Conversely, Liverpool's best periods (70s/80s and modern day) have tended to come at a time when the country was at its lowest ebb. Coincidence? I think not.

😴 yet another milestone event in the America's. For a group andlabel that likes to think of itself as being inclusive, going back to the US in the current climate is a massive slap in the face.

They're often out fighting for a living, to support their parents and wider family. They don’t get life handed to them on a plate like Western women do.

China's HSR is strategic infrastructure - boosting connectivity, driving regional equality, and cutting emissions. Initial costs are justified by long-term economic and social dividends that pure profit metrics can't measure.

Only doing 'modest' upgrades locks us into outdated systems. HSR isn’t about legacy — it’s about long-term efficiency, climate goals, and equitable transit. If we’re serious about infrastructure, we need both incremental fixes and bold, future-focused investments.

China’s high-speed rail carries debt, yes — but it also delivers $100bn+ in annual benefits, 40,000km of track, faster travel, and lower emissions. The Beijing–Shanghai line runs a 50% margin.

What’s the ROI on Britain’s endless delays?

Britain isn’t short on talent, money, or ambition.

What we lack is political will — and the courage to change a system that now seems designed to say “no” to everything.

Then there’s China, the extreme example.

Authoritarian, yes. But its centralised system builds infrastructure faster than the West can do paperwork.

Bridges, tunnels, cities — done in years, not generations.

We don’t have to copy China, but we should take the hint.

Or look at France — another democracy.

The TGV network covers the country with high-speed trains. Their planning laws are streamlined, and public projects move fast.

The state sets direction — and delivers.

Compare us to Japan.

They launched the Shinkansen in the 1960s and still run it with seconds-level punctuality. New lines are built with precision, not protest.

They have clearer governance, a national sense of purpose, and far less tolerance for paralysis disguised as process.

Britain’s problem isn’t ambition — it’s delivery.

We dream big (HS2, new towns, green energy), but everything takes decades, costs triple, or gets cancelled. Why? Not lack of money or ideas — but a broken system.

not because people are inherently hateful, but because many feel ignored and gaslit when they point out changes that are obvious to anyone paying attention. We need honest, balanced conversations about these realities—not slogans, not shame.

It’s frustrating that raising these concerns often gets dismissed as ‘racist’ or ‘bigoted’. But look around—right-wing parties are gaining support across Europe,

especially when the scale and speed of migration have been unprecedented in recent decades. Countries like Japan, Poland, and Hungary have taken a very different approach to immigration, and they don’t appear to struggle with the same issues around street crime and social fragmentation.

That contrast really makes me reflect on how much we’ve normalised behaviours like 'don’t walk alone' or 'hide your phone' back home. I’m not saying immigration is the sole cause of these changes, but it seems naïve to claim it has zero impact on crime rates or social trust-