Rich and poor, healthy and unhealthy, the city offers a smörgåsbord of humanity to its international visitors
As 25,000 Cop26 delegates flood Glasgow, like the rain we ordered to welcome them to the largest political gathering ever held in the UK, the global spotlight falls on us – the hosts. If anything, the “dreich” weather (we create words for rain in the same way Inuits do for snow) is an authentic experience for them. Let’s hope they brought their waterproofs.
Glasgow is a game of two halves, much like in the sport that divides its Rangers fans from its Celtic supporters. On one side, it’s a jewel of Victorian architecture, a fashion hub, a progressive, diverse ecosystem of boutique coffee shops, designer cocktail bars and other abundant displays of what, for many of us, makes quintessential modern Scotland. And in the other lineup – social inequality, food poverty, homelessness, an obesity crisis and drug deaths soar to record levels.
Zara Janjua is a writer and comedian
