To wonder if life was better under a Labour government?

[Wasloafbetter]

Or are people looking back with rose tinted specs?

I started teaching in the Blair years and I found it pretty awful, although how much of that was down to my own lack of experience and how much was down to government policies is hard to say.

I’m wondering if people are looking back nostalgically (have seen this on a thread this morning where apparently the 80s were a great time for freedom of expression with no pressure to conform, which don’t tally with my memories at all) or whether life was better then.

I’m 42, by the way - was 17 when Blair was made PM.

@daimbarsatemydogsbone managed to annoy the conference delegates who had already heard the speech and tuned in to hear the OJ verdict. Fact remains that overt political interference has a long history at the BBC, whereas ITN has never had trouble telling interfering spin doctors (of all parties) where to go.

I stand corrected daimbar thank you. I had mistakenly thought it was later in my childhood, mainly due to my parents ranting about unions and Labour politicians. They were staunch Labour voters, but I think the local MP, can’t remember the name, did something that upset them.

The decline of the UK started under Blair and has just progressively got worse. Every sector of society is so much worse than it was in the 80s and 90s before Blair. All the matters now is profit and everything has been financialised. Thanks Blair!
Sad: sad

Blair was the point when truth and facts became secondary to presentation and spin. Populist leaders like Trump are direct descendents of Blair's "the truth is what I tell you, not what I do" machinery.

Before Blair we had the Major years which were a shambles but an obvious shambles. Blair realised it didn't matter what he did so long as he convinced people he was doing the right thing.

After the slump of the early 90s, things were on the up when Blair got into power so he was able to ride the wave that was not of his making. But the austerity of the 2010s is a direct consequence of the Blair/Brown years, they are 90% responsible for the cuts that were needed once they left power.

Early 80s under Thatcher also had power cuts due to strikes and rubbish uncollected in the streets.
I remember Edwina Curry goading the strikers - she also told pensioners who were freezing to death that they should knit woolly scarves and hats to keep warm and claimed that good Christians don't die of AIDS. All charm and compassion, that one!

@MorningStarling

Blair was the point when truth and facts became secondary to presentation and spin. Populist leaders like Trump are direct descendents of Blair's "the truth is what I tell you, not what I do" machinery.

Before Blair we had the Major years which were a shambles but an obvious shambles. Blair realised it didn't matter what he did so long as he convinced people he was doing the right thing.

After the slump of the early 90s, things were on the up when Blair got into power so he was able to ride the wave that was not of his making. But the austerity of the 2010s is a direct consequence of the Blair/Brown years, they are 90% responsible for the cuts that were needed once they left power.

So true he was the master of spin ,I remember as a newly qualified nurse ,Tony Blair announced they were giving all nurses a big pay rise ,actually if you read the details ,he was giving Top E grade ( before agenda for change so roughly equivalent to Band five ) nurses a pay rise once they reached top of their grade ,which I took six or eight years to get to the top of their grade .

The decline of the UK started under Blair and has just progressively got worse. Every sector of society is so much worse than it was in the 80s and 90s before Blair. All the matters now is profit and everything has been financialised.

Is this regional thing because I grew up in midlands manufatoring area under Thacher - it was not great huge employers went - DH bit of midand also had it hard.

I don't remember anything before her but three day weeks and powercuts don't sound that great.

Then had Major years which I don't remember being that brilliant either.

I do remember finding the spin of New Labour years irriating but areas we lived in did seem more prosperous for a bit though what caused that I couldn't say- I suspect global conditions and being in uptick of ecomomic cycle and some of the money they spent.

I did notice the delcine with austerity years.

The decline of the UK started long long before Blair.

@Changes17

Indeed. We are all still paying for PFI profits now. It was a ridiculous scheme.

I thought PFI was a bad idea at the time because of the costs it was adding to balance sheets - but I did think again about that when a few months ago I visited a school for my year 6 child, that was built under PFI. It's still owned by the developer, which still maintains the building, but In 15 years the funding will be paid off and the school will own it (though admittedly its an academy now so will be owned by the academy trust presumably) . It's still a great building –suddenly PFI seemed to make more sense than not having new schools/hospitals because of lack of funding.

Those were not the only two options.

Place is turning into fucking North Korea

I think the people of North Korean would love to have just some of our freedoms.
Whatever you may think of this government, as far as I know citizens here aren’t sent to labour camps for watching foreign dramas.

@ElsieMc

Honestly, not much different apart from seventies Labour and the three day week and power cuts which was bloody awful.

Under Blair, there were some good ideas such as Care to Learn funding single mum's nursery places so they could continue in education. Great idea, but no local co-ordinator making sure people did not fall through the gaps.

Same for Special Guardianship for children. Again, good idea in principle but the legislation was weak and still enabled abusive parents to take people back to court again and again for contact which it was meant to deter.

Tbh, expecting a labour party to make life better will not happen. There is huge division between Keir Starmer/Angela Rayner at the moment. You have to present a united front if you are to win an election or make the voters believe you are. As much as I dislike Angela Rayner, leaving her out of a so called drinks party says it all.

Spoke to DH who is the same age and he says it is better under the Conservatives and he is from a pro labour family.

The 3-day week and power cuts happened under the Tory government when Heath was PM.

@Andante57

Place is turning into fucking North Korea

I think the people of North Korean would love to have just some of our freedoms.
Whatever you may think of this government, as far as I know citizens here aren’t sent to labour camps for watching foreign dramas.

Maybe, but women can be forced out of their jobs for saying that men are not women and that biology matters. I agree with @MorningStarling.

@HappydaysArehere

Before the change from Labour it was easier to get a hospital appointment and there were more A&E’s. Within months of the Tories taking over A&E’s were being closed and the NHS has been increasingly struggling ever since. Unfortunately Corbyn and the extreme left did for the Labour Party and gave Johnson an open goal.

Ah yes, the extreme left of Corbyn and McDonnell that was less extreme than what exists on the European continent. The extreme left that GAVE US THE NHS IN THE FIRST PLACE. Do you like the NHS? Never had to rely on it to save a life of someone you love?

We have a bigger problem than which party is in power, which is that there is no will or vision to make lives better for people any more, and the only thing politicians can do is pretend to throw money at a problem until it goes away.

We need to start talking about public spaces and public interest again, and what they mean. We need to bring back the public sector as the defender and champion of the public interest, and discussions about what all that means. That was what Corbyn was showing signs of wanting to do. It wasn't just about letting people make money out of others, and it never can be. That has only ever led to poverty and misery for the majority. Throughout history, for 5000 years of records. When will homo sapiens sapiens ever learn anything.

I despair of this country now. If there is change, it lies on the other side of a period of brutality. I will not live to see the other side.

I often wonder this. It feels like it was better under a labour government. I remember a few times having to take my mum to A&E when she broke her hand and her foot and being in and out within 4 hours. These days it's closer to 8 no matter what time of the day you go. Also remember it was the tail end of a labour government when my son was born and I thought the provision for mums was so much better - sure start centres etc. there's nothing now. Our local birthing centre just closed and people are losing hope that it'll ever be opened again. Although of course people will say these sure start centres cost money and we were in x amount of debt as a country etc and that labour was running the country into the ground with debt so 2 sides to every coin. I will always vote labour though.

Maybe, but women can be forced out of their jobs for saying that men are not women and that biology matters. I agree with @MorningStarling**

Parsleysage that is very true and that certainly is like North Korea in that those forced out of their jobs seem to have no recourse.
I hope the tide is turning - if it does turn I wonder if the cancellers will be cancelled.

Personally speaking mine was better under Labour as they introduced tax credits and other family friendly initiatives that have been eroded under the conservatives. I'm very grateful I don't have little children now with the two child only policies, UC changes etc. As a low earner these were very important to me at the time.