How good is to be in the UK any longer?

[Francko]

I think the original poster has a problem with London not the UK, do you know that beyond the M25 there is a whole country out there? The further you get away in any direction you will notice how the air is cleaner and the people are more friendly... Go and explore you may be surprised!

I do agree that my speech is concentrated on London but then again how many jobs there are outside London? Also, the capital is an important part of the country how can you just be happy by saying that UK is a great place to live but we have to keep up with a monster like London.

No french would say that of Paris, no dutch of Amsterdam and no italian of Rome. Surely they might prefer to live somewhere else but they would do the most to save their capital. The french government forced all the french regions to subsidise Paris underground and it's fair enough because the economy in Paris supports large parts of France, just as the economy of London sustains a large number of people outside. None of these things has happened in UK (just has Londoners haven't done anything to save the center of London which is now merely a tourist attraction).

[Rantor]

Sorry Dodgy, but there you are wrong.
As I said, I am proud to be English, I hope you have noticed over the years.

However, I have worked on the mainland since 1998 except for last year which I spent near Hull.
In that time I have travelled on 6 trains that were late. I have never had to stand on a train.
I have never seen gangs of any age standing around on street corners.
I regularly see kids help old folks or women with prams on and off trains and busses.

It is not all roses, I see bad things in places too. Brussels was a tulipe hole. Smells of piss and half of it is a no go area after midnight. Dog tulip central.

I am speaking from experience rather thna hearsay and news items.

I do not want to leave England, I want it put right, but more and more I get the feeling that what I want is not going to happen.

LG.

Have you ever considered that is was ever thus? People have been saying the country was going to the dogs/hell in a handcart etc. for decades spanning governments of all persuasions. It is also a global and historical truism that people always see the times they live in as worse than before.

The second thing I would say to anybody thinking of upping sticks is that they are gonna find things are generally the same everywhere else once you get to know it - or much worse.

We left Britain for a change of scene as our little guy was too young to be unsettled by the shift and I was getting weary of London logistics. I'm glad I never left in a strop with Britain as I think that would make for a pretty bitter outlook when you get a bit of distance between you and what you thought the problem was.

I do have a problem with NL statism and control-freakery but most western European countries operate a 'big state' that is even more stifling and intrusive but, in many cases, this what people appear to want. In most cases it is not much better or worse - just a bit different (though they do tend to avoid some of our foreign policy howlers!)

If you are going to leave, I would say it is best to do it for the experience rather than as a self-declared refugee from modern Britain. The alternative could mean turning into a bitter-twisted xpat - mainland Europe is full of em!

[Buffoon]

A. More chance of some chav coughing all over your nosh
B. Screaming kids grating on your nerves all day and especially over night
C. Lack of leg room
D. Other people’s smelly bodies

Sorry can't fly long haul like that.

[BlasterBates]

Yes Francko, but the reason to be in the UK are the fantastic, Bingo halls, pubs, clubs....etc.

Why else would you want to be there, that's what its all about.

You go out three times a week and get smashed. I mean that's simply how it is.

[SallyAnne]

Personal experience.
Migrants.
A friend who is a school teacher lost her job because she refused to learn to speak a foreign language.
At least 3 local councils in my area refused to allow nativity scenes to be set up in case it offended the Muslims, who in on case are by far the majority in the town.
21 Chinese drowned not 3 miles from my house. Thsi has destroyed the local cockling industry.
Chavs
I see gangs of chavs on every street corner who are abusive and agressive. When I was their age the blokes I was being rude to would have smaked me one. I od not feel able to do this as I would get done for assault or beaten to death.
I sat on a train last Friday and listened to 5 teenage girls come out with a stream of obscenity that I would heistate to use in a pub amongst friends. These girls shouted it across the train. When a chap told them to shut up he was told to **** off and if he touched them they would accuse him of sexual assault.
Over Regulation
IR35. Is that enough?
Speed cameras taking more and more revenue yet driving standards are clearly dropping. It seems the only offences the police are interested in are those they can police by camera.

I could write a lot more here hun, but dont want to go off on one.

It does not matter what I have experienced, what matters is my perception.
You telling me that all is sweetness and light in Sunderland?

Ah I'm sad that you're experiencing such a tulipe life here, but come on! I've got 6 mates who are teachers - none of them have been forced to learn languages or loose their jobs!
Speed cameras??? Surely we should have more of them!
Nativities offend me aswell, so good!

I honestly dont see gangs of chavs on every corner - if I did, I'd move to a better area! And I dont believe for one minute that you actually see them on every corner!


You seem like just a typical English moaner LG! Victor Meldrew in the making You're turning into a grumpy old man, so you see the bad in everything "oooh it wasn't liek that in my day" etc.
But you know what, it's sooooo English to be like that! And thats another thing I love about this country, so well done, keep it up

[cottonfoo]

A. More chance of some chav coughing all over your nosh
B. Screaming kids grating on your nerves all day and especially over night
C. Lack of leg room
D. Other people’s smelly bodies

Sorry can't fly long haul like that.

I always get someone next to me that sniffs the entire journey. Only did a long haul tourist class once, and never again! It's part of the holiday, you arrive refreshed, and you can press the G&T button as many times as you like.

[Francko]

Yes Francko, but the reason to be in the UK are the fantastic, Bingo halls, pubs, clubs....etc.

Why else would you want to be there, that's what its all about.

You go out three times a week and get smashed. I mean that's simply how it is.

What is surprising is the number of people who claim they love Britain and yet they want to go and live somewhere else when they have kids or when they get old because it's too expensive, too much crime, blah blah...

Hello? Where is the self-critic attitude? Want to leave = bad. Want to stay = good. I think it's more honest to admit what goes wrong and what you can do against, instead of sticking up to an image of nationalism which doesn't lead anywhere. I can tell you dozens of reasons why living in Italy is not good and yet my judgement is the same though everybody always says Italy is a nice country, nice people, etc. Of course you have nice things but when living in that place becomes a nuisance the place is bad, not good. It's just very simple. Defending it by principle does not lead anywhere.

[John Galt]

Ah I'm sad that you're experiencing such a tulipe life here, but come on! I've got 6 mates who are teachers - none of them have been forced to learn languages or loose their jobs!
Speed cameras??? Surely we should have more of them!
Nativities offend me aswell, so good!

I honestly dont see gangs of chavs on every corner - if I did, I'd move to a better area! And I dont believe for one minute that you actually see them on every corner!


You seem like just a typical English moaner LG! Victor Meldrew in the making You're turning into a grumpy old man, so you see the bad in everything "oooh it wasn't liek that in my day" etc.
But you know what, it's sooooo English to be like that! And thats another thing I love about this country, so well done, keep it up

I'm on her ignore list but can someone ask this woman what she has against nativity scenes?

[snaw]

Can't be arsed reading 5 pages worth of whinge, but in essense I think this is a bloody great place to live only spoiled slightly by the amount of fecking whingers who populate it.

It's a national pastime. I've met the same people as expats overseas, and you know what - they spend there whole time whining about the place they're in, and missing home. If it's so bad go and try somewhere else, then come back and see how you feel. I'd be surprised if many sang the same song then.

[BlasterBates]

The great thing about Britain is that you can be a yob and nobody minds.