It occurs to me (after seeing Fats on that youtube video above, for some reason) that at some future date, there will be an update on the 'Four Yorkshireman' sketch but it will probably cause more tears of sadness than tears of laughter. It will probably go something like this.........
1st Old Man: When I were a lad, our dad worked a 42 and a half our week, every week mind, manufacturing cars that were sold all over t' world, and every summer we were off t' Marbella for two weeks in t' sun.
2nd Old Man: Two weeks! My dad got four weeks annual leave, fully paid, and he got a Christmas hamper every year off t' boss.
3rd Old Man: Christmas hamper, Ha! My mam and dad both had Christmas bonuses and at t' works Christmas do me dad got so drunk he fell over and broke leg. But ambulance were there within twenty minutes an' he were off to hospital fer free treatment and physiotherapy, while getting full sick pay an' 'elp wi' rent for t' council house.
4th Old Man: Twenty minutes waiting for ambulance! Eight minutes I had to wait when I had crash on me way to pick kids up from school gymnasium.
1st Old Man: Gym-bloody-nasium! Our school had massive sportsfield wi' athletics track, football and rugby pitch and school bus t' ferry t' kids about. Kids used t' play footy ev'ry spare moment they had, an ev'ry Saturday they'd go to watch local team at t' stadium.
2nd Old Man: Aye team manager lived stone's throw from t' ground and younguns from t' first team lived in flat above t' shops. Well banks wouldn't lend money unless you could afford t' pay it back, so everyone lived within means an' no one were in debt.
3rd Old Man: Banks! We didn't need banks. We got cash in th' 'and ev'ry Thursday, didn't 'ave bank charges, or fatcats living off the poor.
4th Old Man: Right! My mam and dad both had full time (thirty-six hour a week) jobs with five weeks full paid annual leave, which paid enough money to put real food on t' table, and a couple of holidays abroad. The NHS gave full treatment free of charge to everyone with free prescriptions, and th'ambulances turned up on time ev'ry time. Ev'ry time you set foot outside o' door o' yer three bedroomed council house (wi' spare room) you saw Bobby on t' beat. Uncle Albert (him wi' one leg since t' war) had employment rights and expectations like ev'ryone else and got special 'elp wi' mobility and such like. Kids all went to a good school with manageable class sizes and when they left school they all got real jobs manufacturing British goods that were exported all around t' world. Politicians took decisions that were f't' benefit of all not just them 'as voted for 'em, and public utilities was owned by us and used as employment sink so no-one had t' go wi'out work.
1st Old Man: Aye but you try telling that t' younguns nowadays...........