The 1990s were great years. The economy was humming, the West could duff up any Middle Eastern dictator it wanted, and the arrival of Oasis and Blur meant the music press could convince us we were cool again. Parents didn’t think to question the idea that for their kids, things could only get better. 

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30 years later, I also don’t question it. My countrymen are now poorer than the average hick from Alabama, as well as every other state. Climate change is working its way through all four horsemen of the apocalypse. And while AI probably isn’t going to destroy humanity, your employer will replace you with a robot that has been programmed to spend half its time on acid. 

All this is bad, of course. But at least my kids can enjoy much nicer playgrounds. I can only question how the taxpayer is affording this given I can’t even get my food bin replaced, but clearly somebody in charge thinks playgrounds are worth the expense. In my own backyard of Crystal Palace, the Dinosaur Park has been drawing in excitable grannies and their progeny since it opened in late March. 

It’s the latest addition to an increasingly well-kempt park, funded by cash from the National Lottery and complementing the........

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