Who was the last government you were happy with?

[WhiteTilesWhiteGrout]

Following on from another thread, it seems that whenever it comes to UK parties, nobody is ever happy. Even those who are siding with - say - the Tories or Labour, are not very happy with them.

So if the party you are planning to vote for in the next elections wins, will you actually be happy with what they'll do? When was the last time you were happy with the party in power?

Because it seems that no matter who's running the country, people are never happy.

I was in my thirties and late nineties with Blair was a hopeful time, it is not just be young that makes some of you think that. It really felt like everything would get better and better.

Thing's can only get better , maybe

I quite liked the coalition Govt. Still think that the Lib-Dems should have made PR a deal breaking requirement tho. Nick Clegg's biggest foul up!

The 1945-51 one led by Clement Attlee. Though I was not alive at the time.

Best Prime Minister by a country mile, and almost every one in his cabinet would stand up by today's standards.

Toby Blair's eariy years. Such a feeling of hope for the future.

Same!

Atlee is my elderly Mum’s choice as best PM. Says we’ve never had anyone as good since.

When Labour were elected in 1997. The whole country felt more optimistic and happier. I can't ever see us being like that ever again. I feel we're too far gone now.

Ah, Cool Brittania. What a time to be alive.

My heart says the early Blair years but then my head reminds me thats because I was young, footloose and fancy free with the world at my feet in 1997.

So I'll say in my personal experience there isn't much to choose between any of them. They all do some good and some bad.

Yeah, threads moved on, but largely agree with this timeframe.

Lots of PPs saying they were too young to vote in even the 1997 election so they won't remember before Thatcher. I was too young to vote in 1979, still being in primary, but I do remember the overall feeling. Living those last years of the seventies under the Labour government, and everything that was so very wrong with the country, the Tories did feel like they were going to save us all. Didn't last long though. And again in 1997, we'd had so long of the Tories by then, and the 'sleaze', Blair felt like a saviour. That also didn't last long.

The reason I'm so torn on who to vote for now (and no matter what, it won't be the Tories) is that I feel that now should feel like 1979 and 1997 - Starmer's Labour should feel like they're going to save us all. But it just doesn't feel like that at all.

Blairs

After 18 years of the Tories it seemed the sun shone a little brighter when he got in

Blair n Labour for me...

Thatcher and the Tories sell off of public utilities is why we are in such a mess, look at Thames Water and all other water companies? the energy industry? tax cuts paid for by North sea oil instead of investment in the UK.

The Tories have run this country for the majority of the post war period and just look at us?

Everything is fucked.

I can't believe how many people are saying Blair. My friends lost a child in his illegal war.

This.
I was working in Children's Services when the Con/ Dems happened. I watched it get torn apart from the inside and ended up leaving in 2014 to start my own business because I couldn't bear to be part of a system that was failing families.

I started a CIC so I could still help my community in a different way, and one thing the Tories like is an entrepreneur, but the absolute annihilation of the UK since then was something I could never have anticipated.

I place the blame at the feet of David Cameron and the weak link that was Nick Clegg.

can't believe how many people are saying Blair

But that’s truly how we felt at the time. I really believed that there could be a third way.

His legacy was destroyed by what came after but that’s hindsight.

New Labour was unquestionably the best government of my lifetime. I worked & campaigned for months in an important marginal seat to get them elected and it was worth all the effort when the country had a government we could be very proud of. Until Blair lost his mind & betrayed us all over Iraq, obv.

Since then, the Tory / Lib Dem coalition obviously wasn’t perfect, but looking back it seems like a model of competent, stable, sensible, pragmatic government in comparison with the appalling chaos & dysfunction which came later. Policies such as the fuel duty freeze, benefit cap, equal marriage & offshore wind have stood the test of time.

Blair and New Labour.

Thatcher…for sure

New labour. I can remember how happy and optimistic we felt (nhs and social services workmates) and playing Things Can Only Get Better.
One of the things that has been in my mind is that having stage 4 cancer as I do I really hope I am here to see another labour government.
Me and my cat will be celebrating if they get back in this time.
Hope the tories get their nerve up very soon and call the election.

Labour 1997, they were my 'setting up' years so they did me well. I was very grateful for surestart centres with my baby/young DC too.

I thought the conservatives before the Brexit disaster weren’t too bad. The David Cameron lot, I.e. They weren’t pristine but certainly not self serving like the ones we currently have in govt.

I feel the very same , I don't know how long but it's my greatest wish . xx

2010 Coalition and 2015 Cameron... until the disaster that was the referendum.

New Labour were doing okay until the Iraq debacle. Blair too fixated with trying to be a hero in America after 9/11.

In reality, Brown did a good job reacting to the global crash. He just wasn't a good leader in terms of running a strong cabinet. He was too flawed.

Thatcher was a very strong leader, but a lot of the mess we see today was started from her. The neoliberalism, privatisation, greed, deregulation, the housing crisis, the running down of public services, profit before everything else, the underclass, child poverty, largely wasting the one off windfall of north sea oil on things like tax cuts for the rich.