I don't read the Guardian Review word after word but I think I have taken in most of Will Self on Englishness. Suitably keen on the newspaper in print ( the new prices are intended to get the max from the UK cash cow until the global website is fully developed )

The problem for Englishness is that it tends to eat too much, and too indiscriminately – and that's not healthy for the ageing national character. Of course fish and chips (an inspired example of English praxis: Belgian fried potato mixed with Ashkenazi fried fish) was traditionally served in newspaper; but it isn't my partisan status as a journalist that leads me to believe that the English would have done well to hang on to the wrapping and discard the food. At least, I would've wished them to have done this if their great and passionate belief in the freedom and independence of their press wasn't – like so much that's English to the core – something of a myth.

Not sure this reads so well on a screen. I was hoping for some more about East London. Some time ago there was mention of hipsters and a video link so something continues from the newspaper timeline. see previous posts

YouTube in Will Self Cityscape

Words you can't use on the radio

Thing is, quite a lot has changed and ExCel is in a particular place. You might zoom in and out of it but my guess is that there is a digital world somewhere nearby that could be quite a lot different to the west and King's Cross. Of course it relies on good connections outside the UK.