Was life in Britain better twenty years ago?

[vixen1700]

Yeah the power cuts and recording the top 20 with a reel to reel tape-recorder mic held up to a speaker.

Everybody in the room had to be quiet.

[WinkleHoff]

bloomen said:

WinkleHoff said:

Agreed. Discourse in 2019 is infinitely destructive than it was 20yrs ago. Slurs and insults over facts and consideration of alternative views.....

Poohead.

It's interesting to apply this question to other periods of time. If this was asked in 1999 there's no way I'd want to be back in the 70s. I find most things about that decade repulsive.

Similarly, asking a 70s resident about the 50s is unlikely to find them desiring a return considering how much progress was made.

Despite all the good stuff since 1999 the corrosive stuff still outweighs it and that's nothing to do with my circumstances, just what I see around me.

It feels to me like some sort of shark has been jumped in the last couple of decades.

Ha ha. You are clearly a xenophobic snowflake sjw gammon.

Applying this question to various points in time is interesting. But in my time, I've never known it as bad as this.

[JulianPH]

Nerdherder said:

JulianPH said:

I think it depends upon were exactly in Britain you live.

20 years ago when I was in London life there certainly seemed better than London today, particularly with regard to crime and safety.

Now days I live in a rural village where life hasn't really changed much for the last 40 years, let alone 20.

We have lost the village shop and butcher, which is a shame, but being 5 minutes away from a thriving market town (that wasn't anywhere near as thriving 20 years ago) does make up for that.

So some things are better and some things are worse and where you live is likely to have an impact on this.

One thing I think most people would agree on though is that as an island we are more densely populated now than we have ever been and that is putting great stress on housing, healthcare, schooling and many other important infrastructure.

Also, we appear to have an ever increasing section of society that is basically lawless, which with a corresponding decrease in the ratio of numbers of police to members of the public is only going to continue to get worse.

Let's also not forget the rise of the terminally offended amongst us.

Those things were certainly better 20 years ago (or at least it feels like it).

This post is spot on.

Thank you!

[Robertj21a]

It's difficult but, on balance, I voted No.

Much of what people recall from previous times is coloured with the rose spectacles and people tend to forget the negatives.

I still enjoy driving in the country without much hassle, we have far more pubs/restaurants everywhere, internet facilities are all around - and we'll finally get out of the EU. Taxes are not onerous and we have low unemployment.
However, we do need to improve the police force and get to grips with crime at many levels. Homelessness and mental health also need improvement.

[Frimley111R]

No, for example, cars are much safer/more efficient/faster etc., medicine has improved massively, the internet is a quantum leap ahead of 20 years ago, general standard are much higher for food, there's more care for people with mental disabilities/issues, etc.

Of course there are some negative but all really outweighed by the positives

[anonymous-user]

Yes

People appeared more at ease with each other. I certainly think they were politer.
I was working in a university town and it was great to deal with students and enjoyed hearing of their aims and ambitions.
Mobile phones were simpler and there was no social media with the ignorance and problems and pressures it can bring to many. Our 2 daughters were just pre school and early school then.

The Trains ran well and there were people in pubs..

I loved being where I was in 1998 to 2000. they were in many ways the best years I had.

[Kermit power]

Fast and Spurious said:

Kermit power said:

We've had constant waves of immigration to this country for well over a thousand years

Gonna have to call Bullst on this oft quoted line.

Hmm... So presumably you're not counting the Romans, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Scots, Irish, Vikings, Normans, Jews, Roma Gypsies, Hugenots, Indians, West Africans, Poles (you know, the ones without whom we may well have lost the battle of Britain?) and more?

If we haven't had all these waves of immigration over the past couple of millennia, please explain how we have a language derived from more distinct sources than probably any other in Europe?

[GetCarter]

Kermit power said:

Fast and Spurious said:

Kermit power said:

We've had constant waves of immigration to this country for well over a thousand years

Gonna have to call Bullst on this oft quoted line.

Hmm... So presumably you're not counting the Romans, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Scots, Irish, Vikings, Normans, Jews, Roma Gypsies, Hugenots, Indians, West Africans, Poles (you know, the ones without whom we may well have lost the battle of Britain?) and more?

If we haven't had all these waves of immigration over the past couple of millennia, please explain how we have a language derived from more distinct sources than probably any other in Europe?

Indeed.

People who don't think we've had immigration for over a thousand years could just spend 30 seconds on the internet and look it up.

In fact, if you go back far enough, we're all immigrants. Just inspect your DNA and see if you have any African in you.

Edited by GetCarter on Saturday 20th July 16:12

[bloomen]

GetCarter said:

Indeed.

People who don't think we've had immigration for over a thousand years could just spend 30 seconds on the internet and look it up.

In fact, if you go back far enough, we're all immigrants. Just inspect your DNA and see if you have any African in you.

Immigration what was inventing by Tony Blairs in da 90s. Before dat dere wuz no 1 foreign in da England eva eva eva


I remember a documentary analysing the DNA of bigots. One lass said you could only call yourself English if you had two English parents for over 1000 years.

That's a teensy weenzy bit of a stretch.

One of the most consistent DNA strands that turned up was mongolian I think which must have come from Genghis Khan's rapefest.

Edited by bloomen on Saturday 20th July 16:34

[JulianPH]

I think this point is being diverted. No one is (to my understanding) saying immigration has never happened before or that it is a bad thing.

What is being questioned in the level of mass imigration we have seen over the last 20 years and the impact this has on our resources and infrastructure.

As I said one page 1 of this thread, housing, healthcare, schooling, policing and pretty much everything else is stretched to breaking point and unless the tax take to pay for the increased costs is at least equal to very large numbers of people joining us then this is never going to get better.

This is not a slight on the benefits of immigration, it is a factual comment about the overlooked costs.

I would also like to clarify upon my comment on the increase in crime.

Illegal drug and prostitution trafficking and dealing/pimping, with the associated violence that comes with this has resulted in gang warfare openly being played out for real on our streets.

Some of this is is down to immigrates who are making calculated business decisions (or those who simply don't think) and some of this is down to our own home grown, unemployable, mouth breathers.

I think having to explain the above is a pretty exhaustive way of highlighting how things have got worse.

At the same time, the medical, technological and other aspects (understanding of mental illness and disabilities) has been an astonishing leap forward.

I still don't get the whole transgender or gender fluid thing though!

[TameRacingDriver]

I voted no, in reality, it’s yes and no.

Most of its been done to death now on this thread.

Stuff like music was better, and I think there was more community spirit and respect for your fellow man. The pubs were better (maybe some rose tinting going on there), and the roads were quieter.

Nowadays, music is mostly trash, but you can listen to all the old classics at the click of a button unlike before. As someone else said, we’re more and less connected at the same time, a lot of us live a lot of our lives in a virtual world. Beer is MUCH nicer today, there’s a lot more choice, and all the pubs stay open later; however there are fewer nightclubs and they’re generally worse than before. Cars are faster than they’ve ever been, but overall progress (average speeds) are lower. Standard of living is better today, and the technology is mind blowing.

Despite the constant stream of bad news, I’d also say that it’s my perception that it’s safer today than it was in the 90s. I got a bit fed up of being mugged and nearly stabbed back then. That hasn’t happened to me for a hell of a long time, and overall, even though I go out every weekend, I rarely see any trouble, though this may be dependent on area, but crime was through the roof in the North East in the 90s.

Also as had previously been said, it depends very much on your own life. Those who have kids now have a very different life which might cloud their perceptions. I don't have kids so I can live my life in a similar care free way as I was able to in the 90s!

Finally, as said, depends on how positive you are as a person. I am not a particularly positive person myself, but to be honest, not blinkered enough to think it was all sunshine and roses before Y2K...

[GetCarter]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

[croyde]

GetCarter said:

FYI everyone in the world has 1% African.. As that's where we all came from (HTH).

We are all immigrants.

(Unless you live in Africa of course).

Edited by GetCarter on Saturday 20th July 17:21

Apart from my African bit, my dad was Irish, my mum is Dutch, her dad was Hungarian and her mum was German. I was born in Middlesex.

So even though I have lived in London all my life, I'm not a born and bred Londoner, like many other Londoners, and I'm certainly not true English (Whatever that is) just like most other Englishmen/women.

There were 10 of us working on a job in London, all with broad London accents having a chat about this, non of us were born in London or had both parents that were English.

[GetCarter]

croyde said:

GetCarter said:

FYI everyone in the world has 1% African.. As that's where we all came from (HTH).

We are all immigrants.

(Unless you live in Africa of course).

Edited by GetCarter on Saturday 20th July 17:21

Apart from my African bit, my dad was Irish, my mum is Dutch, her dad was Hungarian and her mum was German. I was born in Middlesex.

So even though I have lived in London all my life, I'm not a born and bred Londoner, like many other Londoners, and I'm certainly not true English (Whatever that is) just like most other Englishmen/women.

There were 10 of us working on a job in London, all with broad London accents having a chat about this, non of us were born in London or had both parents that were English.

For anyone interested, we are all immigrants from Africa:
https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/human-j...

Edited by GetCarter on Saturday 20th July 18:47

[LimaDelta]

GetCarter said:

croyde said:

GetCarter said:

FYI everyone in the world has 1% African.. As that's where we all came from (HTH).

We are all immigrants.

(Unless you live in Africa of course).

Edited by GetCarter on Saturday 20th July 17:21

Apart from my African bit, my dad was Irish, my mum is Dutch, her dad was Hungarian and her mum was German. I was born in Middlesex.

So even though I have lived in London all my life, I'm not a born and bred Londoner, like many other Londoners, and I'm certainly not true English (Whatever that is) just like most other Englishmen/women.

There were 10 of us working on a job in London, all with broad London accents having a chat about this, non of us were born in London or had both parents that were English.

For anyone interested, we are all immigrants from Africa:
https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/human-j...

Edited by GetCarter on Saturday 20th July 18:47

Or, since every single one of us alive represents an unbroken chain of successful breeding right back to our earliest common ancestor 3.8 Billion years ago, we are all from that same pool of primordial soup*, wherever on earth it may have been located.

Africa was just one of many places our ancestors passed through (and well before it was Africa as we know it).

* Or space...

[MC Bodge]

TameRacingDriver said:

I voted no, in reality, it’s yes and no.

Most of its been done to death now on this thread.

Stuff like music was better, and I think there was more community spirit and respect for your fellow man. The pubs were better (maybe some rose tinting going on there), and the roads were quieter.

Nowadays, music is mostly trash, but you can listen to all the old classics at the click of a button unlike before. As someone else said, we’re more and less connected at the same time, a lot of us live a lot of our lives in a virtual world. Beer is MUCH nicer today, there’s a lot more choice, and all the pubs stay open later; however there are fewer nightclubs and they’re generally worse than before. Cars are faster than they’ve ever been, but overall progress (average speeds) are lower. Standard of living is better today, and the technology is mind blowing.

Despite the constant stream of bad news, I’d also say that it’s my perception that it’s safer today than it was in the 90s. I got a bit fed up of being mugged and nearly stabbed back then. That hasn’t happened to me for a hell of a long time, and overall, even though I go out every weekend, I rarely see any trouble, though this may be dependent on area, but crime was through the roof in the North East in the 90s.

Also as had previously been said, it depends very much on your own life. Those who have kids now have a very different life which might cloud their perceptions. I don't have kids so I can live my life in a similar care free way as I was able to in the 90s!

Finally, as said, depends on how positive you are as a person. I am not a particularly positive person myself, but to be honest, not blinkered enough to think it was all sunshine and roses before Y2K...

Good Post.

[STe_rsv4]

As good as the tech is now, improved living conditions and the Internet and all that Shiz, I actually still look back at the late 90s as being the best year's of my life.
I'm probably being a bit nostalgic but as already said, the music was great and diverse (dance / indie / rock), the pub scene was fantastic, it was a massive buzz meeting your mates on a night out without mobile phones spoiling the scene and actually having to chat up women instead of faceperving them, the cars were great fun to drive and modifying was part and parcel of ownership. Getting 10bhp was a job in itself!
The max power scene was alive!

[anonymous-user]

STe_rsv4 said:

As good as the tech is now, improved living conditions and the Internet and all that Shiz, I actually still look back at the late 90s as being the best year's of my life.
I'm probably being a bit nostalgic but as already said, the music was great and diverse (dance / indie / rock), the pub scene was fantastic, it was a massive buzz meeting your mates on a night out without mobile phones spoiling the scene and actually having to chat up women instead of faceperving them, the cars were great fun to drive and modifying was part and parcel of ownership. Getting 10bhp was a job in itself!
The max power scene was alive!

But no group really has a true point of reference to compare, gen Xers will always prefer the late 90s as they were young then. Today’s millennials, will they prefer the 00s or 10s with such enthusiasm? Boomer parents always prefer 60s bands and yet we prefer late 90s Pearl Jam and the music of the generation below you is always st. What worries me is strength of character and hard work seem to be omitted in recent generations with the “everybody gets a trophy” liberal education left wing bullstters so gen y think they can get rich investing in bitcoin, so we had the 00s .com boom as a comparison and cheap balance transfers, boomers had cheap housing and defined contribution pension schemes. To us oldsters it seems far worse each generation, but does the prospect of never owning a house, never having job security or a safe pension really bother the zero hours generation quite as much ? Probably not once they inherit their parents houses and in the interim PCP their white Audi S3’s...

[bloomen]

Schmed said:

What worries me is strength of character and hard work seem to be omitted in recent generations

Sitting around feeling entitled will quickly fade away when you start starving to death. I see younglings grafting away every day.

Schmed said:

but does the prospect of never owning a house, never having job security or a safe pension really bother the zero hours generation quite as much ? Probably not once they inherit their parents houses and in the interim PCP their white Audi S3’s...

You'd have to be pretty darned out there to not be irritated by that but few people in their teens or twenties think through that stuff properly at that age.

[anonymous-user]

Things were far better 20 years ago, even 5 years ago.
A shame that Cameron & fellow Tory scum trashed it & restricted the options for the ambitious younger generation