To not think the UK is as bad as everyone makes out?

At least they have the same/similar problems with better weather.

This is the crux of it.

People are unhappy because it's declining, not because it's inherently a bad place to live compared to the rest of the world.

It's still one of the wealthiest countries in the world, with little risk of natural disasters, war on our soil, etc.

But relative to its standing in the world a few decades ago, it's a mess, and it's getting worse. People here are unhappy because they are used to better.

I actually think the issue is the political scene has become so polarised, it feels like you have to be vastly left or right. No one votes centric because of something that happened over two decades ago. This means every few years the new party comes in and reverses everything just done, meaning we are spending loads of ££ and standing still.

Also the effects of Brexit are hitting hard now. There's no wiggle room for the resultant rising costs in the average household budget.

It’s just so expensive. Lots of people have to be really careful with their money every month. It just isn’t like that in other places. Of course everywhere has its downsides and nowhere is perfect.. but yeah. The UK seems to have a lack of opportunities.

Life overseas is far easier in many respects.

What I'm seeing from these posts is just how different people's experiences are. People talking about rubbish, poor NHS care and knife crime. None of that is an issue where I live. Streets are very clean. I don't see rubbish on the floor. No knife that I know of in my area. It's sad that we can live in the same country and have vastly different experiences.

I also think people don't realise that a lot of other countries are having the same / similar problems.

That is definitely true.

I agree OP and I think the negativity is part of the problem. The British have never been particularly sunny and optimistic, culturally, but they used to have a lot of national solidarity and confidence. It’s easy to see that if you lose that confidence it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If you actually look at the hard facts we are all really lucky in this country. Almost everyone can get a job if they want one, education is good, food is cheap, almost everyone can afford a roof over their heads, healthcare is free, it’s safe to walk the streets, we are free to say and believe anything we like. If you are positive and hard-working you can go far. It’s absolutely not perfect but compared to 100 years ago it’s paradise.

If you look at the OECD quality of life index, we’re not right at the top but we’re nearly there. I hope to educate my children well so the world is their oyster. I want them to be free to choose to live here or not. For myself, I wouldn’t live anywhere else.

I might come off as incredibly entitled here... (I am... I know...)
What is making me hate the UK atm is I work my ass off. Earn well. Have no time and no money.
My annual bonus takes me into the 60% tax bracket and I get fuck all for that. We use my work private healthcare and pay out of pocket for GP appointments.
Yes we have a free school place but any additional childcare / club is more £££. We send out girls to a private tutor to make up for the total lack of 1:2:1 in School... they are drawing in an inner city 9 form school.
I feel like we are paying too much to cover corporations not paying tax and covering people who don't contribute at all!

I have always felt really left leaning but the decline in living standards in the UK is making me look like a raving Tory (I hate me too....)

You see posts like this make me wonder, what country do you think your children would be better off in?

YANBU, OP - and I am saying that as an Irish person who, on some level, is looking to find fault with the UK. But actually I live here because there are lots of jobs and the standard of living is pretty good, schools are decent, I can walk the streets in safety, and I don't like extreme weather so I'm fine with the climate here.

I am wondering about all the threads seeking to stir up negativity about the UK, and also the deluge of miserable people rushing to reinforce the negativity. Is it just whingeing poms? Or is there some anti UK propagandist at work?

I also think it's good that people are vocal about all the things that aren't working for the people who live in the country. There is no point in saying there are countries that have it worse, it's not a race to the bottom and you shouldn't compare yourself to a poorer country. There is money in the UK, it's just distributed in a shambolic way and that shouldn't be tolerated.

I don't know any war-free country in Europe that has declined the way the UK has in the last few years. I know we were all hit with rising interest rates, more expensive food and energy bills etc but not to the level the UK was and where I am we are now moving in the other direction with lower interest rates and better wellfare again. The UK seem to still be in a decline.

What is your personal experience with healthcare though? It differs greatly depending on area. Personally I have had excellent care. I had cancer and was diagnosed within two days, surgery within one month, excellent follow up care. I got much better care than all the Americans I know on a Facebook group for this cancer, and they're paying a fortune for healthcare.
My DS needed surgery last year. It wasn't urgent but it was done within a month.
Last month I was very unwell with dizziness and nausea and got an appointment within two hours. I always get appointments easily and if not, there's a walk in clinic within a mile from my house. Never had to wait more than 20 minutes at a walk in clinic.
A and E wait times are awful but if anyone's in genuine danger of death they will be seen immediately.

It feels like there is very little future for the Uk. I do worry for my kids. Knife crime is rife. Rape is decriminalised. The NHS is broken with no ideas (or political will) how to fix it. Councils are bankrupt and ineffective. Roads are in appalling conditions. Civil service is bloated and out of controls. Education standards are poor. No prospect of economic growth. Massive welfare/ benefits bill that can’t be sustained. Falling birth rates. Increasing influence of political Islam.

Yep I love where I live and think we have a great lifestyle, and our children are having an amazing childhood here. I have travelled a lot, lived abroad and chose to settle in a lovely little coastal town in England. I often think people who complain constantly about this country are the ones who’ve never left it! (Other than their once a year all inclusive). There are issues of course but everywhere has issues, this isnt exclusive to the uk. Even the weather is no where near as bad as people act like it is!

And the rubbish everywhere. Disgraceful and does give more vibe of deprived country. Saw cleaner poorer countries.
I think it's vombination of many things when it comes toa feeling rather than actual economic numbers.
Dirt, pollution (can't swim in most rivers now based on maps) etc getting worse on top of cal do add to general bleak feelings of despair.

Besides what other countries favourite super villain is a penguin disguised as a chicken?

I agree that there are areas of the UK that is absolutely stunning but that matters less if the country isn't functioning. If young people can't afford to move out, if elderly people who fall and break a hip has to wait 14 hours for an ambulance, if a young child with a chest infection can't get in to see the GP, if a young middle earning family can't afford to have a second child because of the childcare costs and so on then there is very little consolation looking a pretty green hills and quaint stone cottages. I think that's the difference between the UK (at least England) now and the majority of european countries on a similar wealth level.

I think it's just become a bit of a meme online plus our culture lends itself to doing ourselves down - has the benefit of not living with overwhelming, blind patriotics all the time but it does get tiring the knee jerk response is how everything is terrible and we're all going to hell in a handcart. I've heard variations of this sentiment since I was a kid.

I think the truth is the West is in decline and we are feeling the squeeze and most people across Europe feel down about their prospects at the moment. I still like where I live and have no burning desire to leave. When you detach from the internet most people are nice and polite, I have a vast array of goods and services at my fingertips and I live in a country with beautiful landscapes and an a fascinating history. Really could be worse!

I'm sure some people complain for the sake of it, but I haven't seen that. Where I am (nr London) the NHS is in crisis and has been for a while - they missed DMs illness for so long that when they finally discovered it, it was terminal. Our local primary is lovely - but the secondary nearby has a horrible rep, lots of anti-social behaviour and a very low rate of students going on to Uni. We're in an area with quite high crime rates and the police don't seem to have enough manpower to do anything about it.

I am getting annoyed that I pay 45% tax, but lots of public services are not up to scratch so end up paying out of pocket for them anyway - private medical cover, lots of things to keep DM clean/alive as there's only so many times she can be refused for PIP. Nephew has SEN and state education is just not fit for his needs, if we didn't step in and help with private school in the future I'm not sure what would happen! I'm all for everyone paying tax, and I understand I'm in a privileged position to be on that sort of money anyway, but it does sting when the system then doesn't work the way it's supposed to! Overall though as much as I find there are reasons to have a moan, I won't be going anywhere 😂 Though it would be a consideration if I didn't have DS/DM.

As EU I do look bit "well obviously" at people about rising food prices since they were always artificially low compared to the continent, but at the same time the quality of life is dipping. So that moan, I support. I mean like how the fuvk can people in rich country not afford heating their houses to even 18c is beyond me

Compared to many other countries lifestyle is good.
Compared to how it used to be 25 years ago it’s shit.