Who, me?

I can sympathise wth the OPs point of view, however for me the major issue is rural poverty, which is a product of sucessive governments and their ‘metropolitan’focus…

the arrival of the ‘move to the country set’ just brings the inequalities to peoples attention, it’s alway happened … people arrive with cash and buy up a peice of the country and fence it off, these TV shows just highlight the process in action

Taxation, deregulation of services, lack of investment in infrastructure etc which are all designed about the south east and the major cities throughout the uk; have ill considered and significant impact upon the rural communities.

In rescent articles about the ‘north / south divide’ Herefordsire fit’s in the North based upon income, standard of living and most importently infrastructure (lack of)…..

rural poverty, which is a product of sucessive governments and their ‘metropolitan’focus…

No, it’s always been there.

the arrival of the ‘move to the country set’ just brings the inequalities to peoples attention,

Not really. What it really does is crank up house prices way beyond anything the locals can afford. Much more of an issue than bringing hilighting any wealth gaps.

Btw I think Herefordshire has worse infrastructure than ‘The North’, much more so. A pretty big county with what, three railway stations, a short snippet of motway passing through and barely even any dual carriageway. Big business is hardly going to set up there. People are all about moving business to The North from The South, and Herefordshire gets bypassed 🙂 Most people don’t even know where it is ime.

All I find the countryside good for is fly tipping. It’s so expensive and difficult to get rid of rubbish any other way.

Plus, the countryside smells of poo. And the locals wear funny red jackets and ride horses.

Someone should tell them it’s 2011, not 1811.

no rural poverty hasn’t always existed..it has developed over time.. and has been exasperated by sucessive governments of the left and right who have no interest in areas of marginal influence in UK politics

the house price gaps are due to the economic divide, which I highlighted because lots of people have a rose tinted view of rural life….

The move to the country set is not a new thing it’s been happening for yrs….

as for infrastructure investment… look at the Hereford bypass and how many iterations it’s been through……it always falls to the bottom of the investment pile………..

Although it’s not helped by local politicians who have lacked vision and ambition for the past 50 yrs +…. theyre cosy reluctance to support industry has amplified the neglect of central government

you should be pleased most don’t know where it is……

no rural poverty hasn’t always existed.

this intrigues me? Do you have any background info – not saying you are wrong (although I’ll admit to being sceptical) just very interested.

I hate whinging locals who never leave the area but expect ‘something’ in return; beit work/employment or social/entertainment.

People work hard, make money and can decide what to buy and where. What is wrong with that?

Would you prefer your town was turned into support services for the local (idle) youth? Maybe some support/advice groups on benefits, more fastfood, poundshops etc?

Young people tend to move away as they are ambitious then move back home (or close to) later when they have lived their life and ambitions.

FWIW, at some point in the next 18mths the missus and I will be vacating the urban sprawl that is Leeds for semi-retirement in the Lakes. Does that make us wrong ‘uns?

almost every sector of the economy has had both good and bad times if you look bad far enough….

if you want to look back far enough they’re have been relatively good times in rural Herefordshire and well as bad.

my main comments have been about rural poverty which can be every bit as dreadful as urban poverty, but exasperated by isolation and the dilute level of services available (I’m not dismissing urban poverty but rural poverty gets overlooked…)

The whole of the Marches area suffers from a lack of political interest (hasn’t been much since Henry VII….), no infrastructure, historically a lack of tertiary education leading to a continual brain drain and poor local politicians…

Toxicsoks.

Not as far as I’m concerned… your choice…sound like a good one to me 🙂

The country’s been many forces, just IME sucessive governments have made a mess by focussing on there own electorate and failed to invest in the country in a way that benefits all…..

My coments about rural poverty is just about how a sector of society has been neglected.

My OP certainly seems to have raised some interest. Some of the comments (ignoring the blatantly flaming ones) show the low level of understanding regarding rural communities and that’s where where I feel the real issue lie.

I’ve absolutely no problem with new people moving into my area, but when many of them do they bring with them a lifestyle and mind set that is more akin to living in a large urban setting rather than adapting to the more rural and community focused ways that living in a rural setting often requires. Some move in expecting the place to be like a setting of Larkrise or Candleford. So many new people in my area rave about the fact that the local community is a wonderful close knit one, so friendly. But these invariably semi retired people do not see (or choose not to see) the poverty and unemployment on the estates, the excessive drinking, the drugs, the poor education standards of the local schools. No all they see are green fields with cute lambs in them, the views, the fresh air etc etc. It makes me wonder about the people who move to the country to give their kids a better life. Most of the new kids I know who live out in the country are bored sick with it and can’t wait to get into a town to see their mates.

With regards rural poverty, it’s there alright, compressed into dismal housing association estates in the towns, cut off from the support network of their families because of the appalling public transport, high fuel prices, and the fact that the had to move out of the villages and hamlets where they grew up because of house prices. Employment rates are falling because most of the new employment does not require unskilled labour.

I fear soon the last of the rural communities will be gone, replaced by a new community that has created some kind of new twee community that is based on pure snobbery.

brandeberryj That’s right anyone who lived in rural areas never owned there own property. Furthemore they ate shite for breakfast everyday while you just talk it. Nothing like a bit of left wing generalistion. By the way the last century was 1900 – 2000?

brandeberryj may believe that I’m talking shite,but I’m talking from family experience in Cornwall. Perhaps brandeberryj is too young to know, or too detached from his / her own roots. (the fishing thing was a metaphor, as I stated).

Anyway, my grandfather was the first person in our village to be allowed to buy his house. The local estate owned all the land, all the houses, the pub, the church, the village hall- everything. He could buy because he did well in the Royal Dockyard, but also because he played cricket with the local baronet. Subsequent sales of property in the village (to generate cash for the struggling estate) were advertised in London rather than locally. A few were sold to local tenent farmers, but almost all were eventually sold to “monied” outsiders. Double whammy for local working people. Not only were the sale prices way above what could be afforded on a rural wage, but the stock of local rented / tied housing also disappeared.

And no, I’m not talking centuries ago. This happened in the 60s and 70s

My OP certainly seems to have raised some interest. Some of the comments (ignoring the blatantly flaming ones) show the low level of understanding regarding rural communities and that’s where where I feel the real issue lie.

OP you’ve managed to raise some very painful issues here. My own posts on here are admittedly more inflammatory, but it is a topic that makes me very angry and desperately sad.

GlitterGary – Member
All I find the countryside good for is fly tipping. It’s so expensive and difficult to get rid of rubbish any other way.

Plus, the countryside smells of poo. And the locals wear funny red jackets and ride horses.

Someone should tell them it’s 2011, not 1811.
Is fly tipping living in 2011. have you got your name the right way round Gary?