What do you miss most about life in the UK 10–15 years ago?

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ME-McG-Scot@reddit

Everything was cheaper, it was in general a less sensitive, less hate, less pugnacious time.

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Remote-Pool7787@reddit

London was an absolutely magical place 15 years ago

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Lol just be glad you got to do all that in your late teens / early 20s. I’m 26 and it was already a struggle seeing friends all the time and going out was already pretty non-existent - and then covid happened. There’s not been a single month of my adult life where I haven’t been debilitatingly stressed about my financial situation or future opportunities.

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Ok-Veterinarian-5381@reddit

Brother, nostalgia is a disease. The country has been in decline for our entire lifetime (also in my 30's). This country has always been a fairly crap place to be, particularly if you're young and/or poor (source: me)

the stuff about friends is just getting older, everything else is our society going down the shitter with the majority of our contemporaries' stupidity and spinelessness speeding up the process.

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justmoochin@reddit

Just paying less to have a good time.

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Beatrixx25@reddit

This was my first thought. Being able to afford to have a social life and do things.

Now I have to be very selective with what I decide to do because I know that will be my last day or night out in a long time.

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smedsterwho@reddit

It's this. I moved back to the UK after 15 years away.

Pubs are dead, nights out are expensive. Restaurants (outside cities) are filled with 75 year olds being served by 20 year old minimum wage staff.

There's like a 30 year lost generation of people being able to enjoy being in their community.

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gregd303@reddit

Interesting. I'm 11 years out, i think about coming back, but when I read things like this it has me questioning

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ParfaitCareful8518@reddit

It's not that bad. I'm happy I moved back (so far). It's been 6 months. Depends where you'd be moving back from.

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There is a lively Mexican restaurant/ bar in my town. Its always busy on a friday and saturday night. But when you actually look inside, you notice that all the customers are over 50 years old. You never see any younger people in there because we cant afford it.

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tadanari19@reddit

I don't know but I can't help but feel this isn't true (By which I mean in general, not at this particular restaurant). I was in a lively local Mexican restaurant literally 5/6 hours ago that was wasn't expensive, but wasn't cheaper either, and there was a significant range of ages. Most about 30-40 I'd say, and that's pretty typical in my experience.

So admittedly I'm 40ish but I went to a restaurant in West London last night. No booking so I sat at the bar. The people to my left were maybe 10 years younger than me and had been doing a pub crawl

Back in 2012-2013 my town was absolutely jumping. It was as good a night out as anywhere else.

Fastforward to around 2023 onwards. Even Good Friday night is dead.

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AubergineParm@reddit

Minimum wage is “competitive pay” now it seems. My pay hasn’t risen with inflation since 2011. It started off very good, especially as entry level. But now with 16 years experience and two degrees on top, I barely scratch minimum wage. Sometimes even drops below it.

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TheUnSungHero7790@reddit

Most restaurants, specifically chained ones have gone completely down hill.

Enshitification has well and truely set in, the quality of the food and service is in death spiral but the pride sky rocketed.

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I remember being a student in the late 2000s and was able to do very nicely at Tesco for £30 a week. Sometimes I'd splurge and spend £40.

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Bossman_Mike@reddit

My dad was a student in the 1970s in a city which has always been a bit on the expensive side, but even he was able to have 4 pints, fish and chips then a taxi home - on just £5.

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audigex@reddit

I teach secondary history and sometimes speak to the sixth formers about what it was like being at school in the 2000s

I feel like you should probably be a *bit* more ambitious with your curriculum than that

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history_teach_cycle@reddit

Haha don't worry its not the only thing I do. It's an easy example when im talking about what inflation means in real terms for them though

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eayst@reddit

It's amazing how reddit gives us a view into other's lives. No one I knew at school was going on a "night out". I wouldn't have even tried to go into a pub or club underage, I would have expected to get into deep trouble.

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Marsmanic@reddit

I was the same as you.

But my brother and sister (both older) would do the fake ID thing.

I think it just became much stricter and enforced during my teenage years.

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Makemeup-beforeUgogo@reddit

Totally agree - paying less money for everything! I actually prefer planning things becoming a thing now as I’m more of an introvert. My other half is the opposite though, he misses unplanned meetings too

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grae3333@reddit

What an answer to be fair 👏. Nailed it in one

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BlueLinnet@reddit

Or not paying anything to have a good time.

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Nevernonethewiser@reddit

You haven't given a single issue about the UK as a whole, you've just expressed the same nostalgia for your younger years of carefree fun that literally everyone experiences.

What about the UK 10 or 1t years ago do you prefer to now?

That's not what bigotry is.

It seems like you just don't like their policies. What are they going to make worse? For whom?

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SeriouslyGetOverIt@reddit

Their manifesto was essentially a list of things that increase inflation.

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Nevernonethewiser@reddit

Ok, fair enough.

I think the issue was that 15 years ago it was just far right bigotry.

I'm a lot older then most here. I know for sure phones out for a concert was a thing long before 10 years ago. Nevermind 15 or 20 years. Heck, even my daughter is younger of this and is was a thing when I was a lot younger

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glasgowgeg@reddit

I know for sure phones out for a concert was a thing long before 10 years ago.

Why reply to SautedMorsel saying the things in their comment still happened 10 years ago when you know they didn't?

xxPlsNoBullyxx@reddit

I got the point, yes.

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muse_head@reddit

I remember pretty much everyone having a camera phone by 2005... I had a Sony Ericsson K750 which was a lot cheaper than smartphones are now. The photos were not great, but not terrible.

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Loud-Refrigerator675@reddit

Why did people take digital cameras out on nights out then?

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Ragnarokoz@reddit

It's true that cameras were around 20 years ago but 10 years ago people were still completely letting go at a gig or on a dancefloor on the weekend because it wasn't common and effectively accepted to film it and post online. It happened, but it was the exception.

Of course there are still places where the person filming randomers would be the odd one out and perhaps called out but it feels to me at least that is slipping into the minority resulting in a much more reserved experience that doesn't touch what came before.

Social media hadn't taken off?

Feels like we’ve quietly lost monoculture in the UK, and it’s not even that long ago.

10 to 15 years ago it still felt normal. Saturday night TV was a proper shared thing. X Factor and the soaps, big storylines. You’d go into school or work and everyone had seen the same thing the night before.

Same with music. Radio 1, the charts, TV appearances, they pushed the same songs to everyone so when someone blew up, they were everywhere. Streaming took over, platforms like and changed how people find stuff, and now everything’s more personalised.

Two people can both be into TV or music and have basically no overlap. We still get big moments now and then, but nowhere near the same “everyone in the country is watching this” feeling.

xxPlsNoBullyxx@reddit

I do this to listen to voice notes when I don't have my ear buds. Only when I'm outside though. Wouldn't do this on public transport.

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MattSR30@reddit

You can hold the phone next to your ear like a normal phone call; voice notes will play that way as well.

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xxPlsNoBullyxx@reddit

......oh ffs. Is this my first senior moment? Am I old and out of touch? Thanks for letting me know 😅

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snapchat died of for me in high school. no long term relationship to speak of

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jimmybiggles@reddit

snapchat didn't die off at all, certainly not to vine..?

No Snapchat

Snapchat launched 14 years ago, and was very much a thing within the time period OP asks about.

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MerlinOfRed@reddit

I think people having their phone one loudspeaker is less of a change in behaviour thing and more of a merging of what was 15 years ago was two separate behaviours.

A phone call and skyping someone used to be two conceptually very different things. A Skype call would be more planned in advance and would use your normal computer speaker (or headphones). It was also generally more social. A phonecall was essentially exactly what people used to do on a landline phone, except we used our mobiles to do it.

Yes, I worked at the centre of it all in Brussels in the late 90s when we were all preparing for EU enlargement. It was such an optimistic and fabulous time. I would love for young British people (and indeed old people) to have similar experiences and opportunities now.

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SeoulGalmegi@reddit

Fair enough.

I was in my 20s/30s during the peak of EU membership and freedom of movement and know very few Brits my age who actually took advantage of it.

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It's one of those things people liked the idea of more than actually used.

By and large Brits did not use FoM while we had it. The stats bear that out.

But now everyone makes out they were definitely going to go live in France and learn French if it wasn't for the pesky Brexiters..

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CaveteCanem@reddit

You still can..

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Dalbrack@reddit

Not automatically

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CaveteCanem@reddit

If you have to skills they want, what's the problem?

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superioso@reddit

Want to go and work in a bar during the summer in Spain, not if you've only got a British passport.

Want to move to study in Germany and get a job whilst your there/after you've finished? Nope.

No working in ski resorts during winter either.

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CaveteCanem@reddit

If the demand is there, then they'll hire internationally. Or you could just get the relevant visa...like the rest of the world

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I moved to France in 2003 for a year; I'm still here...

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Dalbrack@reddit

Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Cyprus, Spain

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DEADB33F@reddit

Nice. I always wanted to do more but never got around to it.

...Come to think of it I did spend a month in Ireland but only ever worked cash in hand. I guess I could still do that (if I was still in my 20s and didn't give a fuck).

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kuteguy@reddit

UK is an ABSOLUTE HOT MESS and I am sorry to say it is not going to recover, ever. I came to UK about 20 yrs ago and it was a flourishing country. London was just a sweet place of possibilities and melting pot of people wanting to stay here, to make life here, and people were excited about life.

Now its a country/city crumbling. People are here mostly because they don't have a choice. The people that are arriving are not the best fit for lifting up the country. The people the country needs the most are either not coming here anymore or are leaving in droves.

London doesn't have much of a lifestyle to boast about besides the nightlife and restaurants, perhaps some arts and craft and history and museums. Nightlife and restaurants are dead. Prices are through the roof - venues think they can make up for lack of patrons by charging more and all its doing is stopping people from wanting to go out. Everything is shutting down.

There's just no life in the place - day or night.

I live across 3-4 countries in any given year, and the only thing that keeps me here are my lifelong friends and the investments I have made here that I can't easily uproot, but not impossible. The other countries I visit or live in, the people are excited about the future. The weather is great. Lifestyly is awesome.

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Intelligent_Boot6023@reddit

Yeh you make a point, but the UK is a dire place to live compared to 15-25 years ago. I should know, I left and moved to the USA. It's gut wrenching seeing how the country has deteriorated whenever I have to return. My life is great today (because I live in Texas), never been happier. The UK feels strange to me these days, like it's a nightmare version of what was once happy. There's a reason huge numbers of people are leaving.

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RealRelative9835@reddit

I've left and come back (from Spain), what do you think is significantly worse and particularly what do you like more in US?

I think in the UK, the issue is that a large chunk of population is relying on government to get them through the day. Too much money is going towards benefits, social housing, often by people who have not earned that right.

I was out of the country myself for a while working elsewhere in Europe and found that systems outside of UK are much better at distributing government funds fairly. I am still shocked to find that if something went horribly south for me here in the UK, the amount of support I would get from the government here would be not dissimilar to someone who has been free-loading/largely unemployed for most of their life, regardless of how much tax I paid. Hence, I know so many people in the UK who have been fully reliant on government and don't feel like coming off the dole anytime soon. Nothing motivates me more for work than knowing I'm about to lose 50% to tax which goes to support these...lol.

That being said, I was also in N.Y. not long ago and I'm not sure wth they're doing there but I have not seen a place so run down. I saw people walking around with obvious untreated wounds/ailments, filthy public transport, literally nutjobs screaming top of voice middle of street. Accidentally ended up going to the Bronx too. No comment on that one. Not really sure what is the main difference between N.Y. and Texas but I thought Texas was the way forward.

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Intelligent_Boot6023@reddit

I agree with you, it's plainly shocking to me how welfare is a career path in the UK, and now you are in a cycle where because so many are completely dependent on it, even generationally so, it becomes impossible to break the country out of it. You need to get rid of the welfare state in order to cut taxes in order to grow, it's as simple as that. Instead the crushing tax burden falls on fewer productive people every year which then requires more welfare and more taxation. Meanwhile the wealthy, the entrepreneurs, the businesses just leave.

Seeing people who are not citizens somehow getting social housing, welfare for their non-British children is insane. It's wrong and we all know its broken.

Welfare should be temporary, not permanent. Otherwise it becomes a societal cancer. Also why is the UK importing so many people from the third world when there's no jobs and AI is going to take even more?

I make over $300k and my effective tax rate after deductions is less than 20%... I couldn't bring myself to fork over half of my money to the government, it's evil and morally wrong.

Yeh the blue states like NY are basically doing what Europe is doing and are failing with high taxes, high welfare, huge budget deficits, high regulation. Look at the internal migration in the US, California and NY are having major population declines as everyone moves to the red states like Texas, Florida, Tennessee etc and the existing tax base in the blue states gets smaller and smaller.

Come to Texas, it's a different world to NY which I dislike.

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Slow_Plan_7035@reddit

Aha as you were responding I was making the point in my head how hard it is to move the country away from this model because so much of the country is already dependant on benefits so they're very unlikely to support these reforms, even though logically the more people become dependants vs workers, the smaller that purse gets. And yes they keep eroding the incentives behind why people would want to work hard and are surprised that not as many people now do. Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly one of those people who are on the far of the other side where I think businesses should be allowed to skip on paying tax massively or there should be 0 social net available regardless of circumstance, I just feel like there is probably a good balance that can be found and hasn't been at all in the UK. My marginal here is 71% so yh I don't plan to stick around very long.

Any downsides to TX? Like the whole guns, abortions thing makes me a little uncomfortable but idk if realistically would be an issue at all.

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Intelligent_Boot6023@reddit

Also 71% marginal tax rate is absolutely insane. That's USSR levels of bad. What's the fucking point? The state isn't some organism we should be feeding, it's meant to support people, not rob them. So glad I left. I know others who have to, smart, educated, hard working people. Something tells me a collapse is incoming as you import the third world whilst your best and brightest leave for the US, Australia, Dubai, Singapore etc.

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Slow_Plan_7035@reddit

yup crazy. My grandmother is from an ex-Soviet state and she speaks lots on how things used to be, where everyone was poor and the person who worked 10h got as much as someone who worked 4h. Thing is, at least, in the USSR you could shame people into picking up the slack sometimes, not something that is possible in modern antisocial and disconnected society.

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Slow_Plan_7035@reddit

How is wlb there though? And Medicare? I’m guessing good enough as it seems like it was worth it overall?

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Sudden_Standard_748@reddit

Not really the UK is undergoing a sizemic change. Just consider one issue, immigration, for example. Pre-1950, 99.9% of Britain was white and had been for the last thousand years. By 2050, 50% will be. That's a massive change in a single lifetime compared to all the centuries before it.

Things were shit, differently. This country’s been leaving people behind since before I was born, and I am old enough to be culturally irrelevant.

I’m going to say I miss not knowing what 40 degrees celcius feels like in London.

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HotFlatus69@reddit

Certainly there is a lot of truth there, which is reflected by data. Personally, my life is better. I earn more, have a family, but most saliently give less of a shit about things.

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MaiLittlePwny@reddit

Nah. I wasn't ridiculously young 15 years ago.

I miss the optimism. Things were slowly trudging towards being better in pretty much all areas. Times were a bit more innovative.

Now I'm acutely aware that companies/experiences/retail/everything wants to pull the maximum amount of money from me for the minimum viable service, and while we've always had that - they've been whittling the stick at both ends for longer now.

It's not anything in particular, I just think Covid massively increased the pace at which some things have gotten a bit worse, and that some of the downward spirals have continued.

15 years ago, a 14 year spiral of austerity hadn't happened also. Public services have continued to burn to the ground on national TV.

None of that is tied to nostalgia or my "youth". They've gotten objectively worse.

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Tiny_Health_7130@reddit

I’m Gen X and feel like I got through the trap door before it slammed shut and the ladder pulled up behind. Free university education and some maintenance grant too; bought a house at 3 times salary - first house in London in 2001 - 99k.
I really feel for young folks coming through now - thousands in debt and house prices 7-10 times salary and that’s here in north west where things are a bit cheaper anyway

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Ordinary_Tank_5622@reddit

Life was better for lesbians. Now it’s just grim. Nowhere to meet up and dating apps are just full of men.

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RealRelative9835@reddit

I'm pretty sure what you describe is just getting older. I've heard thought that myself and heard similar in the past from people up to my grandparents' generation.

Tachanka-Mayne@reddit

Roads that are less busy too. Get stuck behind someone or in traffic on every single journey these days.

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Intelligent_Boot6023@reddit

Going back to the UK after living in Texas, makes the UK more akin to South Africa than a first world country. It's fucking atrocious the state of infrastructure.

SYSTEM-J@reddit

I mean, people were definitely saying the country was complete shit 15 years ago. We were balls deep in the austerity era, economy only just beginning to get back on its feet after the recession. I think on this exact date 15 years ago I had just started a minimum wage job working nights after being unemployed for almost two years, and I was glad to have that dogshit job.

So I'm going to have to go with rose-tinted glasses. Obviously there are certain things that have got worse since the early 2010s, but it certainly wasn't some halcyon era in history.

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inevitablelizard@reddit

We were still further up the slope of decline though. At the time it felt shit, and it was, but things have only got worse.

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huwareyou@reddit

How much more American people sound now.

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MidnightRambler87@reddit

Ah yes, the inflection at the end of every sentence grates.

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inevitablelizard@reddit

The upward inflection? At the end of every sentence?

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jdsuperman@reddit

I miss how people not sounding so American.

Not everyone's English is as good as yours

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huwareyou@reddit

No, that’s not what I mean. It’s not about anyone’s command of English, it is accents and cadences weakening in favour of American ones.

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blondererer@reddit

I feel that the UK has become more insular and openly divided with regard to politics/religion etc.

The media has become more brazen, social media has had an impact. Yes, I understand social media had been around for a while at that point, but it wasn’t as toxic. Some of this possibly came with older people/the masses accessing it, rather than teens.

So far, Millennials/Gen Z hasn’t had a boom period, unlike other generations too. This has probably impacted positivity.

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inevitablelizard@reddit

I first started paying attention to politics back in the early 2010s as a teenager and newspapers were still fairly widely read. I was that weird teenager that would buy the Times, or the Telegraph, or the Independent, or maybe the Guardian, depending what was reported on. Felt like things completely changed with social media dominance.

When an entire generation has voted to essentially gut the Welfare state, to kick us out the EU, and to make life good for them but worse for everyone that comes after...

Then to have the galls to blame current issues on brown people 💩🇬🇧💩 to say the least

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Professional-Bear857@reddit

Yup social media being used more widely combined with economic stagnation has proved to be a very toxic combination.

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slowjoggz@reddit

People being more engaged and not sat on their phones at every given opportunity.

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AubergineParm@reddit

I feel like kids had more brain cells then. Now all they do is doomscroll TikTok and shout 6-7

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Fearless_Joke_5256@reddit

I'm nearly 38. My son who is around 6 started saying it randomly. I didnt have a clue. I asked my younger brother one day when I was at my parents' and my son said it again. And then my brother explained.

Kinda sad how things become viral.

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Oh the 90's were great

whisper whisper whisper

sf-keto@reddit

While the GDP looks larger now than 15 years ago, inflation, geopolitics & economic problems have reduced the quality of life & ability of most people to stay on an even keel.

So that GDP increase is essentially consumed by all these events, leaving people practically poorer in daily life today.

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This is a you change, not a UK change. I’m a single gay man in my 40s and I go out with my friends as regularly as I did 10 years ago.

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VariousClassroom8056@reddit

TBF I don't miss anything. In the last fifteen years I've got married to a wonderful woman and had a child I love immensely. Not everyone wants that which is absolutely fine but I feel very fortunate to have something a lot of people do want but are never able to have.

My physical and mental health is a lot better now too, especially over the last few years.

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ajsexton@reddit

15 years I got married and we've had kids since too. Wouldn't swap them for anything but I do miss being able to just go and do things when I/we want to do them without excessive plans required 🤣

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I'm 34 and left the UK about 8 years ago to move to the US (wife is Texan). I dread returning to the UK, it's absolutely gut wrenching how bad it's gotten. Last time I went back I was in the car with my dad and was pointing out the state of everything - this was a quiet nice place in Scotland. He asked me to stop because it was making him sad, I think British people have been frog in the boiling pot. You don't realize how bad it's gotten because it's been one steady thing after another. When you see half a decade of change at once it's shocking. The quality of living and income disparity with the USA is absolutely insane, you look to me today how I used to look at poor former soviet countries in the 2000's.

I'm going to hold on to my childhood memories, because they were happy, the place I grew up in was wonderful, the people I grew up with were great.

I could go into detail but Reddit bans you if you dare talk about the real problems.

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Valherudragonlords@reddit

Seeing friends without having to plan weeks ahead hits close to home. Just this Friday I was hot by a real sadness I couldn't just message someone to hang out and do nothing. I do have friends, and I don't have plans with them over the next few months, but its not the same

2 things.

A song that takes me back is lost in stereo by all time low as its what got them known here.

Then the other thing i miss is doctor who being known for actually being a decent show.

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itslioneltribbey@reddit

I agree with a lot of the top comments but just to add another:

People more watching TV to the published schedule.

I don’t have loads in common with some friends or family after time apart - but all of us somewhat in sync to a popular show just kept you all a bit more connected with a shared topic.

peak of being in a relationship. just finished my MSc, just got a job, after being skint for a long time. life was starting to feel like it had a point after struggling for so long.

Iamleeboy@reddit

I was 32 inch all my adult life. Then when we had our first kid I no longer fit in any of my jeans and had to go up to 34.

That was 10 years ago, so this tracks for me.

It's not only night out prices which is shite thing. It's a culture shift.

I honestly hate to be that guy but immigrants have played a huge part. I have a lot of friends who are scared to go for a night out due to the gangs of African and middle eastern guys who are basically waiting for them to be drunk to try and take advantage in city centres all across the country.

The government seems to be actively fucking over everyone they can, at every opportunity.

People can't afford houses, mortgages have become un-attainable unless someone dies plus you have savings and a good job.

Guylian Seashells being 4 packs for £10

They cost £7.50 each now.

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itsaride@reddit

New Peep Show episodes.

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Striking-Speaker2609@reddit

I miss the high street! Going out with friends in a Saturday shopping having food, where the restaurants weren’t all chains. And going on a night out, our town had about 20 really good bars and clubs, I left and moved out and when I came back to visit family a couple of years later everything had closed down. Also the need to record every damn thing .. these faux influencers rile me, just live your lives without posting what you are doing.

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reverandglass@reddit

15 years ago: Xbox 360, DVDs, the cost of things.
10 years ago: Still having hope that voting to leave Europe would actually change something, still young enough to recover from injuries, the cost of things. But also, 2016 was a really bad year, so we thought, which killed a weirdly large number of celebrities.

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AffectionatePop05@reddit

Europeans.

I live in a part of London that was a hub for young EU citizens who'd moved over to work. The place was vibrant with folk from all over Europe.

trtzbass@reddit

I’m European and moved to the Uk in 2008 and I’ve seen it change so much. When I moved here I remember thinking: “here’s what I really like about British culture- you can politely disagree with other people and still be civil about it and be friends with them regardless.”

Needless to say, things are much different now, eaten by the cancer that’s social media, propaganda and the weird idolatry of dubious people.

For what it’s worth, I came to Britain without knowing much about it, I’ve experienced it and saw how sadly things changed for the worse. I miss the way it was.

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-Xserco-@reddit

Being in the EU, optimistic about my future career and being able to explore the world when I am older.
Optimistic about Scotlands independent future with the EU.
The illusion that the people in charge had my best interest.
The illusion that adults both knew what was happening and cared about humanity succeeding (people absolutely do no care about anyone other than themselves).
Believing that the world was fair and not at all rigged to the highest degree.
Parks.
People being environmentally concerned.
Theft being lower.
People were more connected through forums and smaller rooms online... which leads to my next point
TikTok didnt exist. I was worried about the rot of Snapchat. Boy, my fears were right. But like, 10X worse.
Video game development was way way wayyyy better. Peaked. By a landslide. Everything felt unique even if it wasnt for me.
The dying, but at least existent Socialism aspects of life. Aka. Welfare state and NHS.

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Derfel60@reddit

I miss just being able to rock up to my mates house without so much as a text message, walk up to his shed and hang out with the entire friend group who were already there. Now if i want to see anyone i have to plan it 6 months in advance and not everyone can ever make anything all together theres always at least 2 people missing.

I miss not giving a shit about anything, doing stupid shit and going on adventures. Breaking into places to smoke weed, burning my mates parcel shelf for a laugh, walking the county late at night to get to a house party only to bump into someone and go on a side quest with them for 3 hours. Now everyones worried about prison and their jobs and their driving licenses.

I know thats just being young and stupid but i miss being young and stupid. If the old me could see me now, investing in pensions and pottering around the garden, hed be ashamed.

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bahumat42@reddit

So part of what you are experiencing is age.

That always just sort of happened.

But you are also not wrong that it's worse than it used to be.

As for what I miss. Hope.

I miss Harry Hills TV burp !!!

I miss everyone having the same TV channels and it being a point of cultural reference . You could go into school the next day and talk about a show and be sure that someone else had seen it.

Nationally, before social media culture war bollocks became so dominant.

Proper nightlife in town, wasn't too long ago bank holiday Sunday night would be an hour queue to get into local club, can just walk straight in now it's so dead

Social media not being about portraying a fake life.

Football was so much better too, completely ruined by VAR now.

Cheaper travel and destinations not being rammed out no matter what time of year

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5minute_daft@reddit

Not specific to the UK but there were less streaming options which i think is actually better. There is so much choice now that it takes ages to find something to watch.

But the UK does feel different too, mostly because everything’s more expensive and a bit more tense than it used to be. Nights out and just “winging it” don’t feel as easy now.

Well, my kid was born ten years ago this summer, so that was a bit of a watershed moment for me personally tbh. Like, everything about my life changed at that moment, and then one year later I was getting divorced and it all changed even more. I guess life was easier before in some ways, but I wouldn't go back if I had the chance.

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