On January 21 an article appeared in the Independent newspaper that would cause any sane person to choke on their breakfast.

Entitled ‘Hipper than Hoxton: why Haggerston is the place to be’, it took its lead from the new edition of the Lonely Planet guide to London. In this book Haggerston was described as one of the “chic new neighbourhoods” that makes the capital such a “dynamic and buzzing place”.

This fabulous claim was based upon a review of one restaurant, a pub and the “thriving Saturday farmers’ market”.

In the Independent article a declaration of war was read out by the owner of the Cat and Mutton ‘gastropub’,  Kevin Cooper: “Actually we are pretty much on the frontline of gentrification. The White Lightning brigade – the cider favoured by drunks and derelicts – have not entirely disappeared, but it’s now so much better than Shoreditch.”

Thanks for that contribution Kev. We would boycott the pub in protest but nobody with any taste would be seen dead in the Cat and Mutton anyway.

Still, the benefits of progress and change mean that we can now pay £3 for a cup of Caffè Latte  – even if we do have to drink it in the ruins of a community.