Who was PM during the best of times for you?

Blair/Brown for us too

Tony Blair absolutely nailed on.

The best era of my life was the 2000s, which would have meant Blair and Brown. I wasn't too keen on either though, or anyone after Blair/Brown, but now we have Rishi Sunak and he comes across (in my mind) as a bit more sensible than his 4 Tory predocessors (Cameron/May/Johnson/Truss). Thatcher was before my time, and all I remember about Major was him making frequent appearances on Spitting Image, totally grey :-)

The last global banking crisis happened in 2008. It wasn't like Labour tanked the economy the way Cameron, Johnson and Truss did.

Financially we're much better off now (dc grown up, no mortgage) but Blair for me too.

Having young children at the time, the introduction of tax credits was a life saver for us.
I really felt he was doing all he could to support families.

Were people here in recession proof sectors at the end of Blair / Brown

Our sector was hit hard, I’d say a quarter gone, a quarter in my agency alone redundant, house value tanked

What goes up comes down and all that

Clem Attlee.

Seriously. Yes I am old. But, also seriously, Atlee was by far the best PM this country ever had, by a long long way.

He took the accoutrements of establishment success a little over-seriously, perhaps:
"Few thought he was even a starter,
There were many who thought themselves smarter,
But he ended PM,
CH and OM,
An earl and a knight of the garter."
[By C. Atlee, in case you didn't know.]

... But, really seriously, the achievements of that post-war Labour government were astounding: welfare state, NHS, education, exit from empire, public ownership ... And all in a wholly ruined economy. How my life - and that of all my family and the rest of them - was changed by good old Clem.

{And if it hadn't been for that terrible winter, ... ]

Heath, Callaghan, Thatcher. Rampant inflation in the 70s, 3 day week, strikes. IRA bombs, Winter of discontent. Grim for the country, but I had just left home, moved from small town Lincolnshire to London, living in a series of crappy flats, but I worked for a supermarket that was rapidly expanding so promotion every 6 months, pay rise every month during the worst inflation, lots of overtime, lots of fun with the pub rock scene in London in the 70s, got married and bought our first home, a flat, then changed job to one with a company car. Look back on those days with good memories, but wouldn't want to return, especially to the days of 17% mortgage rates.

Blair and Brown - I also worked in education and my service was awash with extra funding then. My role and salary was also augmented. It all went tits-up not long after Cameron took over and my service was closed down and I was made redundant! Made redundant again during era of Johnston / Truss…

Blair/Brown.
We were much better off than we ever have been since despite earning more and endless promotions.
It was a positive time, it felt like people were less small minded, and we're trying to improve the country rather than their own lot. I can't quite believe what Johnson has done to our country.
Vile piece of shite.

I’d say Blair- although I was a junior Doc in A&E at the time and boy did that 4 hour target bust our balls. Health care was undoubtedly at its best (imo) at that point.

I liked Cameron to some degree until he hosted in the Brexit referendum as some sort of misjudged popularity vote…. and here we are 🫣

Blair/Brown. Without a doubt. All the good things happened in those years for me. It also felt like the UK was led by grownups.

I was a very skint student during the Thatcher years and graduated into a recession. People forget that interest rates were between 10 and 15 % for most of the 1980s. It was not remotely fun for people with a mortgage, like my parents.

Blair. I can't honestly believe how stretched I feel financially compared to a year ago. Yet I earn more than ever. We used to have disposable income each month to save and spend a bit. That's all gone now in rising costs and mortgage rates.

😂

Blair, my first PM. Probably because I was little and had no responsibilities!

My grandmother used to call Blair "that man with the teeth". Accurate

My life was better under Blair but I preferred Brown.

The recent parade of increasingly useless Tories have made me

Life is good for us now but it was too with Cameron

I dread Starmer getting in, if he does I’ll have to avoid some specific radio for a while, just hearing them

My life and its ups and downs is mostly separate to government though. It doesn’t impact me that much - 30 hours cc was really good and lockdown was utterly hideous but beyond that my happiness isn’t related to them

I can't quite see Sir Keir leaping onto the Festival Hall stage and saying, "A new dawn has broken, has it not?"

Blair/Brown years hands down

In France we had Chirac while you guys had Blair. I don't reckon they really hit it off!

My grandmother used to call Blair "that man with the teeth".

When I first came to the UK, Brown was PM. I really liked him and I remember being quite gutted at the 2010 election. I've still never been able to vote in a General Election!

Blair.

Blair 97 was the best of times there was such an optimism. Hopefully Keir can replicate some of that. Thanks England for over a decade of the Tories.