Ministry for Vacant Buildings
Gordon Brown is bad for your teeth...
Both The Telegraph and The Times have accounts of a furtively-released government report that shows the rapid deterioration of rural towns in England under the Labour government.
According to the report, which is posted on the Department of Communities and Local Government website, many English towns are without basic amenities such as post offices, surgeries, schools, and even shops. There is also a noted decline in the number of towns that are within an accessible proximity to NHS dentists. But does this mean that Gordon Brown is bad for your teeth or is it just another example of media sensationalism?
When compared with the disturbing claim made recently that four pubs in Britain are going out of business everyday, perhaps there is some truth to the matter. Maybe the future of England really will be that of a barren wasteland - a country minus a community built of empty towns; or a desert of ruinous buildings peppered with the occasional twenty-four hour Tesco or retail park with free on site parking. It certainly sounds splendid, but who do we thank for a future of such prosperity?
Well, according to The Telegraph, it all seems to be Labour's fault. Quoting a bloke called Eric Pickles, the shadow communities and local government secretary, the article argues that Labour are the vanguards of a movement that is responsible for "the slow death of community life." The Times doesn't seem to find anybody at fault and simply reports the facts. Perhaps this shows us of their political persuasions?
Regardless, it seems that the deterioration process isn't going to ebb any time soon. Nobody wants to buy the post offices and Whitehall apparently reduces school funding if they don't fill their student quotas. Things will probably get better before they get worse...
To Westmonster it seems that we are living against the cogs of the wheels of change. There seem to be two kinds of England at the moment, the old-school, traditionalist version that resides in our villages, and the cosmopolitan, big thinking version that haunts our cities. Unfortunately for some, the scales seem to be tipped in favour of the city and where it leads us.
But that's how it's always been, right?
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2 Comments
How many NEW bars are opening every day at the moment Oli? Did anyone say? We have about 20 or 30 more bars in M21 where I live than we did under the Tories. Was seven I think. Now it's about 30. But, alas, it must be said that one pub has closed in the period.
Not sure about the number of new bars that are opening, to be honest. There don't seem to be any figures anywhere. Perhaps it's a conspiracy...
It's interesting that there are more bars in your area now than when under the Tories.
I wonder why people feel the need to drink more these days??
Maybe it's those pesky politicians drinking their expenses away...