Is Britain a better place since 1997?

[British Bulldog]

Punctuality has got nothing to do with investment? Rubbish and yet more rubbish.

Why's the line shut between Three Bridges and Brighton every other weekend? Just to piss off Albion fans trying to get to Withdean? Well, partially, yes, but mostly to improve the infrastructure. Are you really suggesting improved punctuality has more to do with giving regulating decisions back to signalmen than with upgrading tracks and points and cutting back trees to put an end to the leaves on the track thing and the like?

Yeah I am, All this track re-laying only means trains can run at line speed instead of speed restrictions and like I said you name me one bit of engineering works on the main line that has improved things? What points have been upgraded?

 

[bigc]

Who do you work for BB and what do you do, out of interest to the relevance of this debate.

 

[British Bulldog]

Who do you work for BB and what do you do, out of interest to the relevance of this debate.

Top of the pile fella, Network Rail Signalman.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

Wasted 99.9% of it.









The reason crime is up is because this goverment has given the signal for every villian to help them selfs and if caught you'll get a slap on the wrist let alone a prison sentance.






Wake up and smell the coffee.

So why are the jails so full? Crime is down - http://www.crimestatistics.org.uk/output/Page54.asp

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

I've been using the trains nearly everyday since 1996, first a short commute to Uni and from 99 into the capital. Over that time the train service has got immeasuarbly better. First of all the punctuality. The best thing though has been the new trains. 300% more comfortable. Short of everyone paying 1p more on income tax, that would never have happened under BR.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

Yorkie,

I'm sorry that you and Ned haven't got the best out of the NHS. Not great to have waited that long, but sure it would have been longer 10 years ago. I've got tremendous faith in the NHS. First I can see that loads more money has gone it, but secondly from personal experience. My father was unfortunate enough to have leukemia recently, but is now a picture of health because our expertise in bone marrow transplants allowed him to have an operation that most other countries would only consider giving to someone half his age.

 

[Drumstick]

lowering of standards in education

Bollox

Its still very very hard to get your grades and I had to work very hard for mine. Ask anyone with kids going through gcse's and most will say how hard there ofspring has had to work. True they teach different things but still important things.

 

[Drumstick]

I had excellent NHS service! I know its different for everyone but anyone who saw my leg knows in most countries I would have lost it and even upto five years ago. Excellent care. Only thing that hasnt got better is the food!

 

[bigc]

I've been using the trains nearly everyday since 1996, first a short commute to Uni and from 99 into the capital. Over that time the train service has got immeasuarbly better. First of all the punctuality. The best thing though has been the new trains. 300% more comfortable. Short of everyone paying 1p more on income tax, that would never have happened under BR.

Thing was, loadsa new trains got introduced in the late 1980s, early 1990s but we never got wind of it down south(grrr). I mean, there were Networkers in Kent, new trains in the Thames Valley region, etc etc. Alot of new trains were coming into life around the early 1990s but it all got knocked on the head for a bit by the instability of the initial years of privatisation.

I still can't believe the Brighton main line to Victoria was operated with slam door trains right up until 1996! Just doesn't make sense to me, seeing as other routes had their stock upgraded.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

In 1997 I couldn't have done this...... so it must be better

 

[Beach Hut]

I still can't believe the Brighton main line to Victoria was operated with slam door trains right up until 1996! Just doesn't make sense to me, seeing as other routes had their stock upgraded.

It would have been new trains much earlier but for the fact that a massive power upgrade was required which took a long time.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

If you think the London-Brighton line is poor, thank your lucky stars you never had to travel on this thing. Possibly the most uncomfortable and bouncy train (effectively a bus on tracks) I ever had the misfortune to feel seasick on.

 

[Beach Hut]

If you think the London-Brighton line is poor, thank your lucky stars you never had to travel on this thing. Possibly the most uncomfortable and bouncy train (effectively a bus on tracks) I ever had the misfortune to feel seasick on.

Absolutely we are lucky to have had the investment, mind you the trains were 40 odd years old.

 

[DTES]

What has Thatcher got to do with this debate. Thought this thread was about if Britain is better now than before 97. If you want a debate on Thatcher - Blair then start another thread and I’ll be more thsn willing to debate the subject.

LBF, did you even READ where my post came from?!

I'll some it up for you: Zesh Rehman made the point that it was getting better - still getting better because we were recovering from Thatcher, and cannedheat told him he couldn't comment on Thatcher, because he was to young to know about it. I then replied that they could, as History would teach them.

My post had everything to do with the points raised before - the ones I was replying to.

So that's what Thatcher has to do with this debate.

 

[Yorkie]

Yorkie,

I'm sorry that you and Ned haven't got the best out of the NHS. Not great to have waited that long, but sure it would have been longer 10 years ago. I've got tremendous faith in the NHS. First I can see that loads more money has gone it, but secondly from personal experience. My father was unfortunate enough to have leukemia recently, but is now a picture of health because our expertise in bone marrow transplants allowed him to have an operation that most other countries would only consider giving to someone half his age.

10 years ago we were living in Huddersfield so difficult to compare because if anything happened there, physio was within a week. I'm not sure if it is because things have got worse or because of the post code lottery. Likewise hospital appts were within a couple of months too whereas here it is quite a long time.

 

[Dandyman]

Hard one to answer as I hate too many of the things this government has done from Iraq through to PFI, vilification of refugees, curtailment of civil liberties, rampant religousity and the whole "greed is good" mentality - I guess the real answer is that I can remember the joy in seeing the Tories not only kicked out in '97 but publicly humiliated. The idea that the last ten years under those scumbags would have been better either for the country or for me as an individual is IMO a fantasy.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

I found this interesting on BBC News... Blair's years in Stats

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/uk_politics/07/blair_graphs/html/default.stm

 

[DTES]

I found this interesting on BBC News... Blair's years in Stats

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/uk_politics/07/blair_graphs/html/default.stm

Comparisons to 1997:
Hospital waiting times down
Unemployment down
Household Disposable Income up
School class average size down
Life expectancy up

So, going back to the original question, I'd say yes, Britain is better than in 1997

 

[El Presidente]

Comparisons to 1997:
Hospital waiting times down
Unemployment down
Household Disposable Income up
School class average size down
Life expectancy up

So, going back to the original question, I'd say yes, Britain is better than in 1997

How dare you POLLUTE NSC with FACTS, report this goon to a MOD.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

If you think the London-Brighton line is poor, thank your lucky stars you never had to travel on this thing. Possibly the most uncomfortable and bouncy train (effectively a bus on tracks) I ever had the misfortune to feel seasick on.

Is that one of these box-car type things that trundles between York and I think Leeds (I got off at Harrogate). Pretty basic to be sure.