literally another aussie in london

do phone calls really cost 40p

One thing I have not seen so much of in London is beggars.

Sure there are a few, with little signs, sitting out of everyones way being ignored by people.

But there aren’t the beggars we have in Melbourne, the ones that if you stand still for longer than 12 seconds in the CDB you will get accosted.

I have stood in the one place for 10 minutes in Melbourne and have the same person ask me for money 3 times, the third time I asked him if he needed money for a memory aid.

In London I have only been approached twice, one for the oldie but a goodie, got any change line.

I refuse to give money to anyone who is that unimaginative.

The other day I got my first Melbourne type beggar.

This young girl who could hardly stand upright came over asking for 40p to make a phone call.

I asked her why she couldn’t call reverse charges, she looked at me oddly and walked away.

My second rule is not giving people money if they can’t give me a full and detailed bullshit story.

I don’t mind being bullshitted with, as long as it’s an intricate line of bullshit.

This girl had nothing.

Not long after that I was on the tube and a guy got on and did a whole speech about being poor and needing cash and such.

But I don’t count that as being accosted as he didn’t come up to me personally, and was much easier to ignore.

Compared with Melbourne, London goes alright for the beggars, if I only get accosted once a month I can live with that, in Melbourne you get accosted twice a day in the city.

My favourite ever beggar was in Memphis, he came up and said do you have any money, I said no, and he said I’ll be honest with you, I just wanna get a beer.

So I bought him a beer, see honesty is the best policy.

September 15, 2008 Posted by Jrod | living in london | beggars | 8 Comments