Is the UK now giving off strong Third World vibes?

Av salary in UK is 33k.

26.4k take home without optional deductions = 80% of gross income.

Av salary in ireland is 45k.

35.5k take home without optional deductions = 78.9% of gross income.

The cost of everything in ireland is much higher than the UK, further compounding the difference in take home pay value.

Basically, your money goes a lot further in the UK & you get to keep more of it.

There are also no fees for visting doctors or bank account charges etc.

Everything from grocery costs, energy bills to Sky TV and the price of a pint is significantly cheaper in the UK.

Why do you think everyone scarpers up north to do their shopping if they live anywhere near the border.

And once you move past the average earnings, the disparity becomes even greater.

Tbh, I live near the border and I find not that much difference between the North and South for grocery shopping, especially like for like in a chain like Aldi. It wouldn't be worth your while in time and petrol to go across on a weekly basis.

If you are buying a lot of booze or stuff in the chemist, it would be worth it then.

I live in Liverpool which has plenty of areas that are really poverty stricken, not to mention filthy. Most things about Ireland I find better than here.

However, one thing that really lets your country down is its 'streetscape'. Street lighting seems archaic over there in many areas and needs updating. If you've travelled along Chapelizod Road in Dublin you may notice what I mean. It's not just there though, it seems everywhere.

Also, the endless wires and cables linking lampposts. Yuk! I looks awful. I know it's expensive to lay all this underground but it doesn't look great. I am clutching at straws here though, and I'd much rather live in Ireland than the ever declining UK.

Wonder how that leveling up thing is going, or the £250 million a day for the NHS.

Would be interesting to see poverty levels for deprived area from Maggie to Blairs time, and from then to now.

Management was bad because it was so top down and it eventually led directly to the collapse of British industry

This is only part of the story. The real reason for the collapse of British industry was the disappearance of their tied markets, i.e. the British Empire. Management didn't need to be great under those circumstances, as they had a huge overseas market who didn't have access to competing products. As long as they produced a product, they could sell it. I recall reading somewhere a few years back that cars sold on the Irish market were always of a lower spec. than the same car on the British market. I'd guess the Empire suffered the same way.

Now, the UK has left the EU and it's decline is continuing. I see this as similar to Irish decline in the 19th century after being subsumed into the UK. We continued to decline after independence (there may have been an element of punishment by the Brits there), and after leaving the EU, Blighty is now finding itself in much the same position; it is being punished, particularly as the EU doesn't want to see any other members leave the club.

Can be hard to get a consistent measure but that would seem to reflect a rise in poverty from 1979 to 1985. A big improvement under Blair, which stayed roughly about the same up 2014/15. It would seem to be on the rise since then, policy changes on Social welfare, cost of living crisis etc. Interesting bit on Maggie's time: