Swindon
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Swindon. Where does it fit in modern society's image of a 'nice' place to live. Well I've lived here for 20 years and in that time I've read and heard hundreds of comments on what is wrong with Swindon and very rarely something positive. Well I reckon its time to put things into perspective.
We have loads of roundabouts! Who cares! The only people bothered by this are the ones who are incapable of negotiating them. The town has no soul! Soul, what is soul? If its a feeling you get when you return after an abscence and the memories you have of growing up in the place then Swindon has a soul for me. Poor nightlife! Hard to argue with but it improves rapidly every year. No history they say! Well if Romans, Railways and Engineering don't count then I went to the wrong school.
But the gripe that irks is the general sarcasm delivered at a town that has become so succesful it might as well have a target painted on it. Lets face it. A town situated in the middle of some of Englands greatest countryside, surrounded by downs and rolling hills, a stone throw from the Cotswolds. A town where you can reach this tranquility in literally minutes. A town where the exceedingly low level of unemployment has become almost embarassing . A town where crime is generally noticeable by its abscence. Basically Swindon is a quiet town, and whats wrong with that. Bristol is half an hour away, London an hour. If a fix of the big lights is what you need then jump in the car.
To put it simply, when you do the sums the good outweighs the bad and maybe I'm just a country bumpkin, a wurzel or a provincial idiot but when it comes down to it I'd take Swindon any day and you can stick your London up your ar.............
We have loads of roundabouts! Who cares! The only people bothered by this are the ones who are incapable of negotiating them. The town has no soul! Soul, what is soul? If its a feeling you get when you return after an abscence and the memories you have of growing up in the place then Swindon has a soul for me. Poor nightlife! Hard to argue with but it improves rapidly every year. No history they say! Well if Romans, Railways and Engineering don't count then I went to the wrong school.
But the gripe that irks is the general sarcasm delivered at a town that has become so succesful it might as well have a target painted on it. Lets face it. A town situated in the middle of some of Englands greatest countryside, surrounded by downs and rolling hills, a stone throw from the Cotswolds. A town where you can reach this tranquility in literally minutes. A town where the exceedingly low level of unemployment has become almost embarassing . A town where crime is generally noticeable by its abscence. Basically Swindon is a quiet town, and whats wrong with that. Bristol is half an hour away, London an hour. If a fix of the big lights is what you need then jump in the car.
To put it simply, when you do the sums the good outweighs the bad and maybe I'm just a country bumpkin, a wurzel or a provincial idiot but when it comes down to it I'd take Swindon any day and you can stick your London up your ar.............
