England’s law-abiding citizens have become defenseless.

[scandal 951]

Since when did a council estate become a ghetto?

When did the word Ghetto stop meaning this

and start meaning this?

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

When did the word Ghetto stop meaning this

and start meaning this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghetto

Ghetto

A ghetto is formed in four distinct ways:

As ports of illegal entry for racial minorities, and immigrant racial minorities.

When the majority uses compulsion (typically violence, hostility, or legal barriers) to force minorities into particular areas.

When economic conditions make it too difficult for minority members to live in non-minority areas.

When the minority actively chooses to segregate itself physically and socially from the majority.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

For the record, some Council Estates are actually nicer then what is on the private market.

[slim 1,530]

For the record, some Council Estates are actually nicer then what is on the private market.

For now.

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

For the record, some Council Estates are actually nicer then what is on the private market.

Google street view of the housing estate my husband grew up in.

http://www.propertypal.com/18-ness-gardens-irish-street-londonderry/62859/streetview

[slim 1,530]

Google street view of the housing estate my husband grew up in.

Sounds nice. From wikitravel -

After Belfast, Derry was the main centre of trouble during Northern Ireland's conflict. As a majority Catholic city, there still remain significant tensions between the Republican and Loyalist communities in some parts of Derry. Wearing items of clothing which would identify you as being from any particular religious denomination or political viewpoint (for example Rangers or Celtic football shirts) is not advised.

Unlike Belfast, however, Derry has won no recent recognition for safe streets. It is in fact one of the biggest remaining trouble spots in Northern Ireland, and it is therefore necessary to take heightened precautions.

Derry has especially developed a reputation as a place with high levels of alcohol-fuelled violence. Use your common sense and try to avoid popular nightlife areas around closing time. Even during the day, be wise to your surroundings, as random attacks (particularly by delinquent youths) are sadly not uncommon. Recently there have also been assaults on foreigners in the city. Stay to areas were there are crowds and do not wander into residential areas.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland do not maintain a visible presence in parts of the city as attacks on Police officers are a common occurrence. There is a lack of regular policing in some parts of the city, notably the Bogside and Creggan areas. On the Cityside, only the very centre of town would be considered safe at night. Tourists should take special care to stay away from residential areas of the city - the Bogside is only a few short minutes walk from the pubs and clubs of the city centre and can easily be walked into by accident.

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Sounds nice. From wikitravel -

After Belfast, Derry was the main centre of trouble during Northern Ireland's conflict. As a majority Catholic city, there still remain significant tensions between the Republican and Loyalist communities in some parts of Derry. Wearing items of clothing which would identify you as being from any particular religious denomination or political viewpoint (for example Rangers or Celtic football shirts) is not advised.

Unlike Belfast, however, Derry has won no recent recognition for safe streets. It is in fact one of the biggest remaining trouble spots in Northern Ireland, and it is therefore necessary to take heightened precautions.

Derry has especially developed a reputation as a place with high levels of alcohol-fuelled violence. Use your common sense and try to avoid popular nightlife areas around closing time. Even during the day, be wise to your surroundings, as random attacks (particularly by delinquent youths) are sadly not uncommon. Recently there have also been assaults on foreigners in the city. Stay to areas were there are crowds and do not wander into residential areas.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland do not maintain a visible presence in parts of the city as attacks on Police officers are a common occurrence. There is a lack of regular policing in some parts of the city, notably the Bogside and Creggan areas. On the Cityside, only the very centre of town would be considered safe at night. Tourists should take special care to stay away from residential areas of the city - the Bogside is only a few short minutes walk from the pubs and clubs of the city centre and can easily be walked into by accident.

Now here's the link to the entire article.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Derry

Situated on the banks of River Foyle, Derry is the second largest city in Northern Ireland and one of the oldest inhabited places in the whole island of Ireland. As they say there, 'Derry was a city when Belfast was still a swamp'. Derry's history dates back over 1,450 years, a lasting reminder of the early inhabitants of the area is the Iron Age fort, just over the border in County Donegal, known as the Grianan of Aileach.

In the 6th Century St Columba/Colmcille established a monastery in Derry. Shifting ten centuries later to the Plantation of Ulster, King James I of England had the wealthy guilds of London build up the city of Derry (hence the title Londonderry) and surround it by the defensive walls that still ring the city today.

These walls witnessed one of the most prominent events in the history of Derry. In 1688 the city was laid siege by the Earl of Antrim and the Catholic forces of James II, the English king who was deposed in favour of Protestant William of Orange. The settlers of the city who were protestant, barricaded themselves within the walls, when a group of apprentice boys from London on seeing the on coming forces, locked the city gates and so started the Great Siege of Derry.

The siege was to be the longest in British history, lasting some 105 days, during which an estimated third of the city’s then population of 30,000 died through disease and starvation. When James II himself rode up to the city walls and lay down terms for surrender he was greeted with shouts of ‘No Surrender’. The siege was finally broken when the relief ship Mountjoy broke the boom which was laid across the River Foyle beside the city.

However the legacy of the Great Siege of Derry lasted for centuries with the Catholic and Protestant communities in Derry still largely divided today. During the years of the Troubles, Derry witnessed some of the most prominent and terrible events of those times. It was on Derry's Bogside area that British soldiers shot dead 14 civil rights protesters in what became known as Bloody Sunday. The majority of the Bogside murals commemorate this tragic loss of innocences.

Since the peace process in Northern Ireland, Derry is slowly emerging as an upbeat cosmopolitan city with great potential and huge tourist interest. In July 2010, Derry was awarded City of Culture for 2013. A lot of Derry’s sights are meshed with its history, the 16th Century walls which surround the city are among the oldest and the best preserved citadel walls in Europe.

A huge percentage of Derry’s population fall into the 20 – 30 age group and there are plenty of places to cater for them with lots of clothes shops and boutiques, pubs, bars and clubs and Derry's traditional Irish and folk music scene are well established.

Edited August 19, 2011 by Rebecca Jo

[The_Dude 1,142]

Good to see the city referred to by it's actual name

[slim 1,530]

In July 2010, Derry was awarded City of Culture for 2013.

Isn't that like awarding someone a Nobel Peace Prize when they haven't done anything yet?

[Ban Hammer 13,498]

Isn't that like awarding someone a Nobel Peace Prize when they haven't done anything yet?

shouldn't they wait until 2013 gets here before they hand over an award?

[slim 1,530]

shouldn't they wait until 2013 gets here before they hand over an award?

That's kind of what I was thinking. If you're going to tout a city as being something.... shouldn't it actually be something first?

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

In 2005, I lived as a private tenant on a council estate in the City of London. Something like half of the flats in the estate were privately held. It was a genuinely nice place to live, with a swimming pool, tennis courts and a pub. It was one of the safest places I ever lived in London, and the people who lived on the estate were a mix of City workers (like me), young families, people who had lived there since the estate was built, students and everything in between. The place was neat as a pin and extremely quiet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Lane_Estate

[slim 1,530]

In 2005, I lived as a private tenant on a council estate in the City of London. Something like half of the flats in the estate were privately held. It was a genuinely nice place to live, with a swimming pool, tennis courts and a pub. It was one of the safest places I ever lived in London, and the people who lived on the estate were a mix of City workers (like me), young families, people who had lived there since the estate was built, students and everything in between. The place was neat as a pin and extremely quiet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Lane_Estate

They're all like that.... at first.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

They're all like that.... at first.

Uh, seeing as it's one of the older estates in London, I fail to see your logic.

[Ban Hammer 13,498]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Lane_Estate

the name sounds like a retirement home.