“NJ; I wish the Acacia Avenue residents the best of luck, but I doubt if their credentials for being considered for independence match those of Catalonia :0)”
I don’t know, Khandro. Some historians say that the history of the Acacians (as they insist on being called) can be traced all the way back as far as 1978 when the new “Bovis” homes were built on the site of the former sewage works that ran across the end of the Avenue. Until then the road was occupied by a variety of people, some from as far afield as Epsom, Sevenoaks and even Tunbridge Wells. Nobody knows the true origins of the new Acacians who first occupied the Bovis settlement. However, when they moved in they all seemed to share the same characteristics: they all drove the latest Ford Granada “Ghia X” (supplied by their employers) which they could be seen ritually polishing in the morning of the Sabbath; after that was completed they would all repair to the “Pig and Woodchopper” to take the ceremonial firewater; and on weekday mornings they could all be seen walking in unison to the local railway station to catch the 07:56 to London Bridge (usually delayed by 12 minutes due to “signalling difficulties in the Paddock Wood area”).
Since then they and their descendants have grown apart from the rest of their community. The elders have retired, some moving to the Dorset Coast. Their descendants now drive top of the range Mercedes-Benz and BMW cars (supplied by their employers). They no longer undertake the ritual Sunday polishing of their ancestors, preferring instead to entrust that task to the Polish lads who provide a very good “Inside and Out” valet service from the local Sainsbury’s car park. The “Pig and Woodchopper” closed about ten years ago but has recently been reborn as “El Matador” Tapas and Wine Bar where they may repair for some “Small Plates” and appropriate Tinctures. But their trips to town are less frequent (as are the trains), with many of them now “working from home”.
But their sense of difference and independence has strengthened. They pay huge sums in Council Tax (their homes all being in “Band H”) and they see the taxes and charges they pay as being squandered on the less productive parts of the country. They almost all voted to Remain in the referendum and will seek full EU membership immediately their independence is granted.
Theirs is a worthy cause and they have access to large sums of money to pay for Counsel to support represent their cause. The government would be foolish to ignore the residents of this affluent area in one of London’s most salubrious suburbs.