Crap Towns 2019

[Griswold]

“Good quality housing”
 rows and rows of 2 up 2 down terraces

Not so much in Linthorpe. Nunthorpe. Marton. Acklam. Brookfield. You ever spent any time in Middlesbrough?

I lived on Marton Road for a while, rows of terraces immediately behind us. Don't know if it's changed - that was back in the early 70's.

Really friendly people. The pub up the road, (can't remember the name), sold a really nice pint of Strongarm. Ayresome Park was fun to go to, great atmosphere; not like the new Riverside Stadium sadly - but then, football has change a lot over the years.

I've happy memories of Midsboro.

[Harry Smith]

I can't be bothered to troll through +1ing and agreeing but I have to say that the place where I live is pretty bloody awful. I won't say my home town because I was born upnorth but really identify darn sarf.
But Dudley? it is dreadful. Every other person seems to be using sticks or mobilty with a fag in one hand and a Greggs in the other.

[DA56]

But Dudley? it is dreadful. Every other person seems to be using sticks or mobilty with a fag in one hand and a Greggs in the other.

[Harry Smith]

Ha, that makes sense

[mykk]

In defence of Greggs ... they do do fantastic bread! I preferentially buy my bread from Greggs (whilst trying to avoid the temptation of the "brownie" doughnuts).

[mykk]

There's a direct line from Thatcher to where great swathes of the UK are now, some of the most impoverished areas of Europe.

Being a Blackburn lad, I sore wish I could defend Blackburn in this post but ... i can't. It really is a dive.

To blame Thatcherite economics for the demise of much of the North or our seaside resorts is a wee bit simplistic.

• In the case of Lancashire's cotton towns, the demise pretty much started late-1920s, but really kicked-in after Indian independence ... leading to cheaper imported cotton (plus India was not compelled to buy "expensive British cotton".
  I remember Blackburn in the '70s, and you could feel it slowly changing. We only need to think of Fred Dibnah pulling down the chimneys of long-closed down Lancashire factories ... and that was before the Thatcher era ecomomics began to change the country.
  
• The seaside resorts? Very tough to compete with cheap overseas holidays and the guaranteed sun of the Med. On top of that, fishing towns like Fleetwood (which were busy when i was a kid), have been hammered by the European Common Fisheries policy/quotas/etc and youth "emigration".
  
• I was looking at the national consumption of coal during the 1970s ... it fell by a third during the decade. (Gas central heating / clean air legislation of 1956-onward / government support for nuclear power ... all hammered coal.) Less coal used means less coal needed, which in turn means, fewer pits and miners. Furthermore, imported coal was cheaper.
  
• Then there's the effects of Containerization (and cheaper imports) in the 50s and 60s ...
  
• Not to forget that WWII nigh-on bankrupted this country!
  
• Another poster mentioned the Unions. During the 1970s, when they were striking for "more pay for less work", who wanted to buy a British Leyland car? Even in the 80s, B.L. = rust plus more rust. Less consumer demand for British cars -> closed factories and job loses.

I'm not saying the Conservative government of the '80s didn't mess up ... they did ... but, I really wanted to expand the picture and highlight that much of the UK was on the decline, or struggling, even before 1979.
[I happen to think that the Governments' focus on Services, and it's near-abandonment of Manufacturing was its worst legacy, when what was probably needed, as seen in Germany and Austria, especially, was a focus on high-end engineering. I also think that, one of the unforeseen consequences of the Thatcherite emphasis on Services, esp. finance etc, was a short-termism, i.e. "I want profits/dividends now!" The long-game was ignored. Contrast with China's one belt one road, which is definitely long-game AND succeeding.]

Back on topic ... I've just thought of a good point for Blackburn! Its location: a stone's throw from the Trough of Bowland ... close to the Yorkshire Dales (yes, yes, yes, I know it's Yorkshire ... but it's still very nice!) and close to the Lake District. Plus, there's plenty of good cycling nearby.

[Neil.C]

^^^

Some very good points there.

Down here Containerisation certainly did away with the old London docks.

It's nice to blame a demon for what happened but the fact is the world moves on.

[Passenger]

So in a way globalisation and greed then.

[Dave+63]

Back on topic ... I've just thought of a good point for Blackburn! Its location: a stone's throw from the Trough of Bowland ... close to the Yorkshire Dales (yes, yes, yes, I know it's Yorkshire ... but it's still very nice!) and close to the Lake District. Plus, there's plenty of good cycling nearby.

Good God man, you’ll be singing Burnley’s praises next!

[RD200]

Good God man, you’ll be singing Burnley’s praises next!

With Pendle Hill and Barley only a stones throw away, sing it.

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[mickylall]

With Pendle Hill and Barley only a stones throw away, sing it.

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Aye , I'm off to Sawley soon for a slap up lunch and a fair few pints. Lovely stuff

[RD200]

Aye , I'm off to Sawley soon for a slap up lunch and a fair few pints. Lovely stuff

Nice one, sounds like a cracking plan.

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