Occupying Glasgow

A wet and windy afternoon on arrival in Glasgow.  But warm, warm, not November weather at all everybody tells me.

There are two main rail stations in Glasgow, go figure; Central and Queen St.  Such poor central city planning usually suggests graft somewhere along the way.  Maybe that isn’t the case here, and now Glaswegians everywhere will be cross with me.  Hold back, I am here because my Granny was born here.  So we are one.

Taxi driver’s view of the economy is things are tight.  People have stopped their spending, worried about their jobs.  “That is the main worry, heating and electricity costs are up 20-30% over the last 18 months, and salaries aren’t going up that fast”.  “People are worried about losing their jobs, it is all to do with what the banks did.  So they aren’t spending, saving their money just in case. Same as Europe and London.  There will be a lot of people doing it tough this Christmas”.

“Our unemployment is much the same as the rest of Britain, but we are all worried.  Our young people are going over to Australia looking for work.”

You’re not a banker are you?, Yes I say, an ex-investment banker, and we both have a good laugh.  Mainly because I cannot repeat some of the things he said in this blog.  And that is the main thing I have found here in just a few hours.  Everybody seems so damn happy.

I am straight off looking for Occupy Glasgow, and I am sure it is here somewhere.  But instead I find another version, Occupy St Enoch Square.  And on a wet and windy Wednesday afternoon it is packed with browsing shoppers, young future louts, pretty young women parading, families with children playing and running around in the soft rain, couples and business people, all of many cultures.

It is also full of market stalls from all over the world; food, clothes, delicatessen, cheeses, biscuits, meats, tomatoes. German cooking and beer, Holland sweets, hamburgers made with wild beests [not sic] from all parts, from Kangaroo to Springbok, Ostrich and Crocodile.  French delicacies, baking, and food.  Russian dolls. Asia is not forgotten and nor is the various woolly animals that are doing a thriving trade with the teens and children.

Business women and men on their way home stopping for some mulled wine and Asian food;  lovers walking and laughing; and the people serving in the stalls dancing to the loud Christmas music and love songs (young and older).  All service is with a smile and a bit of teasing and joking. And this all stays every day until Christmas.  Fun fun fun! Happy happy happy!

I am talking HAPPY!!

Even the security service at the markets in St Enoch Square, who are ubiquitous with their earpieces, and muscles, well groomed haircuts, bring a smile to ones face.  They have boldly printed on the back of their florescent jackets "McSecurity".  Police are pounding the pavements as well, around the perimeter.  Nodding and smiling at those passing.  On the back of their jackets, they have their website so you can read all about them.  I feel as though I have entered a parallel world.  But one that is very welcome. 

I had been here for business many times in my old banking days.  What a glum lot they were back then.  Obviously I was meeting the wrong people, huh?

Is it possible to fall in love with a city?  Just have.