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Original poster

Who was PM during the best of times for you?

718 replies

verdantverdure · 29/03/2023 22:44

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.

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8
Dotjones · 13/04/2023 11:06

Cameron by a country mile. It's shocking really that he's the best in my lifetime. More shocking that Johnson's probably the second best though. I'd rank them as Cameron, Johnson, Blair, Major, Thatcher, May, Brown, Truss (don't think anyone can argue with Truss being the worst) with Sunak TBC.

Lisbeth50 · 13/04/2023 11:07

Tony Blair definitely.

Saniflo · 13/04/2023 11:24

David Cameron! But only because I was young and carefree and in my heyday... not because he did anything particularly good.

Waitingfortaco · 13/04/2023 11:36

Blair, definitely. That is when I worked for the civil service, bought our first house and had a baby. Sure Start centres and really good NHS support are my main experiences of this time.

Original poster
verdantverdure · 25/04/2023 17:30

Dotjones · 13/04/2023 11:06

Cameron by a country mile. It's shocking really that he's the best in my lifetime. More shocking that Johnson's probably the second best though. I'd rank them as Cameron, Johnson, Blair, Major, Thatcher, May, Brown, Truss (don't think anyone can argue with Truss being the worst) with Sunak TBC.

The Johnson years were the second best time in your life?! Brexit chaos and a pandemic?

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Original poster
verdantverdure · 27/05/2023 16:45

Is anyone going to say Rishi Sunak?

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Original poster
verdantverdure · 27/05/2023 16:45

Liz Truss's month?

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Original poster
verdantverdure · 27/05/2023 16:46

Saniflo · 13/04/2023 11:24

David Cameron! But only because I was young and carefree and in my heyday... not because he did anything particularly good.

The early days of the coalition were probably good for us, with the Olympics and that, but it's all been downhill since then.

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SilverGlitterBaubles · 27/05/2023 17:03

Waitingfortaco · 13/04/2023 11:36

Blair, definitely. That is when I worked for the civil service, bought our first house and had a baby. Sure Start centres and really good NHS support are my main experiences of this time.

Same Blair and Brown, my experience of public services while having a baby and young children was a very different experience of people today. Excellent support from local midwives, drop in clinics, babycare classes, free toddler events at local libraries, surestart centres, child trust funds.

SilverGlitterBaubles · 27/05/2023 17:04

verdantverdure · 27/05/2023 16:45

Liz Truss's month?

People will be paying the price for the damage done to their pension funds for a long time to come.

maskingitup · 27/05/2023 17:40

Tony Blair. Although I hated him for the Iraq war, life was much better during his administration than in any time since

BluebellBlueballs · 27/05/2023 17:47

Blair.

I was too young to know the late 90s/ early 00s were not representative of how it would always be. I would appreciate them so much more now.

mrlistersgelfbride · 27/05/2023 17:53

Blair then Brown. It was a good time to be young. They get so much shit, but I miss them.

Original poster
verdantverdure · 27/05/2023 19:36

People will be paying the price for the damage done to their pension funds for a long time to come.

It surprises me that people aren't more up in arms about what the Tories have done to our pension funds.

I suppose what the Tories have done to our mortgages is the more urgently pressing matter for most of us.

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Callyem · 27/05/2023 19:44

Blair.

Chickenkeev · 28/05/2023 03:32

verdantverdure · 27/05/2023 16:45

Is anyone going to say Rishi Sunak?

Lol!

Chickenkeev · 28/05/2023 03:35

Blair for me in all seriousness. The work on NI 🥰

Coxspurplepippin · 28/05/2023 07:14

verdantverdure · 27/05/2023 16:45

Is anyone going to say Rishi Sunak?

If you ask the question in 30 years the people who are 18 or so now will probably say Rishi Sunak (if he's around long enough) purely because, as the OP stated, he was PM during their best times. Not because he's a great PM but because it was their best times - young, beautiful, carefree (for five minutes Grin), able to travel, party with friends, go to university. No ties, few responsibilities, self belief.

As I said upthread, Thatcher was PM during my best times, but my best times had nothing to do with her, they were to do with being young, free, single and the world being my oyster.

Original poster
verdantverdure · 28/05/2023 11:54

Hilariously I picked my whole 18- 30s period. Grin.

My mum picked the same Blair Brown Early Coalition period as me plus she tacked on the previous John Major period. And she's quite a lot older than me.

My dad says things have been pretty good in this country until about five or ten years ago. He's never known things so bad.

I don't know about 18 year olds but we do know a lot of people in their 20s and early 30s trying to emigrate because they just don't see a future for themselves here under these conditions.

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Original poster
verdantverdure · 28/05/2023 11:57

BluebellBlueballs · 27/05/2023 17:47

Blair.

I was too young to know the late 90s/ early 00s were not representative of how it would always be. I would appreciate them so much more now.

Because things got so much better, I thought things would continue getting better. Unfortunately we've been in a downward trajectory in this country for a while now. Sad

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ILookAtTheFloor · 28/05/2023 12:07

Mine is Rishi Sunak as I'm probably the happiest I've been? Touch wood don't want to jinx it!

Blair I was a kid/teen, Brown also, David Cameron a young mum had no money at all, trained to be a teacher, hated it, left. Was poor again.

The May/Boris/Truss times I had a job again, had another child, etc.

Hated Covid era and struggled with secondary infertility during this time.

Rishi I finally fell pregnant again, have more money in my job etc, children happy, have happy marriage so all in all- as I've always been relatively poor haha- now is my best era. Also feel more confident in myself.

Original poster
verdantverdure · 29/05/2023 10:45

Lovely @ILookAtTheFloor

The food bills, energy bills, hike in interest rates etc are all impacting us. I'm kind of dreading new school shoes and uniform etc in August already.

We won't be having any holidays during Rishi Sunak's tenure, and can't even have a day out at the seaside for a paddle because of all the sewage being dumped on our coastlines.

And the tomato shortage made me miserable for a while.

Worst of all my dad is ill and waiting ages for treatment because of the state of the NHS after 13 years of the Tories.

These things are what I will remember about the Sunak years.

The only person I know who is doing well is our local funeral director. Business is booming.

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SnowFir · 25/06/2023 15:11

Blair/Brown

Original poster
verdantverdure · 11/07/2023 17:51

I’ll remember Johnson for Brexit lies covid mismanagement and Partygate, Truss for putting our mortgage up several hundred pounds a month and Sunak for financial mismanagement, putting the country in record debt, and punishing ordinary British people with low wages and high prices rather than tackling the true causes of this inflation such as Brexit and our sky high energy prices. Other countries have high inflation because they are spending huge amounts on infrastructure to future proof their countries. We just have it because the current Tories couldn’t run a bath.

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user1471538283 · 11/07/2023 18:05

Blair. I can vividly remember the relief when labour got in.

I went from struggling with pennies to having my child credit tripling in 2 weeks.

I also had support to do my degree.

Our lives visibly improved from then on.

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