Who was PM during the best of times for you?

Blair/Brown. Everything felt more positive and like the country had so much potential. Cool Brittania. All types we wearing the flag.

I wish to God we didn’t have the media that we do. They dripped poison and ruined this country and now look at the ‘leaders’ we have. In any normal time, they’d be called the traitors they are.

Blair/Brown
If my mum was a single parent, undergoing cancer treatment whilst my feckless father gave us nothing today, I would be very scared for how we would survive.
Back then it was tough but we were well supported when we needed help. That wouldn't be the case now.

Blair/Brown for me too.

Yes, for all the wrong reasons. Funded more managers, it systems that didn’t work, it wasn’t sustainable so they started closing wards.

Then began the PFI contracts and the slow descent into privatisation.

”Disney dad” is spot on.

This

No, that's the observations from my own memory of living during that time. I remember thinking how much money they wasted and facilitated people to live in such a false sense of security. Nothing to do with what the tories said.

I'm not saying this government are good, I'm merely stating that the Blair years were pure Disney dad.

Well what people want is their taxes to pay for decent services, instead of further enriching those who are already wealthy. So yes, on the whole he did do what people wanted.

how any Tory has the gall and lack of self awareness to criticise Labour fiscal policy after the past ten year plus shitshow beggars belief.

Blair was the equivalent to a 'Disney dad' in today's language. Of course people are going to say him. He pleased people yes but didn't do much fucked the finances along with brown for the country financially, but as long as people got what they wanted thats all that matters eh 🤷🏼‍♀️

Blair for me. Threw huge sums at the NHS.

Tony Blair.

Blair.

Like I said I do really feel for those who live in declining areas, here it was down and out ie you’re moving there? Type response but that was a fair while ago.

It was just luck rather than design. And it’s not deprived but it s still very mixed. Definitely not Hampstead.

Since I was actually interested in why not for Blair I just googled as pp just throwing jibes instead. I can see why not for him although it seems complex as a few mixed messages post enquiry hit the headlines.

@MarshaBradyo fact is successive governments were happy to ignore us until of course Brexit and the red wall crumbling. Lots of promises (levelling up/ Northern Powerhouse) and no action.
The jibe about Oldham was that I doubt you have a clue what it's like there or any other deprived northern town. No new schools, amazing health centres and souped up public transport for some of us.

These types of posts are idiotic as you don’t know me and what I think.

If I had to rate the most angering situation with a PM I’d choose Cameron for walking off after Brexit failed.

So the last line is pointless.

Blair - we were a respected country (until the war...

Thatcher, we both worked in the defence industry and her government were throwing money at it. Never had so much disposable income in our lives.

@Blossomtoes same here. Northern brexit voting town. We now have 2 out of 3 tory MPs and no change. Tory council too which did nothing to save our big M and S store (words of someone who works for them).
@WestwardHo1 absolutely. We visited friends in Gravesend years ago. Similar town to ours up north in some respects. They'd had a huge cyclopark built which was amazing, couple of decent play areas, cafe, loads of room to cycle, be it bmx, cyclocross, mountain biking, such a good amenity for the local area. Ironically at the same time our council's attempt to build a similar but much smaller facility fell at the first hurdle despite having a very active cycling and triathlon community as well as some extremely deprived areas who would have benefited.

There was an enquiry, Blair was found not to have lied, hence no consequence plus he was no longer an MP when Chilcot was published, so much like the Covid one wont be published until after the next GE, no one will be held to account for the mess that BJ caused the UK over Covid.

Do you think Cameron should be held to account for attacking Libya (for even more spurious reasons) which has led to a failed state just a few 10s of miles from Southern Europe and is directly related to the 100s of '000s of migrants coming into Europe and onto the UK ? not to mentions the 1000s who have drowned.

No you wont because Cameron is a Tory.

Surely they won't vote for more of the same?

You’d hope not. It’s really bloody depressing. My cousin stays there because it’s home, his friends are there and he loves the sea but he actively avoids the town centre because it’s so run down and depressing.

No not Hampstead, SE London, arrived at start of Blair years.

And no not Oldham not sure of the relevance of that!

We moved here when people didn’t really (accept more creative people maybe) but then an overground really changed the area, and new health centres and schools. All quite recently, eg last decade.

I’ve seen posts complaining re generification which I’ve always found a bit nuts. I feel for people who see their area decline. It was just pot luck really, we have jobs in London and SE suited us best.

We went to Hartlepool at the end of last summer. It’s heartbreaking. So run down and it’s got a Tory MP - in a place where voting Labour used to be like a religion. My cousin says there was an expectation that vast quantities of money would be poured in and it hasn’t happened. He reckons it’ll turn red again next time.

It's really sad looking at loads of provincial once-proud British towns. Everything has been centralised in bigger places, so there is no need for them as a local centre. Shopping is all online or out of town, though you can't specifically blame the Tories for that. No jobs, no hope, low aspiration, high levels of antisocial behaviour. They talk about funding and levelling up, but when you think about it, why should towns have to have millions poured into them just to make them not-shit? They still need to have a purpose.