If my Nu-K party (See below) were ever elected, this is one of the things I would change.
One of the biggest hurdles to renewal in UK is the preference to nickle and dime just another few years from a crumbling Victorian infrastructure. Part of this mindset is the "National Heritage" Protected buildings argument. In my view, just because a building is old, does not mean it should be a protected asset. If there is some external architectural significance, then by all means keep the facade and rebuild the interior to modern standards (Yes that does include air-conditioning that works).
On a return trip to London a few years ago I drove by taxi through the busy Old Street roundabout. I was amazed that this congested junction was being made worse by adding traffic islands in the middle of the road to restrict traffic to single file !!!
To try to demonstrate how ludicrous this is imagine a medical scenario. If a patient has chronic heart blockage, the doctors will provide him a stent to open up the artery. They don't give him sausage , egg and chips with black pudding and fired bread and tell him to come back in a months time.
The country I live in Japan has been in recession for the past 25 years, however they still renew in all their infrastructure every single year. The result is that Japan is ready to compete in the 21st century, with any other 21str century economy including China. Unfortunately, old democracies will be headings straight for the 4th world nation status. Since UK hasn't centrally planned and renewed anything since the days of Queen Victoria, and the USA hasn't done anything since the 1950s - 1960s. Reinvestment in infrastructure and the nation as a whole for the benefit of all citizens is key. Raping and pillaging old infrastructure in search of quenching the insatiable desire for profit must be condemned and if necessary outlawed.
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