Birmingham Bankrupt

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Findlayhibby

Findlayhibby

Private Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2007
Why does the news not surprise me? On only my second visit to Brum we passed through areas which would make Pilton look positively celoubriouss.Then we went into the city centre and the contrast couldn't have been more obvious.Large buildings made of glass ;including a huge Public Library,huge walking precincts,massive water features,art instalments,tram works,approach roads,fancy bridges etc etc.You couldn't go there and not think 'how much did this set them back?'
Now I'm not saying major towns should be shoddy,and the public shouldn't have facilities but maybe it should have been toned down a wee bit?Sorry to see them in a mess,but just saying.
 
Well it’s taken long enough. It’s the elephant in the room. The entire UK is bankrupt and nobody has the cojones to admit it. The tories are filtering as much cash into their pockets and their friends because the penny is going to eventually drop with the blinkered electorate by which time all of the UKs financial assets will be in offshore accounts leaving the other 95% of the population resorting to cannibalism
 
moathibby said:
Why does the news not surprise me? On only my second visit to Brum we passed through areas which would make Pilton look positively celoubriouss.Then we went into the city centre and the contrast couldn't have been more obvious.Large buildings made of glass ;including a huge Public Library,huge walking precincts,massive water features,art instalments,tram works,approach roads,fancy bridges etc etc.You couldn't go there and not think 'how much did this set them back?'
Now I'm not saying major towns should be shoddy,and the public shouldn't have facilities but maybe it should have been toned down a wee bit?Sorry to see them in a mess,but just saying.
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They blew their money on Commonwealth Games Athletes accommodation, not one athlete stayed there during the Empires games, the facilities wurnae ready. £500 million I read. Rule Britannia vanity projects are us.
 
heard on the radio in the car earlier, its to do with equality back payments. I worked in Insurance in the 90s. Easily as many women* as men* in positions of authority, and throughout this century in my area of the Health Service it has been very much equal. Its also never made much sense.... I I was a boss and I was paying females* less, why wouldnt I just makemy workforce all female*?

*other sexual classifications are now available.
 
Did occur to me ,we might have been the straw that broke the camel's back.When I can think of a legitamate reason why I'll say.Maybe it was policing?
 
Whole country is fucked imo. Birmingham is a shit hole, but it's no just them. How long till other cities go tits up because of the tories? All the wealthy fukers lining their own pocket. Aberdeen no even going to investigate some crimes... Really! Fucks going on bouncers? It's a disgrace 😡
 
Beagle said:
Well it’s taken long enough. It’s the elephant in the room. The entire UK is bankrupt and nobody has the cojones to admit it. The tories are filtering as much cash into their pockets and their friends because the penny is going to eventually drop with the blinkered electorate by which time all of the UKs financial assets will be in offshore accounts leaving the other 95% of the population resorting to cannibalism
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Not defending the government but its also worth pointing out that Labour run Birmjnhham with 65 councillors to Tories 22
 
@moathibby I agree on the public buildings. I thought them a total mess , like a bunch of architects had been set loose to play without any thought of how it all gels together into a cityscape. A jumble of styles that don't really cohere into a whole imo.

But I don't think they are particularly new so I doubt are the immediate cause of Brums bankruptcy. I attribute that, as you would expect, the the continuing collapse of the western model.
 
But i thought GB was one of the richest “countries” in the world.., yet Englands 2nd biggest city is bankrupt..
They tories eh, they sure know how to fill the richest peoples pockets, sorry i meant run the country 🫣
 
Vanity projects by all parties are a major issue in public spending,
Birmingham hosting the Commonwealth Games instead of looking after the basics for their citizens
We have seen it in Edinburgh on a massive scale with the unnecessary trams project when the buses already did the same job
and nationally, we saw a fortune spent on the Scottish Parliament when a conventional and more functional building could have been built for a fraction of the price and a fraction of the maintenance costs.
 
Jack K said:
Vanity projects by all parties are a major issue in public spending,
Birmingham hosting the Commonwealth Games instead of looking after the basics for their citizens
We have seen it in Edinburgh on a massive scale with the unnecessary trams project when the buses already did the same job
and nationally, we saw a fortune spent on the Scottish Parliament when a conventional and more functional building could have been built for a fraction of the price and a fraction of the maintenance costs.
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The Scottish Parliament wasn't the council's doing.
 
Jack K said:
Vanity projects by all parties are a major issue in public spending,
Birmingham hosting the Commonwealth Games instead of looking after the basics for their citizens
We have seen it in Edinburgh on a massive scale with the unnecessary trams project when the buses already did the same job
and nationally, we saw a fortune spent on the Scottish Parliament when a conventional and more functional building could have been built for a fraction of the price and a fraction of the maintenance costs.
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The cost of the parliament rocketed when the security features were put in then ramped up with the increased terrorism threat which happened during the building of it.

A mundane structure for our iconic national parliament building would have been subject to the same costs.
 
egb_hibs said:
@moathibby I agree on the public buildings. I thought them a total mess , like a bunch of architects had been set loose to play without any thought of how it all gels together into a cityscape. A jumble of styles that don't really cohere into a whole imo.

But I don't think they are particularly new so I doubt are the immediate cause of Brums bankruptcy. I attribute that, as you would expect, the the continuing collapse of the western model.
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The massive public library smacked of newness.
 
Jack said:
The cost of the parliament rocketed when the security features were put in then ramped up with the increased terrorism threat which happened during the building of it.

A mundane structure for our iconic national parliament building would have been subject to the same costs.
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But overall still much cheaper!
 
Wishbone said:
But overall still much cheaper!
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I'll go for iconic buildings in Edinburgh every time. The glass and faux stone lego buildings that are filling the city are boring as. The dullard architects are only surpassed by the stale council planners.
 
Jack said:
The cost of the parliament rocketed when the security features were put in then ramped up with the increased terrorism threat which happened during the building of it.

A mundane structure for our iconic national parliament building would have been subject to the same costs.
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Just out of interest what terrorism threat do you think Holyrood may have faced?
 
Don't you think that citizens in our nation need protection as well?

Because SOMETIMES it looks like politicians think they are more important than they really are.

In the event of a nuclear catastrophe I'd rather have someone skilled by my side than one of the unholy trinity of politician/lawyer/estate agent.
 
Tollcross used to be a lovely area for wee cafes and quaint shop plus Goldbergs wherever bought all my Xmas pressies. Now a horrible soulless place same as lothian Road and the western approach road. Its everywhere though. Only Italy seems like it used to be. Paris is soulless to me now. If your worship at the altar of greed you lose everything IMHO.
 
mickeyjp said:
Tollcross used to be a lovely area for wee cafes and quaint shop plus Goldbergs wherever bought all my Xmas pressies. Now a horrible soulless place same as lothian Road and the western approach road. Its everywhere though. Only Italy seems like it used to be. Paris is soulless to me now. If your worship at the altar of greed you lose everything IMHO.
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Used to guzzle up Tollcross.

The Barley Bree and Tipplers were our chosen places.

We started up the Whelehan bus with Tollcross lads after a meeting in a boozer in Falkirk after a game.

Met in the Four in Hand the next week and boabs yir dug.

We had a Whelehan reunion a few years back to Falkirk. Around 25 of us met up. Lads from London and Salford.

Great day out
 
EH17 Jimmy said:
Used to guzzle up Tollcross.

The Barley Bree and Tipplers were our chosen places.

We started up the Whelehan bus with Tollcross lads after a meeting in a boozer in Falkirk after a game.

Met in the Four in Hand the next week and boabs yir dug.

We had a Whelehan reunion a few years back to Falkirk. Around 25 of us met up. Lads from London and Salford.

Great day out
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I went to Liege on the Whelehan bus… great guys, but fuck, never ever again I’ll get a bus to a European game 🙈🤣🤣🤣 down to dover was just a mass party, over on the ferry it continued… coming back 😮🙈
 
Hattie said:
I went to Liege on the Whelehan bus… great guys, but fuck, never ever again I’ll get a bus to a European game 🙈🤣🤣🤣 down to dover was just a mass party, over on the ferry it continued… coming back 😮🙈
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🤣🤣🤣 I was living in London at the time so missed the 'fun'
 
Jack said:
I'll go for iconic buildings in Edinburgh every time. The glass and faux stone lego buildings that are filling the city are boring as. The dullard architects are only surpassed by the stale council planners.
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Jack, a cheaper building wouldn't have to be mundane. A build which blended or surpassed the style of the best of the preserved architecture of the capital was well within the scope of Scottish architects. A colossal amount of money produced a building which still needs constant repair. I worked there for it's first 10 years of use and there were contractors in for repairs every day of that 10 years!. When I left in 2013 the yearly maintenance costs were over £1.5m. My ex colleagues tell me nothing much has changed in the following 10 years or so. Just like the trams it's the incompetence of those who oversee these projects that produce fiascos.

I actually like the building but can't believe the cost overrun and the majority of visitors say much the same. Unfortunately it would probably cost as much to demolish it as it did to build it because of it's concrete bunker style construction.

I'm all for iconic statements (like the Sydney Opera House for example) but they have to be cost effective as they are paid for on our behalf.
 
Wishbone said:
Jack, a cheaper building wouldn't have to be mundane. A build which blended or surpassed the style of the best of the preserved architecture of the capital was well within the scope of Scottish architects. A colossal amount of money produced a building which still needs constant repair. I worked there for it's first 10 years of use and there were contractors in for repairs every day of that 10 years!. When I left in 2013 the yearly maintenance costs were over £1.5m. My ex colleagues tell me nothing much has changed in the following 10 years or so. Just like the trams it's the incompetence of those who oversee these projects that produce fiascos.

I actually like the building but can't believe the cost overrun and the majority of visitors say much the same. Unfortunately it would probably cost as much to demolish it as it did to build it because of it's concrete bunker style construction.

I'm all for iconic statements (like the Sydney Opera House for example) but they have to be cost effective as they are paid for on our behalf.
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Good and informative post.

I think the thing is an eyesore and a bit nonsensical - isn't it based on Spanish fishing boats or something? Why is that the basis for the office of the scottish government ?

Looks old fashioned (as many self consciously modernist buildings do ten minutes after they are complete) and tatty. Those things on the side always remind me of scalectrix controllers an aw.

It evokes pygmy thinking. You can imagine the steering committee; we need to look modern, we need to look European, we need to look dynamic, we need to not look like Westminster. Blah blah blah.

Sydney Opera House is good counter example; a government building imho should be classic as it should be there for centuries, and not end up the flared jeans of buildings. But if modern is the direction taken, Sydney is how to do it.
 
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