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> the local government authority for the City of London, which is only the part of London that is within the walls of Roman Londinium Also known as the most ef

> the local government authority for the City of London, which is only the part of London that is within the walls of Roman Londinium Also known as the most efficient and high volume money laundering machine ever devised by man. Do a deep dive into russian oligarch money and the City of London, from reputable journalism sources, and you won't like what you find. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/03/28/how-putins-oligarchs-bought-london https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/03/28/how-putins-oli... https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/14/nearly-40-of-dirty-money-is-laundered-in-london-and-uk-crown-dependenies https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/14/nearly... https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/02/04/why-does-so-much-dodgy-russian-money-end-up-in-britain https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/02/04/...

qingcharles 2y ago
The City of London (aka the Square Mile) is literally a world unto itself. Even the Mayor of London is not the mayor of the City of London. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_London https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_London
- cjrp 2y ago
  Separate police force too.
  - actionfromafar 2y ago
    And in elections, corporations have a vote. Corporation votes vastly outnumber human resident votes.
    - vidarh 2y ago
      Though they're outnumbered in large part because almost nobody lives in City of London.
- vinay427 2y ago
  That seems incorrect. The mayor is the mayor of Greater London which includes the City of London, although the City also has a Lord Mayor, as London boroughs have elected or ceremonial mayors. In other words, the City has its own mayor in the sense that other parts of London have their own sub-governments, although with a few differences such as policing and city status. > The mayor is scrutinised by the London Assembly and, supported by their Mayoral Cabinet, directs the entirety of London, including the City of London (for which there is also the Lord Mayor of the City of London) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_of_London https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_of_London > In 1965 the county was abolished and replaced by Greater London, a two-tier administrative area governed by the Greater London Council, thirty-two London boroughs, and the City of London Corporation. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_London https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_London
  - qingcharles 2y ago
    Appreciate the clarification!
- pjbster 2y ago
  I recommend the book Treasure Islands by Nicholas Shaxson. It covers offshore tax havens and the central role played by the City in facilitating capital flight and tax avoidance. Chapter 12 is devoted entirely to the City of London Corporation. Haven't read it for a while but I do recall the word "strange" appearing a lot.
- surfingdino 2y ago
  They even have their own mission to the EU so they don't have to rely on the UK government to discuss matters that matter to the City of London https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/supporting-businesses/global-programme/city-office-in-brussels/about-the-brussels-office https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/supporting-businesses/global... Think of it as a vertical, focused embassy
tim333 2y ago
I'm not sure that much is down to the old City of London as opposed to London as a whole. Most of the property buying mentioned in those articles is in Kensington and Chelsea. Even the Guardian says City of London but when they quote the guy with quotation marks it's "40% of that money comes through London and overseas territories and crown dependencies". British papers tend to mix up City of London as in the old city and city of London as in the general financial services including Canary Wharf etc. Bit like how 'Wall Street' doesn't always mean that exact street.

qingcharles 2y ago

The City of London (aka the Square Mile) is literally a world unto itself. Even the Mayor of London is not the mayor of the City of London. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_London https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_London

cjrp 2y ago
Separate police force too.
- actionfromafar 2y ago
  And in elections, corporations have a vote. Corporation votes vastly outnumber human resident votes.
  - vidarh 2y ago
    Though they're outnumbered in large part because almost nobody lives in City of London.
vinay427 2y ago
That seems incorrect. The mayor is the mayor of Greater London which includes the City of London, although the City also has a Lord Mayor, as London boroughs have elected or ceremonial mayors. In other words, the City has its own mayor in the sense that other parts of London have their own sub-governments, although with a few differences such as policing and city status. > The mayor is scrutinised by the London Assembly and, supported by their Mayoral Cabinet, directs the entirety of London, including the City of London (for which there is also the Lord Mayor of the City of London) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_of_London https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_of_London > In 1965 the county was abolished and replaced by Greater London, a two-tier administrative area governed by the Greater London Council, thirty-two London boroughs, and the City of London Corporation. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_London https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_London
- qingcharles 2y ago
  Appreciate the clarification!
pjbster 2y ago
I recommend the book Treasure Islands by Nicholas Shaxson. It covers offshore tax havens and the central role played by the City in facilitating capital flight and tax avoidance. Chapter 12 is devoted entirely to the City of London Corporation. Haven't read it for a while but I do recall the word "strange" appearing a lot.
surfingdino 2y ago
They even have their own mission to the EU so they don't have to rely on the UK government to discuss matters that matter to the City of London https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/supporting-businesses/global-programme/city-office-in-brussels/about-the-brussels-office https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/supporting-businesses/global... Think of it as a vertical, focused embassy

tim333 2y ago

I'm not sure that much is down to the old City of London as opposed to London as a whole. Most of the property buying mentioned in those articles is in Kensington and Chelsea. Even the Guardian says City of London but when they quote the guy with quotation marks it's "40% of that money comes through London and overseas territories and crown dependencies". British papers tend to mix up City of London as in the old city and city of London as in the general financial services including Canary Wharf etc. Bit like how 'Wall Street' doesn't always mean that exact street.