Who was PM during the best of times for you?

[verdantverdure]

Me?

Blair. Brown, first bit of Cameron.

On paper I earn more money now but everything's tits up isn't it? From the economy to shit on beaches to being able to get access to the NHS when needed.

@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.

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.

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

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.

@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.

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.

Blair.

Tony Blair.

Blair for me. Threw huge sums at the NHS.

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 🤷🏼‍♀️

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.

That's a fairy story told by Tories @CandleInTheStorm.

Look up the facts for yourself.

But I'd happily take a government that spent money on things the people wanted over one that funnelled billions to their mates.

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.

This

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.

Blair/Brown for me too.

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. 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.

I had DS1 in the Brown years and DS2 during Theresa May's tenure and the difference was stark. Excellent maternity care, HVs, Sure Start, easy GP and dentist appointments. DS1 was diagnosed with autism in P3.

With DS2, I had to fight for the obstetric care I needed. The hospital was not clean. There was little HV provision and our Sure Start programme had been decimated. Even now I can't find a dentist to take us as mine retired and the practice dumped all its NHS patients during Covid.

I read on another thread that the assessment threshold for autism has been raised and it breaks my heart. DS1 is doing brilliantly and needs very little intervention now, but this is a direct result of the early diagnosis and support. Without it, I dread to think where he'd be now.

Labour weren't perfect but they took a long term view wrt children and health (PFI excluded).

And they delivered the GFA. A real change for NI and the whole of the UK.

Tony Blair. It was a good time to be a teacher - education, education, education.
There was also funding for the arts and it just felt like a time of optimism and promise.
Everything is so bleak now, my heart breaks for my teenagers growing into adulthood under this government.

Here’s the evidence that you’re talking nonsense. Bet you won’t read it.

https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/default/files/summary-high-performing-nhs-progress-review-1997-2010-ruth-thorlby-jo-maybin-kings-fund-april-2010_0.pdf

It wasn't Blair and Brown who ruined the finances. It started in the US with sub-prime mortgages.
It was global.

This isn't relevant to the question the op asked.

Surely all Prime Ministers should aspire to be 'Disney Dads'? Governments are supposed to make life better for their citizens, not decimate our standard of living and decrease the country's life expectancy.

Blair/Brown. To a much greater degree than any government since they spent the country's money on the country rather than on their vastly wealthy friends. They were very far from perfect and did not entirely live up to this, but they were far better than those who followed.