Most important city on Earth.

LordSutch

Has to be London or New York.

Wompa1

Silicon Valley is a good shout. Look at the amount of griping when people lost their tech in NY because they had no power. Our dependence is a little scary!

I would think Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Dubai are pretty important for their oil production?...though from reports with all of the fracking the US are doing currently, they will likely surpass Saudi Arabia as the worlds leading oil producer.

steve9859

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city#Global_City_Competitiveness_Index

summerskin

Duggys Housemate wrote: »

So rich people like London. Of course they do, it's a tax haven for rich people. And the quality of life is absolutely terrible for everybody else. Its political and cultural influence? Is that a joke? Do the respondents think that the world watches British TV, and British movies? Ludicrous. If you do watch the BBC, which is good but not great, a lot of the most watched TV is American. America leads in TV, music, Cinema, software.

Education? Britain's best universities are not in London either.

I am still waiting to see what the city actually produces.

I had a great quality of life in london, have you ever lived there? free museums, affordable restaurants, vast parklands, cycle routes, cheap public transport etc.

Univeristies, what about UCL and Imperial College, which are both in the top ten globally?

Nobody watches London films though, must be why Harry Potter, James Bond(filmed mainly in studios in London and it's surrounding areas) etc do so badly. Same for TV shows such as Downton Abbey etc

And as for London music, nobody listens to Coldplay(founded in London), The Rolling Stones, Blur, David Bowie, Queen, The Who etc....

Duggys Housemate

Duggys Housemate wrote: »

So rich people like London. Of course they do, it's a tax haven for rich people. And the quality of life is absolutely terrible for everybody else.

If that's the criteria you can rule out anywhere in the US and the entirety of the 'developing world' (including China). In fact you could narrow it straight down to western Europe tbh, which would leave London, Paris or maybe Berlin.

Is that actually what you are trying to say, or do you have some other point?

steve9859

Duggys Housemate wrote: »

So rich people like London. Of course they do, it's a tax haven for rich people. And the quality of life is absolutely terrible for everybody else.

Thats just clearly uninformed nonsense. I moved over from Dublin a year ago, and my quality of life is great. Easily the equivalent of Dublin IMO, but with more to do in terms of shows, museums, restaurants etc

af_thefragile

What's so amazing about New York?
Its just a big city where everyone wears too much make up, has too much money and everyone is very rude to everyone else...

GCU Flexible Demeanour

steve9859 wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city#Global_City_Competitiveness_Index

27 Dublin59.5

Not surprised, but good to see it registering.

Lapin

Duggys Housemate wrote: »

Explain to me what is London the centre of ......

It manufactures nothing.

Duggys Housemate wrote: »

I am still waiting to see what the city actually produces.

The Park Royal area of West London produces one third of the food consumed in London.

Thats enough to feed the entire population of the Republic of Ireland. (And probably includes some of the chips on your shoulder).

Source:

Source summary:

Supermarket sandwiches, upmarket steak and kidney pies, rich tea biscuits, chilli and lemon flavoured crisps, ethnic ready meals, spring rolls, organic rye bread and hummus are all made here.


In total, there are 489 different food companies that operate on this 1,800-acre site. And between them, they employ more than 15,000 people and manufacture a third of all the food consumed in one of Europe's largest capitals.

Wompa1

Lapin wrote: »

The Park Royal area of West London produces one third of the food consumed in London.

Thats enough to feed the entire population of the Republic of Ireland. (And probably includes some of the chips on your shoulder).

Source:

Source summary:

Supermarket sandwiches, upmarket steak and kidney pies, rich tea biscuits, chilli and lemon flavoured crisps, ethnic ready meals, spring rolls, organic rye bread and hummus are all made here.


In total, there are 489 different food companies that operate on this 1,800-acre site. And between them, they employ more than 15,000 people and manufacture a third of all the food consumed in one of Europe's largest capitals.

Buhhh?? So London is important for itself? Without London, the people of London would go hungry...

Wompa1

af_thefragile wrote: »

What's so amazing about New York?
Its just a big city where everyone wears too much make up, has too much money and everyone is very rude to everyone else...

Too much make up? Never noticed that...

Also too much money??? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?

People are rude alright, I'll give you that one.

The subject is discussed here: http://moreintelligentlife.com/node/3756

Although the Economist is a British magazine so you might want to take their conclusion with a pinch of salt

keith16

Wompa1 wrote: »

Too much make up? Never noticed that...

Also too much money??? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?

People are rude alright, I'll give you that one.

I think the Irish mistake apathy for rudeness when we are abroad. How friendly people are in another country is always something we comment on.

That along with the weather and the price of a pint are generally the barometer for how good a place is. Well I don't go abroad to make friends so I generally stay out of the locals ways.

Those times where I have interacted with the locals in NY, Paris and London, I have always found them to be very friendly indeed!

Lapin

Wompa1 wrote: »

Buhhh?? So London is important for itself? Without London, the people of London would go hungry...

But London isn't the only market for goods produced in Park Royal.

There is a good chance that some of the food items in your kitchen will have been produced there.

Either way the link I provided above shoots down Duggy's Housmate's ludicrous claim that London produces nothing.

biko

summerskin wrote: »

or maybe this, where London is second?

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/node/373401

"The Global Cities Index 2010
In this second collaboration between Foreign Policy, A.T. Kearney, and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, we bring you the world's top global cities.
Rank City Rank by Population Rank by GDP
1 New York 6 2
2 London 28 5
....
...

Meh, Cork isn't even on that list. Must be something wrong with it.

ejmaztec

Duggys Housemate wrote: »

So rich people like London. Of course they do, it's a tax haven for rich people. And the quality of life is absolutely terrible for everybody else. Its political and cultural influence? Is that a joke? Do the respondents think that the world watches British TV, and British movies? Ludicrous. If you do watch the BBC, which is good but not great, a lot of the most watched TV is American. America leads in TV, music, Cinema, software.

Education? Britain's best universities are not in London either.

I am still waiting to see what the city actually produces.

Woss yer problem me old china innit?

Fizman

biko wrote: »

Meh, Cork isn't even on that list. Must be something wrong with it.

There's a lot wrong with Cork to be fair.

ejmaztec

AH is funny

If there's a thread about the greatest country in the world, half the posts tell you which country is, and the other half tell you that England/UK isn't.

With this thread, it seems to be half the posts mentioning Cork and the other half telling you that London is a kip.

:pac:

EZ24GET

The most important city is whichever one I am in or closest to. New York is definitely over rated. The media knew (as did everyone else in the country) that New York was not prepared for a storm like this. The result isn't pretty but that is the sort of thing our media reports on. Then when it has pointed out the obvious downfalls it attempts to lay blame. It is the common people that have reached out and made the most effort to help. We need to see more stories that are uplifting not ones that point out the problems. Shoving a mic in the face of someone standing in line with their gas can as the guy in front takes the last drip of gas is not helpful. Asking them that since they haven't any gasoline for their generator will they be cold that night is even less helpful. If it was me I might knock him in his empty heads and make off with his news van. Surprised it hasn't happened.

9959

Kilmuckridge

Dangerous Man

.

Wacker The Attacker

9959 wrote: »

Kilmuckridge

Nah Borris In Ossory

squod

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Everyone likes muff.

grenache

steve9859 wrote: »

Seriously, anyone who genuinely thinks that has got to take that chip off their shoulder....

No chip. It's just a horrible, grey and most unfriendly city.

Dublin is grey too but at least the locals there are hospitable. Not like the cold, aloof Landaners.