Last time I was in Middlesbrough, I was saddened to find that it looked like an industrial waste-land.
Just for a bit of balance, take a look at
this.
In my travels around England, it seems to me that half the country is being
rejuvenated. Bad though some of the development is (in my opinion, that is), I reckon that it's still better than being left
derelict! For instance, has anyone else wandered around
Gloucester Docks recently, or seen the transformation at the site of the old coal-fired
power station at
Portishead (near Bristol)?
England has a great and glorious past, no doubt about it. But at least you can breathe the air these days. Yes, there is always hope for the future!

Hard lives make for hard people.
... indeed. And perhaps we're getting a bit
soft in our new-found affluence (opulence)?