To think we’re lucky to be in Britain?

It's better than being in Russia, the US or Middle East, but that's not saying much. When my current familial responsibilities end, I'm off. I do consider myself lucky to have dual nationality, I can't see things here getting any better despite the rhetoric.

I agree with the OP.
The UK is not perfect but most people are decent. My family and I have had excellent care from the NHS and my daughter did really well in an average state school. I have worked in the public sector for nearly 30 years and it is full of dedicated people working hard on limited resources.

I wish there was better support for people's mental health, for the low paid, for homeless/people living in temp accommodation and for asylum seekers though. I also wish the rich paid more tax.

TheCatCameBack112 · Today 14:45
**
Re the NHS, I had a really good experience this week, I called my GP at 8am, she phoned back at 8.30 and asked me to go in. I saw the ANP for a consultation and the HCA did an ECG.
The ANP was concerned enough to want more tests so phoned through to the local hospital's SDEC department. I saw a nurse and a doctor, had another ECG, bloods and chest x ray within 3 hours with results (no cardiac issues of concern).
The hospital was clean, the staff were courteous, there was water, juice and biscuits for patients in the waiting area. There was a trolley with activities and objects to support people with dementia or a learning disability. If I was in a fee paying system, that would have cost £5k plus, and couldn't have been any quicker. I'm going back to my GP next week for more bloods and follow up. I will never not be grateful for the NHS”

That’s fantastic for you and I sincerely hope that you never find yourself sitting in a hard plastic chair (when you have spinal osteoarthritis) with sepsis, double pneumonia and what was eventually discovered - weeks later, we’re lucky my husband is still alive - to be a life threatening necrotic gallbladder that had become gangrenous, for 54 hours for a bed. No trolley or wheelchair available.

That was the worst occasion. Previously, since October, the waits were 30 hours and 18. A bed wasn’t made available on the 18 hour occasion at all. My husband was just sat in the A&E waiting room with IV antibiotics, potassium and saline solutions to treat acute kidney injury then sent home (which was why he was back in a week later sat for 54 hours: because he was discharged too soon, the primary cause of infection not having been discovered).

He was finally admitted and was in hospital for surgery on two occasions, with 2 1/2 and 3 week stays. His surgical team have been fantastic. The care and support he received from nursing and ancillary staff on wards was mostly pretty good. I did have to bring meals from home though because the hospital couldn’t provide his particular need of high protein but very low fat meals (because his gallbladder had died, he had malnutrition with various deficiencies).

However, at his last clinic appointment last week, we had to access his consultant by walking through A&E where the bed waiting time sign displayed “60 hours” and a 4 hour wait for triage.

One of the HCAs told us that just after Christmas, 183 people had been waiting in an understaffed A&E on one day.

(Blackpool Victoria Hospital).

Again, when we finally got through the system, I can’t stress just how fantastic his consults and surgical team were (and continue to be). Similarly, the paramedics. Outstanding every time.

A&E can’t continue like this, though. More and more people will die waiting.

Well, that’s that off my chest ! Sorry about the rant. We’re both exhausted.

It could be a heck of a lot better though. I think it's gone so downhill. I think people who have complaints about the UK realise this, and that's what we are unhappy about.
I would not be surprised if my children emigrated, and would understand why.

I think we are generally fortunate to be living in European countries. I live in France and regularly thank my lucky stars for the standard of living here.

Having lived in other countries and the UK not being my home, I can honestly say it's not that great

The NHS is utterly horrific. Free, but you can't get an appointment.

State schooling leaves a lot to be desired 😵‍💫

There's a great welfare system because the tax is so high. Unsustainable

There are pros and cons for living in most countries, but on the whole, I’m glad to be in the UK, and very thankful not to live in the USA, China or Russia, I just hope that our Government is going to be up to the inevitable challenges of dealing with these behemoths. Brexit, and now the growing realisation that the ‘special relationship’ with the USA was only ever smoke and mirrors has left us quite vulnerable, I think.

So lucky, and anyone that thinks we are not is completely ignorant to the world we actually live in.

Climate yes
NHS is appalling compared to other countries.
Useless incompetent government.

@MrsMoastyToasty You don't have the cleanest tap water, there are 15 countries that have cleaner water than you and uni's are definitely not free.

Not sure about schools and the nhs being better...not my experience really..found spanish healthcare and schools much better...big difference is that in most other european countries , you can walk around without being bothered by drug addicts, beggars, and high atreets full of fake mafia shops money laundering...not seen any in latvia, poland, lithuania, spain....also no fly tipping...if you live in a uk city, its depressing now and this affects quality of life...we are looking forward to returning to barcelona in about 3 years and wont return to uk...no need.

Have you been to the rest of Western Europe recently? There is nothing on that list that is accurate except, perhaps, our amazing coastline and national parks.

Your other points may have been correct back in the1970s but they are not Britain today. Not remotely.

Free education? The fees in Emgland are pretty high after Alevels.

Well that's another reason why you aren't that lucky to live in the UK, it's overcrowded.

We don't pay that much tax in Sweden, on a normal income it's around 30% but the difference is that we really see where the money is going with heavily subsidised childcare (full-time nursery about £120/month if you are on an average or higher salary, less if you make little money), good healthcare, free schooling including meals for all children, well maintained roads overall, great public transport, higher state pension than in the UK etc, etc.

• we have the cleanest, most highly regulated water in the world supplied to our houses. We don't have to fetch dirty stuff in a bucket and trudge miles with it.
• we have a free education system.
• we are not actively at war and being bombed.
• our inflation is not 1000 x %.
• our women can wear what they like and can speak in public.

Actually....I have had a life threatning condition. I had a high risk pregnancy. My family have had several serious health issues. All have been treated in a timely manner by great physicians and I've not had to think about how I'm going to pay for it (yes I know I, general taxation) But I would have gone bankrupt in America by now. My dc is at a brilliant primary and will
go to the local secondary which is also brilliant-and all free. Yes I know that the early years childcare costs a fortune but it's for three years. I very much realize that not everyone has these opportunities but all in all, I feel immensely fortunate to be living where I do.

Having lived abroad in a hot country, I really do appreciate our climate, although like a PP, the grey winters get me down a bit. But, on the other hand, at least we can put on a big coat and still go out to feed the ducks etc; in a hot country with small children, imagine not really being able to spend much time outdoors for three months of the year due to the heat, and imagine not being able to take them to the play park for four or five months because the metal on the slides/swings is too hot to touch without burning little hands. We are lucky in that respect.

However, I also do not buy into the 'everyone wants to come here for our NHS'. No they don't. My neighbour is Polish and goes back to Poland for her healthcare (which is free, surprise surprise). Clients of my dh's are from India and they go back there if they need an operation.

I also think, in comparison with many other countries, that we have a great education system, despite the bashing it gets from people like Camilla Long in the Sunday Times some months ago.

Agree OP and on the whole, if you work cleverly and work hard you can be successful, you don’t have to bribe people for jobs or qualifications.

Everyone is always blah blah Sweden and the Netherlands. There is frikking about 12 people in the Scandi countries and they pay a fuck tonne of tax. There’s 70 million here, it’s a lot of people in a small space.

You didn’t answer which utopia you reside in?

YANBU, I feel pretty lucky.

• I'm Jewish and I honestly think this is one of the safest countries in the world to be a Jew (yes, safer than Israel)
• A prime minister couldn't do what Trump has done in the US, in fact Trump would not be standing again if he'd been PM once in the UK, if he'd even been able to get there in the first place
• NHS - yes it has its issues, but imagine having to worry how much it would cost to call an ambulance, or to have life-saving medications costing you hundreds of £££ a month?
• We're fairly aware of the rest of the world and don't think we're the best at everything
• The far right, thus far, hasn't made the progress here it has in some other countries, but that may be about to change.
• The BBC - I know it has its detractors, but I think it's a net good.

Plenty of downsides as well, like cost of housing and childcare, political inertia (most European countries, for example, protesting is much more mainstream), not a great paternity/maternity leave deal, generally creaking infrastructure and services etc.

I agree the NHS is on its knees, but I do think our state schools are pretty fab.
I've worked in several schools and in all of them the teachers were all doing their best to provide quality education for all the children, to support those with extra learning needs, and to provide a variety of enriching activities, incorporating music, art and drama wherever they can, and sporting opportunities above and beyond the curriculum. I know funding has been cut drastically over the last decade and a half, but I still think our provision is world class.

Op, that is my lived experience too but I think there may be a bit of luck involved as well.

In 2020 I was made redundant during covid, but found a better job in 7 months on a better salary. Avoided getting in to debt.

Six months into new job I was diagnosed with breast cancer on routine screening. Saw my NHS consultant surgeon in two weeks, operation within 4 weeks. No queues. Brilliant service. Radio & chemo all completed within 6 months. Maybe covid helped with that. Maybe I was just lucky.

Ds is a happy teen, has a place at a great school. We live in a nice house in a village with farms, woods and fields. Little traffic, clean air, No crime. NHS dentist.

Some others have different stories but generally I'd rather be here than a lot of other places.

Re the NHS, I had a really good experience this week, I called my GP at 8am, she phoned back at 8.30 and asked me to go in. I saw the ANP for a consultation and the HCA did an ECG.

The ANP was concerned enough to want more tests so phoned through to the local hospital's SDEC department. I saw a nurse and a doctor, had another ECG, bloods and chest x ray within 3 hours with results (no cardiac issues of concern).

The hospital was clean, the staff were courteous, there was water, juice and biscuits for patients in the waiting area. There was a trolley with activities and objects to support people with dementia or a learning disability. If I was in a fee paying system, that would have cost £5k plus, and couldn't have been any quicker. I'm going back to my GP next week for more bloods and follow up. I will never not be grateful for the NHS

I have lived in many countries, had the opportunity to stay in most of them but we have chosen to live here. The grass isn’t always greener!

I read somewhere that if you have a roof over your head, food to eat, and access to a washing machine you are better off than 2 / 3rds of the world's population.

I get that it's a low bar, but most of us won the lottery living in the UK in 2025.