The legacy of Margaret Thatcher lives on

[AlterEgo]

Strange how you both espouse your love of the North East from Buckinghamshire

Yes, I wonder why people from the north move south (!)

 

[Butts]

My earlier post comparing Sunderland and Bristol was leading on to my suggesting that the better educated / harder working / more enterprising people tended to abandon their home cities and move to more prosperous areas rather than employ their talents locally.

I believe both of them are "Closet Tories" yet to come out - deported from the NE under a cloud of suspicion as to my assertion. This was confirmed by residency in the Home Counties.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Strange how you both espouse your love of the North East from Buckinghamshire

very odd, but there's no jobs for use in the North East, Geordies are the Irish on England

 

[furnessvale]

That's impossible to know. As the saying goes "That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence".

Seems to work when remainers talk about what will happen after Brexit.

 

[najaB]

Seems to work when remainers talk about what will happen after Brexit.

To be honest, there's not really much in the way of evidence on the 'Leave' side of the argument.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Yes, I wonder why people from the north move south (!)

Not all of us do so, as there are places such as "The Golden Triangle" of Prestbury, Wilmslow and Alderley Edge that are a beacon of good living and having residents such as I who appreciate these environs.

 

[AlterEgo]

Not all of us do so, as there are places such as "The Golden Triangle" of Prestbury, Wilmslow and Alderley Edge that are a beacon of good living and having residents such as I who appreciate these environs.

You never miss an opportunity.

 

[Busaholic]

My earlier post comparing Sunderland and Bristol was leading on to my suggesting that the better educated / harder working / more enterprising people tended to abandon their home cities and move to more prosperous areas rather than employ their talents locally.

I don't really think comparing Bristol and Sunderland is very fair. Bristol is not so far from London, situated very close to two major motorways and near to the main two road and one rail connections to South Wales and is the largest conurbation for some distance: Sunderland has none of those advantages. Despite that, I would say that Sunderland has certainly managed to make a better fist of getting around the local area by public transport. Incidentally, I have an in-law who has spent the entire 60 years of his life living in one or the other place, so he is well placed to make comparisons.

 

[deltic]

Turns out you can say it's Thatcher's fault that broadband is too slow, even though broadband wasn't around while she was PM.



http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/how-the-uk-lost-the-broadband-race-in-1990-1224784

In 1990 BT was subject to independent regulation by Oftel - presumably, it was Oftel and not the government that made the decision that BT had to sell off any of its operations at this time?

 

[Dai Corner]

I don't really think comparing Bristol and Sunderland is very fair. Bristol is not so far from London, situated very close to two major motorways and near to the main two road and one rail connections to South Wales and is the largest conurbation for some distance: Sunderland has none of those advantages. Despite that, I would say that Sunderland has certainly managed to make a better fist of getting around the local area by public transport. Incidentally, I have an in-law who has spent the entire 60 years of his life living in one or the other place, so he is well placed to make comparisons.

in other words, Bristol is better located than Sunderland. That's why it is on major Transport routes and has grown to be a large, prosperous conurbation.

My question was what could Governments have done to improve Sunderland's fortunes, short of pouring (more) money into its coffers. I'd suggest the answer is 'not a lot' as about the one thing thing you can't do to a city is move it.

Traffic in Bristol is terrible I'd agree, and as there is little suburban rail the bus is the only choice for most public transport users. If it hadn't been such a prosperous city it might have seen Government investment in a Metro like Newcastle and, er, Sunderland. Instead it's getting Metrobus decades later.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

You never miss an opportunity.

Of course not, as one of my tasks in life is to both inform and educate those in strange-sounding regional areas such as the "Home Counties" that some of the people in the "Northern" provinces do not all wear flat caps and have ferrets down our trousers....

 

[fowler9]

Of course not, as one of my tasks in life is to both inform and educate those in strange-sounding regional areas such as the "Home Counties" that some of the people in the "Northern" provinces do not all wear flat caps and have ferrets down our trousers....

Well said, Ha ha. I for one can't afford a flat cap or a ferret. (Kidding).

 

[furnessvale]

To be honest, there's not really much in the way of evidence on the 'Leave' side of the argument.

Indeed, remainers have no evidence whatsoever to back up their statements as to what will happen AFTER we leave the EU.

 

[fowler9]

Indeed, remainers have no evidence whatsoever to back up their statements as to what will happen AFTER we leave the EU.

Ah mate that is like being on Chemo and it makes you feel ill so lets see what happens if we come off it.

 

[fowler9]

My earlier post comparing Sunderland and Bristol was leading on to my suggesting that the better educated / harder working / more enterprising people tended to abandon their home cities and move to more prosperous areas rather than employ their talents locally.

And become hangers on in an already prosperous area rather then making a difference where they are from. Just carry on perpetuating the problem. They sound more like successful parasites.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Turns out you can say it's Thatcher's fault that broadband is too slow, even though broadband wasn't around while she was PM

Perhaps the Downing Street PR gurus will use this to look at other past matters to absolve Mrs May from, that had occurred previous to her incumbency.

 

[najaB]

And become hangers on in an already prosperous area rather then making a difference where they are from. Just carry on perpetuating the problem. They sound more like successful parasites.

That's not really fair. If, using an example, I was to study and become a neurosurgeon would I be a 'parasite' if I moved to a town that had a hospital rather than stay in my home town and flip burgers?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

That's not really fair. If, using an example, I was to study and become a neurosurgeon would I be a 'parasite' if I moved to a town that had a hospital rather than stay in my home town and flip burgers?

There is something of a very wide skills gap between a neurosurgeon and a burger-flipper.

 

[Moonshot]

Do get a grip Paul.

I know that you are very rich and did very well out of those Thatcher years. Many did not. Many still do not. You seem unable to accept or acknowledge that. Much easier to blame the dirty scum for the problems isn't it?

As a " Thatcher Child " myself, I have to say that I have probably done better than the average person ( own home mortgage free plus another etc )......but I will also say that it has been entirely down to my own efforts. I was stiill at school when the " winter of discontent " happened.....and if you add in the miners strike in the early 80s etc, its clear that a lot of people lost faith in so called socialist policies.

 

[najaB]

There is something of a very wide skills gap between a neurosurgeon and a burger-flipper.

Naturally there is, but the question still remains: if I have specialist skills is it parasitic to move to where I can use them rather than staying in my current location and not using them?

 

[Dai Corner]

Naturally there is, but the question still remains: if I have specialist skills is it parasitic to move to where I can use them rather than staying in my current location and not using them?

Given the way University education is funded in the UK at the moment, it could be argued that not using the skills is parasitic. You've had an interesting and enjoyable few years learning the skills but haven't used them to benefit society and probably won't pay back your student loans if in a lower-paid job.

Someone who wants to benefit his home city should study something he can use to work in and benefit that part of the country.

 

[najaB]

Someone who wants to benefit his home city should study something he can use to work in and benefit that part of the country.

And if they have the aptitude and desire to work in an area for which there's no local demand?

 

[Dai Corner]

And if they have the aptitude and desire to work in an area for which there's no local demand?

Create the demand by starting up a business, perhaps in partnership with other local people who want to see their city thrive. Or if sufficiently altruistic go and work in another similar area.

 

[najaB]

Create the demand by starting up a business, perhaps in partnership with other local people who want to see their city thrive. Or if sufficiently altruistic go and work in another similar area.

That's not always an option - e.g. it's not easy to start an aeronautical engineering business from scratch, unless you happen to have several hundred millions of pounds stuffed down the back of the sofa.

 

[deltic]

Its always fascinating how quickly a discussion on a forum moves from the point made by the OP to something completely different - even more so when the text quoted by the OP is probably completely incorrect in blaming somebody for something for which there appears to be no evidence

 

[Moonshot]

Its always fascinating how quickly a discussion on a forum moves from the point made by the OP to something completely different - even more so when the text quoted by the OP is probably completely incorrect in blaming somebody for something for which there appears to be no evidence

In this case its probably inevitable that happens.....mention the name "Thatcher " in any thread tends to stir up emotions good and bad.

 

[Dai Corner]

That's not always an option - e.g. it's not easy to start an aeronautical engineering business from scratch, unless you happen to have several hundred millions of pounds stuffed down the back of the sofa.

No, but something related may well be possible. It depends how much you want to compromise personal ambition for the good of your local community.

 

[Moonshot]

No, but something related may well be possible. It depends how much you want to compromise personal ambition for the good of your local community.

Brian Souter started off with just a single bus.....

 

[najaB]

No, but something related may well be possible. It depends how much you want to compromise personal ambition for the good of your local community.

Indeed it does. Personally, having seen the emotional damage that can be done by and to someone who is stuck in job they are 'supposed' to do, I think self-realisation outweighs obligation coming and going.

 

[fowler9]

That's not really fair. If, using an example, I was to study and become a neurosurgeon would I be a 'parasite' if I moved to a town that had a hospital rather than stay in my home town and flip burgers?

That was a bit more extreme than what I said. If you are from Ashington and study to be a Neurosurgeon you don't need to move to London to practice it.