Great Brighton: The Nail in the Coffin

Is Brighton the city most representative of Britain? According to Andre Marr (emphasis added),

It is liberal to a fault, not only the gay capital of England but also thrumming with clubs and bars of all kinds. It seems increasingly designed for long hot nights, a global warming village. Its shops perfectly display our sugary, pagan, sexualised consumer culture – lanes that used to be all Baptist chapels and nick-nackery now feature places such as the amazing "Choccywoccydoodah" (motto: "Divina Luxuria") and slinky knicker emporia.

But though its streets seethe with the young and cool, Brighton's darker side, its hangover, is also hard to avoid. It seems to have more homeless people, drunks and junkies than you pass in the tougher parts of central London or Manchester, plus plenty of grime, graffiti, burglary and street violence.

Darker side? Compared to what? I thought calling a shop "Choccywoccydoodah" was still a prosecutable offence.