Unemployment in the 1980s | 1980s Britain | Merseyside | Tees Street isn't working | TV Eye | 1985

Comments · 819

• S7

  @s727r · 3 years ago

  My dad was unemployed in the 80s, remember him being home a lot, having to walk to interviews in the pissing rain, getting constant letters about being unsuccessful after an interview. It was horrible to see him so dejected all the time, he eventually got a job with a building company as a labourer in 89 , but the damage to his mental health and self esteem was already done. He took his life in Feb 1990. Cue a round of suffering for us at the hands of the tories, our situation left us entitled to little to no help and my mum struggled for years sometimes we had bugger all to eat and relied on good friends a lot. I'm amazed she's still alive tbh.

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• KE

  @kevinmcmahon7182 · 3 years ago

  My dad took us to Canada so my siblings and I could have a future, I am forever grateful to him

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• WH

  @whitelines3097 · 3 years ago

  I worked on the building sites in Germany in the early 80s, bricklaying.  Two people in our gang were sleeping in the tool hut to save money, they were in danger of losing their houses in the UK and were desperately doing their best to send the money home to their wives to pay the mortgage.  These problems are  coming back to the UK again.

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• AD

  @adrianhallchannel · 3 years ago

  A lot of music, film and television these days shows the 80s in a glamorous light - but this is what it was really like. Grim and depressing.

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• MA

  @martyjones1413 · 3 years ago

  I left school in 83 (St Helens) and was very lucky to do a trade.<br>Emigrated to Australia in 88, job done! now retired.

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• GR

  @gregprocter765 · 3 years ago

  back when having a job meant financial prosperity

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• G.

  @g.ray.1987 · 3 years ago

  I remember my dad being on the dole from 89’ for a few years , it was bloody hard

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• RO

  @robdegaussim · 3 years ago

  The one thing that’s changed in areas like this is that each household has about 3 cars and “live laugh love” on the walls

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• GE

  @genuine_legend · 3 years ago

  I was born in 1984 and my Dad lost his full time job about 6 weeks after i was born. My Mum was working part time as she was already looking after my 2 year old sister and they had a mortgage over their heads in Croxteth wondering how on earth would they make it work. I still speak about those times to my parents now, about how desolate the situation was in Liverpool and how on earth they managed. Sometimes we forget about fortunate we are.

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• ZE

  @zeddeka · 3 years ago

  People who don&apos;t really remember the 80s, or look at it through ridiculous rose coloured spectacles, think it was amazing. This is what it was actually like in the UK&apos;s cities. Desolate and impoverished. It was a time of abject misery for millions.

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• BU

  @bulltraderpt · 3 years ago

  Climbing roofs without any safety equipment to fit tv arieals! Wow just wow, fair play to him.

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• MA

  @markc2570 · 3 years ago

  After completing a YTS, working a few dead end jobs, I joined the army, there just wasn&apos;t anything else to do. For a majority of people, the 1980&apos;s were bleak.

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