Right what do I blog about today?
Andrew Marr has a new TV series "Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain" which starts tonight at 9pm on BBC2. The show deals with British History since the war.
As part of this the BBC website has a poll where you can vote which of the decades you would prefer to live in 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's or 90's.
So far 30,000 people have voted. Unsurprisingly the 60's leads with 31% of the vote the 70's 80's and 90's all have 19.xx% of the vote and the 50's trails with just over 10%.
Now I understand the fascination with the 60's. The Beatles, the Stones and of course the sex and the drugs, but its not an era I respect. For all the excitement I think much of what is wrong with Britain can be traced back to the 60's. I really don't get the 70's and the 80's was just one long yearning for money.
Now it will come as no surprise to regular readers that if pushed I'd plump for the 50's. I appreciate that it was a grey time, a little boring perhaps but I yearn for simpler more ordered times. More respect for authority, more job security. I'd want to avoid National Service though! and my Dad tells me having money would help! (but then it was ever thus).
From a hobbies point of view the 50's wouldn't have been so bad. 1952 saw the publication of the first proper field guide for Birds by Richardson and Fitter and 1954 saw the publication of Roger Tory Peterson's classic guide. There was lots of classic Science Fiction being published with new and old works by Asimov, Clarke and Heinlein appearing in book form.
Ok there was little TV but I could live with that. Me a pair of bins a field guide and a good book. Sounds like now really!
What would I miss? To be honest I'd miss the internet, not being able to keep in touch would be a pain but all in all I could cope with slower times.
6 comments:
Didn't they still have rationing then? And knitted swimsuits. Yuk!
I'd prefer the 1920s. Particularly I would like to have been a very close friend of the Courtauld's. I think the flapper style would suit me. x
rationing would be a pain but not so bad in the country.
Yeah but what about all those Teddy Boys and D.A. haircuts!
Oh lol, I just had a thought though, you like teddies and ducks.... hehe
wouldnt you also miss your camera? Oh and how would you manage with out your mobile? Computers too!
Im all for a slower pace of life, but would miss the technology of modern times I must admit.
In one of the Antique Centres in York, they had 'can can' underskirts - 50s or 60s I think. They were pretty so I pointed them out to Mum, and she said when she got married (late 50s), it was the fashion to wear lots of these, and her honeymoon suitcase was stuffed full of them. You know - I would have liked that. Sounds fun. Maybe I was born at the wrong time. But again, maybe not...
Post a Comment