Economist.com Cities Guide: London Briefing - August 2005

News this month

Terror looms

London has suffered two waves of bomb attacks in almost as many weeks. On July 7th, suicide-bombers targeting the capital's transport network killed over 50 people and wounded 700 others. A second wave of attacks on July 21st, broadly mimicking the first, ended in failure after devices left on three Tube trains and a bus failed to explode properly. Police are seeking the would-be bombers—thought to be Islamists with links to al-Qaeda—before they strike again.

Perhaps because Londoners were expecting a terrorist attack, many seem to have taken the bombings in their stride. Buses and Tube trains remain busy—though in the latter's case seriously disrupted. The first attacks also failed to dent economic confidence: the benchmark FTSE 100 share index recovered its 4% loss the following day. But with the threat of a prolonged terror campaign now looming, tourism and London's already troubled retail sector are expected to suffer.

The hunt for the perpetrators took a turn for the worse on July 22nd, when police shot dead a Brazilian man in south London under the mistaken impression he was a suicide-bomber. Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police's chief, apologised for the killing but defended his force's “shoot to kill” policy. Meanwhile, police carried out a controlled explosion in a park in west London on a package thought to have been an exploded bomb.

Celebrations cut short

The bombings on July 7th came just one day after London won the competition to stage the 2012 Olympic Games. News of the victory prompted noisy celebrations in Trafalgar Square, where a large crowd had gathered to hear the International Olympic Committee’s decision. The prime minister, Tony Blair, hailed the win as “a great chance to develop sport in our country...and then to leave a legacy for the future”.

Already, preparations for the games have begun. On July 15th the bid organisers announced that a new operating company—the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games—would become responsible for delivering the event. Meanwhile, a bill setting up the Olympic Delivery Authority—the body that will represent the government's and mayor's interests—began its journey through Parliament. Inevitably, the bombing attacks have shone a spotlight on security. Some £225m ($390m) is already earmarked for policing at the games, though this sum could be increased.

Scene change
Andrew Lloyd Webber, the impresario and composer behind “Cats” and “Phantom of the Opera”, announced in early July that he was selling four of his West End theatres. Lord Lloyd-Webber is London's biggest theatrical landlord, and speculation has been rife that he might sell his empire—potentially opening the door to entertainment giants such as Disney and Clear Channel Entertainment. But instead of abandoning the West End, it seems the 57-year-old composer is consolidating his holdings, at least for now.
After weeks of talks, the four theatres—the Garrick, Lyric, Apollo and Duchess, the so-called “paste jewels” in Lord Lloyd-Webber’s crown—were sold to Max Weitzenhoffer, a Broadway producer, and Nica Burns, a production director. The estimated £11.5m raised by the sale will pay for a costly refurbishment programme of the eight theatres still owned by Lord Lloyd-Webber’s Really Useful Group. The proposed revamp is a boost for the cluster of commercially owned theatres in central London, collectively known as “Theatreland”, which have been criticised for their old-fashioned facilities.

City safari

London Zoo in Regent’s Park is to become more like a safari park under an ambitious plan unveiled by the Zoological Society of London on July 18th. The first stage in the zoo’s makeover will see the creation of an “African Rainforest” area incorporating an island enclosure for its gorillas. The new attraction is expected to cost £5.3m and is set to open in 2007. Other animals will be moved to “more naturalistic environments” over the ensuing years, according to the society’s director.

Whether the plan solves the zoo’s long-standing financial problems remains to be seen. Falling attendance and the withdrawal of government funding drove London Zoo nearly to bankruptcy in the 1990s, though new attractions such as “Meet the Monkeys” have since boosted visitor numbers. Just how animal-rights activists will respond is uncertain: the new enclosures are an improvement for animals, but ploys, such as heated rocks that lure animals to viewing areas, will probably draw criticism. London's biodiversity has also been enhanced by planning approval for Biota!, a vast £80m aquarium in the East End to be owned and operated by the Zoological Society, which was granted by Newham Council earlier this year.

A clean strike

Cleaners at the Houses of Parliament downed mops and buckets on July 20th in protest against their working conditions. The strikers accused MPs of paying “poverty wages”, and called for a pay increase as well as more holiday and other benefits. A spokesperson for the Transport and General Workers Union—which backed the strike—argued that many of the cleaners needed another job to make ends meet. Complaints were also aired about the lack of sick pay and company pension scheme, and the fact the cleaners get only 12 days’ holiday a year.

Never ones to miss a photocall, particularly on their own doorstep, a gaggle of Labour MPs joined the 170 or so demonstrators outside the Houses of Parliament. Meanwhile, the cleaners revealed their most disliked task was cleaning the toilets in the House of Lords. “Some days they are really nasty,” one complained, while avoiding any scatological detail. The cleaners are employed by two agencies contracted to the Houses of Parliament; the effect of their protests remains to be seen.

Catch if you can

August 2005

“Death of a Salesman” & “Aristocrats”

Until November 5th & October 13th 2005 respectively

Two families live, love and lose their self-deceptions on the London stage this season. Though the plays span continents and decades, both force their subjects to confront unpleasant truths. The Lyric Theatre is staging Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”. Brian Dennehy won a Tony for his portrayal of Willy Loman, the tragic, broken-down salesman, in the Broadway production of this play. To the good fortune of Londoners, he is reviving this performance in the West End. Douglas Henshall as his son, Biff, can only pale in comparison, and he does, with a hammy Brooklyn accent and sophomoric kitsch. But the show remains moving and magical.

South of the Thames, the National Theatre is hosting Brian Friel’s “Aristocrats”, in which the middle-aged children of a rich, but depleted, Irish-Catholic family return to their family estate and swap reminiscences. Gradually, the little lies are peeled away and their private suffering is exposed. The combination of sharp wit and wilted dreams has a Chekhovian flavour. Expect a strong script and exceptionally good performances, particularly by Andrew Scott as Casimir.

Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Ave, W1. Tube: Piccadilly Circus. For tickets phone +44 (0)870 890-1107 or click here.

National Theatre, South Bank, SE1. Tube: Waterloo, Southwark, Embankment. For tickets phone +44 (0)20 7452-3000 or visit the theatre’s website.

More from the London cultural calendar