never become upper class to have the privilege they have. They may not speak of it, but they know it in their minds and classify people they meet by their accent. I found this out early on from my daughter-in-law, who is English, and became aware of the difference in accent/class. There was no question where my grandson would attend school - private school. He is among the class with the right accent.

I contacted my son during those riots. He is considered upper class along with his wife who is upper class. He, nor any of his class were the least bit concerned about the rioting of the lower class. He said the rioters would get tired and hungry and stop. The upper class mainly does not live where the riots were. It was simply a minor inconvenience not to go through those areas until the riots stopped.

There were a lot of different town names in your post. London began as a place by the River Thames. It was no different than many small areas that had names. As London grew, all those small named places became part of the ever expanding London town. So, a number of the “towns” you listed are really the city of London. So, if you are in London and drive around, you don't know that you just went into or through another “town”. Those areas will have officials just as a small town here. Our small towns are defined, you know you are there, but, in London, you don't know it as city goes for many miles in all directions.

My son lives outside London in an area where mainly millionaires live. It is a genteel area with no, or few, lower class people. The police in that area went to help with the riots.

I say the above to point out the riots, that I thought were bad, were not a concern among the upper class. It was merely a nuisance that they knew would stop when the rioters got tired and hungry.

Some of you may disagree with my observations, but after many years of being there immersed in all the people, I believe what I wrote is true. Also, with my Texas accent, I was a novelty to their friends but would have gotten no where if I hadn't been the mother/mother-in-law. And, being an American was another strike against me. Being from Texas WAS a help as they still think we ride horses and wear cowboy hats every day with guns on both hips.

>> Our small towns are defined, you know you are there, but, in London, you don’t know it as city goes for many miles in all directions.<<

Again, the same as Los Angeles. One large megalopolis, defined by many “towns:” Van Nuys, Pacoima, Encino and interspersed with cities and unincorporated county areas.

You can drive 3 AM Saturday (the only time to do so uninterrupted) for 1.5 hours in an approximate circle and pass through 25 “towns.”

Your post #14.

Some of you may disagree with my observations, but after many years of being there immersed in all the people, I believe what I wrote is true.

No disagreement here from myself. Born in London many years ago, I saw the whole bloomin' thing during WW2. In the 1990's I was driven from Heathrow Airport through a large part of London. A sick feeling hit me. Much of it's makeup had gone. Formerly home to many, many others who fitted in- more or less. Irish, Jewish, all kinds. London a polyglot population for hundreds of years. Now unrecognizable.

I will not go into it here, that being the remaking of London. I noticed your very perceptive insight on accents. Here in Canada, my English wife just loves the Royal watchers on CBC television. I writhe as I listen to the accents, I know what drives 'em. Yet they survive and countless radio shows in England used to gently mock their accents. They did not turn a hair.

Oh well so it goes!