Former Member 7 Years Ago - Edited Blair, it may well be 'grim up north' but "fings is tuff daarn saarf, too"! The 'pockets' of deprivation aren't so much 'pockets' as they are ghettos, huge, sprawling estates of poorly maintained, high rent, 'private estates' that were once, yet pitifully few still are, 'council estates'. Cheap housing for the working poor is not rich pickings for private landlords. The 'jobs for life' in the public sector have long gone and the 'contractorised' jobs, that replaced them in the rush towards 'outsourcing' were short-lived and poorly paid. Life in Britain is not so much Game of Thrones, it has become a headlong dash into a remake of the 'Dark Ages'. The titled 'Robber Barons' and dictatorial monarchy are replaced by corporate 'robbers' and corrupt politicians. Yes, we can draw parallels to engrossing TV shows and movies but we are really talking about the exploitation of real lives by real people who show no compassion and little understanding of their impacts upon the disenfranchised populous. The sun is not shining on all those "in the city". It shines brightly for those who "have" and" do" but, like their brethren 'up north', the winds are chill, the rainy is stony cold, the clouds dark and menacing and the future is anything but bright, for way too many................. 0 Reply as... Cancel