When was the last time any UK government tried something new?

[Guest]

I suppose on the face of it there is nothing clear and obvious and big left to do, all the major dragons have been slayed so to speak. All we seem to be doing now is tweaking things here and there. I think this is why there's little interest in politics any more.

[ECCOnoob]

I think a lot of the problem now is that people are put off from doing anything. The moment even the sniff of a thought is said out loud, even with no intention of it being followed through its opened to public scrutiny because media (desperate for content) picks it up and the internet, including forums just like this will proceed to rip it apart before it even get on paper.

 

No matter what someone tries to do these days the screams are the same "...ooh how much?.." "...how many teachers or nurses would that pay for" "....that will just be another white elephant" "...Im not having that in my back yard" "....its ugly" "its not the same as the old one.."

 

How many times we hear those arguments. Its enough to put anyone off.

 

Just think back to some of the great projects that have happened over the years. Everything from the mass railways, electrification, the underground, great road and motorway projects, the impressive but brutalism architecture of places like the National Theatre, Southbank, bullring and arndale centres. The big imposing towers such as blackpool tower, rotunda, arts tower, Trellek Tower, Canary Wharf etc.

 

Imagine someone now. I want to build a underground system for Sheffield. To do so will cause years of road disruption, extreme tunnelling, massive changes to road networks, compulsory purchases of buildings and houses, vast billions of pounds of investment from local budgets.

 

It wouldn't even get off the drawing board by the time the madia, keyboard warriors, nimbys, eco warriors, opposition politicians, public accounts committees, trade and business union leaders, local campaigners, residents associations and council financiers had all thrown their knives.

 

HS2 is just a perfect example. For decades people have screamed about how disgusting our railway network is. Its poor relation compared to France, Germany, Italy etc. A project gets proposed and just look at the hysteria and storm of controversy that has followed. Its not even been finalised on plans yet.

Edited March 13, 2015 by ECCOnoob

[Bonzo77]

Not really. It's been going on for ages, under all governments. It's practically passé.

 

The only one can I think of is Gordon brown giving billions and billions to banks and getting nothing at all in return.

 

They could try not selling off the NHS?