The Twilight of England 

L’OBS/N°3034-01/12/2022: Rust is steadily eroding the seaside town of Blackpool. For more than a century, Blackpool, on the northwest coast of England, was one of the country's most popular seaside resorts. Having become a vacation spot for the region's textile manufacturers enriched by the industrial revolution in the 1860s, it fell into ruin with the rise of low-cost flights in the 1990s, which made the Spanish coasts more attractive.

Blackpool is now one of the poorest places in the UK. Eight of the ten most deprived neighborhoods in the country are located here, according to a study by the Department of Housing. Life expectancy, a national record, does not exceed 77 years. The figures for child poverty, male suicide, underage pregnancies and substance abuse are through the roof. There is almost no work. Tourism jobs have disappeared. The factories closed.

The urban center has the appearance of a ghost town: shops with their curtains down, deserted game rooms, courtyards of red brick houses invaded by refrigerators and broken toys... Even the white sand beach and the Blackpool Tower, inspired by the Eiffel Tower, look like they came out of a Ken Loach film.

This decline is emblematic of a country facing significant economic challenges, including double-digit inflation, a looming recession, soaring energy prices, and a growing number of people living below the poverty line. The United Kingdom, once a global economic power, is grappling with an array of economic and social issues, resulting in a troubling and uncertain future.