The 80s with Dominic Sandbrook

I'm hugely enjoying the series at the moment on 1980's culture and events (BBC Thursdays, 9 p.m.).
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...29422649,d.d2s
Sandbrook is a writer for The Daily Mail and historian who has previously done series about the 1960's and 1970's as well as other topical programmes. I particularly liked his last book 'The Great British Dream Factory' based on his last series 'Let Us Entertain You'?

I love programmes on nostalgia, how about you?

Re: The 80s with Dominic Sandbrook

Yes I love nostalgia, I tend to go more for the seventies though for the music and the old cars. I love looking at old pictures of how it used to be.

Re: The 80s with Dominic Sandbrook

That's right.
You know, Longdogs, I took a walk along the avenue of shops near the street I grew up in a couple of months back. I counted only two shops that were still the there since I was a kid, 45-odd years ago, a butchers and a stationery shop.
All the rest are 'gastro' bars, and pubs. There is one florist, four convenience stores and no greengrocers.
When I was a lad there was only one pub along that road, now there is a row of about 20!
Times change don't they?

Re: The 80s with Dominic Sandbrook

They do. I have just bought and framed an aerial picture of my town in 1947. I can count three cars and two buses.

Re: The 80s with Dominic Sandbrook

I am enjoying the series as well, it's strange though how things seem easier to understand now than they did at the time, perhaps because the whole picture is available to view in retrospect.
I live in a mining community, and certainly those times of the strikes make much more sense now that I can see them from a distance, although it hasn't changed my opinion that the miners must shoulder much of the blame for their own demise...

Re: The 80s with Dominic Sandbrook

I agree Barry to a certain extent. But Thatcher did set out to destroy the working class as her main motive, tearing those poor families apart, generations of history lost in a few short months.
She did some good but looking after the working man wasn't her concern. The rich get richer to keep Britain surviving was her goal.

Re: The 80s with Dominic Sandbrook

Don't think Mrs T wanted to destroy the working class, she knew they were a necessary evil, so instead, she gave them aspiration, maybe above their station, but back to the programme, I agree, it gives insight and is well presented.

Re: The 80s with Dominic Sandbrook

If you still think that then we must have been watching different programmes...

Re: The 80s with Dominic Sandbrook

Like all British government leaders, the priority then was to look after predominantly the better-educated or children born out of good stock, i.e. the wealthy and those on course to do well in life - thus providing Britain with a stable economy. Sadly, the less better off would suffer and fall by the wayside.

But I do agree that though her reputation as an old school authoritarian was to the fore, Maggie was also very forward thinking (despite her dogmatic, unflinching attitude) in tackling those who were out to throw our country into chaos.

This programme did remind me that terrorism would not be tolerated, the AIDS epidemic was confronted head on and that technology was certainly to be embraced. Good and bad, Barry, I'll give you that