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Domesday Book 2010: Strip clubs soaring, libraries disappearing... the figures w

The changing face of Britain under Labour has been laid bare in a modern Domesday Book.
It shows how traditional pubs, post offices and libraries have gone by the wayside.
In their place bookmakers, nightclubs and supermarket chains have flourished.
Figures produced by the Government paint a striking picture of the way in which the country has changed since 1997.
They reveal a sharp decline in many of the traditional businesses and services which once sustained community life.
The Tories said the statistics show how Labour has failed to protect vital services on which millions rely.
The number of police stations has fallen by 160, the number of hospitals and clinics is down by 580, while the number of
schools has dropped by a staggering 2,380.
Other big fallers include post offices, with the number of branches down by 39 per cent, from 19,000 in 1997 to 11,500 today.
Almost 200 public libraries have been axed, while the number of traditional sports and social clubs has slumped by more than half, with 11,680 closing since 1997.
During the same period 3,460 traditional pubs have closed.
Businesses that have done well out of the Labour government include a number of less wholesome ones.
They include bookmakers, with branch numbers up by 39 per cent, from 3,270 to 4,540, and casinos, whose numbers have jumped by 27 per cent.
The first lapdancing clubs appeared in Britain in 1995 and there are thought to have been about 24 by 1997.
Now there are an estimated 300, their numbers boosted by a change in the licensing laws which made it far easier to gain planning permission.

1,150% increase in lapdancing clubs since 1997 to 2010
53% increase in drive-through restaurants
27% increase in casinos
-6% decrease in public libraries
-7% decrease in pubs
-8% decrease in police stations
-10% decrease in schools
-32% decrease in hospitals and clinics

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-…

6 comments

  • Dougster
    15 years ago
    It's all over in 2012 anyway. Might as well max out of your credit cards on strippers and partying while there is still time to have some fun!
  • deogol
    15 years ago
    The west is in decline but not for the reasons most champion. This is a good example of what is really happening.
  • MisterGuy
    15 years ago
    OMG...public toilets are down 23%, and "bingo halls" are down 29%!!

    Seriously though, this is an excellent example of how to try & mislead with statistics. With strip clubs, "betting shops", casinos, nightclubs, and "wine bars" up, someone has to be supporting these establishments with their hard-earned money.

    Public libraries are down, but who needs to go to a library when you've got access to the Internet? Pubs are down...so does that mean that people are drinking less, and if so, is this a good thing or not? Police stations are down...is this because crime levels are down? A lot of things like this (as well as schools, swimming pools, public toilets, hospitals & clinics, and post offices) have to do with amounts of public funding, and we all know what tends to happen to that when governments start running huge deficits. Who needs a post office when you have e-mail?

    Our version of "petrol stations" are down as well over here in both the USA & Canada.
  • steve229
    15 years ago
    I don't know about the other stuff, but a 1,150% increase in lap dance clubs? Somebody deserves a knighthood for that!
  • DoctorDarby
    15 years ago
    Note that in England, many things listed as "in decline" are run by the government, which also controls health care, education, and just about everything else. The increase in private enterprise--as represented by strip clubs and other similar recreational businesses--is not only a triumph for the redemptive power of the lapdance, but a tribute to good old fashioned free market supply and demand. God knows if the British government took over strip clubs and whore houses, those would be out of business as well.
  • Clubber
    15 years ago
    DD,

    And I'll bet that the one private "down", pubs, is overly government regulated. Another good way to shackle a business.
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