I partially agree but early on there's an reference to a balancing couterculture that is now missing. However basing this on his current experience of a visit to London vs living there is short sighted. Merely visiting does not let you truly experience the massive breath and depth of a city. Even people living in city only experience a minority of the city.

I lived in London for years, earlier than the author, and could be considered to be part of a counter culture. I have friends & family still part of what I'd call counter culture in London and both then and now it was always a game of cat & mouse, with alternative scenes moving and reacting to the rest of the city. The corporations definitely hold most power and alternative cultures exist where their reach fades. To find the counter culture you needed to find the hard to find and personal links to it. They're still there, just purposefully hard to find.