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Post by martinshrew on Jun 11, 2022 14:54:00 GMT 1
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Post by zenfootball2 on Jun 11, 2022 15:30:03 GMT 1
im not a fan of Blackpool i think it is a dump but im sure everyone feels like that about somewhere
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Post by armchairfan on Jun 11, 2022 15:53:18 GMT 1
Birmingham: I used to work there - a rather unpleasant city; Blackpool: I must confess that I like its unashamed tawdriness,and its "in your face" joy and self-confidence. But..... Give me York any day!
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Post by armchairfan on Jun 11, 2022 15:53:39 GMT 1
Birmingham: I used to work there - a rather unpleasant city; Blackpool: I must confess that I like its unashamed tawdriness,and its "in your face" joy and self-confidence. But..... Give me York any day!
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Post by shrewder on Jun 11, 2022 16:28:25 GMT 1
Stoke is another dump also mustn't forget Wrexham
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Post by wookeywombat on Jun 11, 2022 16:47:25 GMT 1
Of course it's not newsworthy. Just a common occurrence from this entitled bunch of Tories who feel that they can do or say what they like.
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Post by frankwellshrews on Jun 11, 2022 17:24:05 GMT 1
Birmingham: I used to work there - a rather unpleasant city; Blackpool: I must confess that I like its unashamed tawdriness,and its "in your face" joy and self-confidence. But..... Give me York any day! I do work in Birmingham still and like it. I suspect, like a lot of your opinions, your views are a good few years out of date. I work in a really nice office, in a really nice building. From the ground floor (5 minute walk from the newly refurbished New Street) I'm pretty much spitting distance from 3 great pubs (more like 7 or 8 if you widen the circle to, say, stone throwing distance) and a short hop down the street from 2 genuinely world class restaurants (probably more like 3) plus there's about 20 or so listed buildings in the vicinity. Bit of a longer stroll north takes you into the Jewelry Quarter with loads of independent eateries and bars etc. Genuinely not sure what Birmingham has to do to shift the stigma it built up in the 80s and 90s but I do notice a lot of the criticism comes from people who don't really know the place and use it as a byword for "godawful" (as this dim-witted MP who somewhat bafflingly thinks you could confuse it with Blackpool seems to have done - presumably everywhere north of London, including her constituency no doubt, just blurs into one in her mind).
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Post by armchairfan on Jun 11, 2022 17:48:53 GMT 1
Birmingham: I used to work there - a rather unpleasant city; Blackpool: I must confess that I like its unashamed tawdriness,and its "in your face" joy and self-confidence. But..... Give me York any day! I do work in Birmingham still and like it. I suspect, like a lot of your opinions, your views are a good few years out of date. I work in a really nice office, in a really nice building. From the ground floor (5 minute walk from the newly refurbished New Street) I'm pretty much spitting distance from 3 great pubs (more like 7 or 8 if you widen the circle to, say, stone throwing distance) and a short hop down the street from 2 genuinely world class restaurants (probably more like 3) plus there's about 20 or so listed buildings in the vicinity. Bit of a longer stroll north takes you into the Jewelry Quarter with loads of independent eateries and bars etc. Genuinely not sure what Birmingham has to do to shift the stigma it built up in the 80s and 90s but I do notice a lot of the criticism comes from people who don't really know the place and use it as a byword for "godawful" (as this dim-witted MP who somewhat bafflingly thinks you could confuse it with Blackpool seems to have done - presumably everywhere north of London, including her constituency no doubt, just blurs into one in her mind). Well, I spent a day in Birmingham a few weeks ago, checking out old stomping grounds near my old office in Colmore Row, and concede that it has improved a bit over the last ten years or so, but the city remains, as it always has done, very much a "work in progress"....doubtlessly, the improvement will continue.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2022 17:56:41 GMT 1
im not a fan of Blackpool i think it is a dump but im sure everyone feels like that about somewhere We had a day out in Lytham in March and stopped off in Blackpool on the way home. The new prom looks good but my goodness, the golden mile was far from golden, some of the hotels looked like they had been condemned. Hopefully the regeneration of the town will continue, it certainly needs it.
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Post by frankwellshrews on Jun 11, 2022 18:11:00 GMT 1
I do work in Birmingham still and like it. I suspect, like a lot of your opinions, your views are a good few years out of date. I work in a really nice office, in a really nice building. From the ground floor (5 minute walk from the newly refurbished New Street) I'm pretty much spitting distance from 3 great pubs (more like 7 or 8 if you widen the circle to, say, stone throwing distance) and a short hop down the street from 2 genuinely world class restaurants (probably more like 3) plus there's about 20 or so listed buildings in the vicinity. Bit of a longer stroll north takes you into the Jewelry Quarter with loads of independent eateries and bars etc. Genuinely not sure what Birmingham has to do to shift the stigma it built up in the 80s and 90s but I do notice a lot of the criticism comes from people who don't really know the place and use it as a byword for "godawful" (as this dim-witted MP who somewhat bafflingly thinks you could confuse it with Blackpool seems to have done - presumably everywhere north of London, including her constituency no doubt, just blurs into one in her mind). Well, I spent a day in Birmingham a few weeks ago, checking out old stomping grounds near my old office in Colmore Row, and concede that it has improved a bit over the last ten years or so, but the city remains, as it always has done, very much a "work in progress"....doubtlessly, the improvement will continue. In the last ten years alone in that small area, you've got the station rebuild, the tram coming down from Snow Hill to the city centre, the new library going up, the complete redevelopment of the area around Paradise Circus and the massive skyscraper going up on the corner of Newhall Street and Colmore Row and that's just in that small vicinity. Did you walk around with blinkers on by any chance?
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Post by wookeywombat on Jun 11, 2022 19:22:34 GMT 1
Birmingham: I used to work there - a rather unpleasant city; Blackpool: I must confess that I like its unashamed tawdriness,and its "in your face" joy and self-confidence. But..... Give me York any day! I do work in Birmingham still and like it. I suspect, like a lot of your opinions, your views are a good few years out of date. I work in a really nice office, in a really nice building. From the ground floor (5 minute walk from the newly refurbished New Street) I'm pretty much spitting distance from 3 great pubs (more like 7 or 8 if you widen the circle to, say, stone throwing distance) and a short hop down the street from 2 genuinely world class restaurants (probably more like 3) plus there's about 20 or so listed buildings in the vicinity. Bit of a longer stroll north takes you into the Jewelry Quarter with loads of independent eateries and bars etc. Genuinely not sure what Birmingham has to do to shift the stigma it built up in the 80s and 90s but I do notice a lot of the criticism comes from people who don't really know the place and use it as a byword for "godawful" (as this dim-witted MP who somewhat bafflingly thinks you could confuse it with Blackpool seems to have done - presumably everywhere north of London, including her constituency no doubt, just blurs into one in her mind). I worked in Birmingham and it's close surrounds for 30 years and always found it a decent place to live. Plenty of theatre and cinema and not to mention plenty of sport of all varieties. Centrally located in the country, it would have been the ideal location (as was mooted at the time) for the national football stadium by the NEC and at a fraction of the cost of the Wembley charade. Of course, though, that is in the SE where everything gravitates towards no matter what the Tories say about levelling up.
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Post by armchairfan on Jun 11, 2022 19:23:56 GMT 1
Well, I spent a day in Birmingham a few weeks ago, checking out old stomping grounds near my old office in Colmore Row, and concede that it has improved a bit over the last ten years or so, but the city remains, as it always has done, very much a "work in progress"....doubtlessly, the improvement will continue. In the last ten years alone in that small area, you've got the station rebuild, the tram coming down from Snow Hill to the city centre, the new library going up, the complete redevelopment of the area around Paradise Circus and the massive skyscraper going up on the corner of Newhall Street and Colmore Row and that's just in that small vicinity. Did you walk around with blinkers on by any chance? Good grief man - no need to be quite so abrupt! Just my opinion, that's all!
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Post by zenfootball2 on Jun 11, 2022 20:24:31 GMT 1
im not a fan of Blackpool i think it is a dump but im sure everyone feels like that about somewhere We had a day out in Lytham in March and stopped off in Blackpool on the way home. The new prom looks good but my goodness, the golden mile was far from golden, some of the hotels looked like they had been condemned. Hopefully the regeneration of the town will continue, it certainly needs it. it does not sound like it has got much better .
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Post by Worthingshrew on Jun 11, 2022 20:37:28 GMT 1
It’s newsworthy because it shows the contempt Tory ministers have for millions who live in places like these.
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Post by frankwellshrews on Jun 11, 2022 20:41:33 GMT 1
It’s newsworthy because it shows the contempt Tory ministers have for millions who live in places like these. Maybe she should have a word with conservative mayor of the West Midlands Region?
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Post by ssshrew on Jun 11, 2022 21:38:33 GMT 1
Maybe she should just keep her mouth shut if she has nothing good to say.
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Post by staffordshrew on Jun 11, 2022 23:31:10 GMT 1
I do work in Birmingham still and like it. I suspect, like a lot of your opinions, your views are a good few years out of date. I work in a really nice office, in a really nice building. From the ground floor (5 minute walk from the newly refurbished New Street) I'm pretty much spitting distance from 3 great pubs (more like 7 or 8 if you widen the circle to, say, stone throwing distance) and a short hop down the street from 2 genuinely world class restaurants (probably more like 3) plus there's about 20 or so listed buildings in the vicinity. Bit of a longer stroll north takes you into the Jewelry Quarter with loads of independent eateries and bars etc. Genuinely not sure what Birmingham has to do to shift the stigma it built up in the 80s and 90s but I do notice a lot of the criticism comes from people who don't really know the place and use it as a byword for "godawful" (as this dim-witted MP who somewhat bafflingly thinks you could confuse it with Blackpool seems to have done - presumably everywhere north of London, including her constituency no doubt, just blurs into one in her mind). Well, I spent a day in Birmingham a few weeks ago, checking out old stomping grounds near my old office in Colmore Row, and concede that it has improved a bit over the last ten years or so, but the city remains, as it always has done, very much a "work in progress"....doubtlessly, the improvement will continue. The trouble with Birmingham is it hasn't got the Thames, or St Pauls cathedral or Buck House, or the Post Office tower. Bull rings ok, Chinese quarter good, but that's about it.
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Post by ssshrew on Jun 11, 2022 23:34:47 GMT 1
Oh I don’t know the jewellery quarter is pretty good for some of us!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2022 6:56:37 GMT 1
The centre of Brum has improved and I quite like it for a day/night out, however its definitely a work in progress and there are areas which are a reminder of its run down past, particularly once you get out of the city centre.
Blackpool is like a poster said, the front has been improved but go one street in and it really is horrendous and you see some 'interesting' sights.
You could argue that she's saying what many people have said, but she's criticising locations in her country at a public event whilst speaking, not exactly the actions you'd expect from someone in public office.
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Post by venceremos on Jun 12, 2022 17:17:29 GMT 1
Well, I spent a day in Birmingham a few weeks ago, checking out old stomping grounds near my old office in Colmore Row, and concede that it has improved a bit over the last ten years or so, but the city remains, as it always has done, very much a "work in progress"....doubtlessly, the improvement will continue. The trouble with Birmingham is it hasn't got the Thames, or St Pauls cathedral or Buck House, or the Post Office tower. Bull rings ok, Chinese quarter good, but that's about it. Birmingham has it's own post office tower! And Buck House is hardly a thing of beauty - a monotonous grey slab of a building. You seem out of date with that view of Birmingham. The area between New St station and the Library/Symphony Hall is pretty special, I think. I was walking from a gig there a few weeks ago and Victoria Square and its fountain walk were beautifully lit and the buildings around looked spectacular. The Jewellery Quarter and St Paul's Square is another lovely area of the city. I spent 3 years recently working regularly in the area and loved it. Has a great music pub (the Jamhouse) one of the best pizza restaurants anywhere (Otto) and a superb Italian place.
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Post by venceremos on Jun 12, 2022 17:21:56 GMT 1
The reason this is newsworthy is because she's a minister in a government making big noises about "levelling up". When one of its own ministers then derides parts of the country that strategy is supposed to be helping, it suggests they're not entirely serious in their intentions - not that there has been much evidence of this strategy actually producing any meaningful policies.
She should decide whether she's a serious politician or would rather be a third rate comedian making tired jokes that undermine what she supposedly stands for.
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Post by edgmond on Jun 12, 2022 19:46:18 GMT 1
I thought ‘levelling up’ was all about Bolton and Bury. I’m not sure that the improvements in Birmingham have received much, if any, government money. It’s more to do with enterprising local government, supported by Birmingham businesses.
And let’s not forget… Birmingham has more canals than Venice.
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Post by venceremos on Jun 12, 2022 19:52:16 GMT 1
I thought ‘levelling up’ was all about Bolton and Bury. I’m not sure that the improvements in Birmingham have received much, if any, government money. It’s more to do with enterprising local government, supported by Birmingham businesses. And let’s not forget… Birmingham has more canals than Venice. And more parks/trees than ..... I forget where but it's quite surprising!
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Post by staffordshrew on Jun 12, 2022 23:37:04 GMT 1
I thought ‘levelling up’ was all about Bolton and Bury. I’m not sure that the improvements in Birmingham have received much, if any, government money. It’s more to do with enterprising local government, supported by Birmingham businesses. And let’s not forget… Birmingham has more canals than Venice. And more parks/trees than ..... I forget where but it's quite surprising! Probably Shropshire, I was country born and bred, but we had to go into town to find a park or playground. There's a fair number of trees, but a lot of the hedgerows got ripped out.
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Post by block12massive on Jun 13, 2022 9:30:34 GMT 1
A politician tells the truth. Well I never.
I see rent-a-gob MP Jess Phillips took to social media to post photos of leafy suburbs of Birmingham as sarcastic examples of 'godawful' Birmingham.
Interesting I've not seen any photos of Washwood Heath or Sparkbrook yet.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2022 10:44:23 GMT 1
A politician tells the truth. Well I never. I see rent-a-gob MP Jess Phillips took to social media to post photos of leafy suburbs of Birmingham as sarcastic examples of 'godawful' Birmingham. Interesting I've not seen any photos of Washwood Heath or Sparkbrook yet. In fairness, if someone said Shrewsbury was a dump you wouldnt put up pictures of ditherington, the grange and gains park as your counter argument 👍
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Post by venceremos on Jun 13, 2022 11:29:42 GMT 1
A politician tells the truth. Well I never. I see rent-a-gob MP Jess Phillips took to social media to post photos of leafy suburbs of Birmingham as sarcastic examples of 'godawful' Birmingham. Interesting I've not seen any photos of Washwood Heath or Sparkbrook yet. A major conurbation has some areas that aren't pleasant to the eyes of a Salopian leaf dweller (not that Shrewsbury doesn't have its less desirable areas, but obviously on a much smaller scale). Well I never. Why might that be? It's spelled P-O-V-E-R-T-Y. You remember, what that levelling up policy is meant to address?
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Post by frankwellshrews on Jun 13, 2022 12:00:35 GMT 1
A politician tells the truth. Well I never. I see rent-a-gob MP Jess Phillips took to social media to post photos of leafy suburbs of Birmingham as sarcastic examples of 'godawful' Birmingham. Interesting I've not seen any photos of Washwood Heath or Sparkbrook yet. A major conurbation has some areas that aren't pleasant to the eyes of a Salopian leaf dweller (not that Shrewsbury doesn't have its less desirable areas, but obviously on a much smaller scale). Well I never. Why might that be? It's spelled P-O-V-E-R-T-Y. You remember, what that levelling up policy is meant to address? By that metric any city globally is 'godawful', especially London (which has far more grim urban sprawl than any other UK city). Now, I understand some people might say "well yes, exactly" but that clearly isn't what was meant here.
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Post by block12massive on Jun 13, 2022 12:08:12 GMT 1
A politician tells the truth. Well I never. I see rent-a-gob MP Jess Phillips took to social media to post photos of leafy suburbs of Birmingham as sarcastic examples of 'godawful' Birmingham. Interesting I've not seen any photos of Washwood Heath or Sparkbrook yet. A major conurbation has some areas that aren't pleasant to the eyes of a Salopian leaf dweller (not that Shrewsbury doesn't have its less desirable areas, but obviously on a much smaller scale). Well I never. Why might that be? It's spelled P-O-V-E-R-T-Y. You remember, what that levelling up policy is meant to address? Or perhaps, like the Lutons and Bradfords of this world, the most undesirable areas tend to be Labour run councils. Spooky coincidence hey.
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Post by venceremos on Jun 13, 2022 12:35:17 GMT 1
A major conurbation has some areas that aren't pleasant to the eyes of a Salopian leaf dweller (not that Shrewsbury doesn't have its less desirable areas, but obviously on a much smaller scale). Well I never. Why might that be? It's spelled P-O-V-E-R-T-Y. You remember, what that levelling up policy is meant to address? Or perhaps, like the Lutons and Bradfords of this world, the most undesirable areas tend to be Labour run councils. Spooky coincidence hey. Let's unpick your 'logic' here, shall we? Shropshire's a generally pleasant place to live. Is that because it has a Tory council? It's nothing to do with it being a largely rural area with many affluent residents, it's all down to the fact that they elected a Tory council. Luton and Bradford and other "undesirable" areas, as you call them, tend to be run by Labour councils, but so too are most urban areas. Which of our major cities is Tory run? Why do urban areas contain greater concentrations of poverty? Because there are more people living there. Because more people gravitate to them for housing and work opportunities. Why do voters in those areas tend to vote Labour? I'd say it's because they believe a Labour administration is more likely to look after their interests and support them. And that's before we begin to consider the years of Tory central government cuts to funding for local authorities and the bias towards Tory constituencies in the provision of funding. Your sneering only exposes your own prejudices. You should be a Tory councillor, then you could joke about "levelling up" too.
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