Does the UK suck?

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So I have been watching Channel 4 New Life in the Sun.

And it has really been an eye opener.

It made me think...does the UK actually suck? And we are too institutionalised/subject to propaganda to realise?

Here are the reasons the UK sucks:

1. Weather sucks and the country looks dark and grey all the time


2. Roads are narrow, unpleasant to use, and crowded everywhere


3. Houses are small and full of mould everywhere you look. There is nothing romantic about the Cotswolds: it's ancient peasant housing that should be knocked down


4. People look pale and miserable


5. NHS only useful when you reach 65+


6. Rate of tax is astronomically high (I am two years into a graduate job pays marginal tax is 60%)


7. There is crime and general decrepitude everywhere you look


8. Idiots in charge of the country with no critical thinking ability


9. National caste system as a derivative of Norman invaders


10. Opportunities for young people suck because they can't earn enough to buy houses to offers stable family life


11. Low-level drug dealing in every city/town/village if you know what to look out for


12. Private school now astronomically expensive


13. Every business transaction is in some way a scam in the UK. Low-level scamming each other is the basis of the British economy


14. Legacy of colonialism, sexism, institutional racism, caste system derived from royals. It's basically just awful.

What do you think?

Obvious goady thread is goady.

Nah it’s lovely.

Yeah there are sunnier, nicer places but they are for holiday purposes. I just can’t imagine holidays would be as exciting if you live somewhere perfect with glorious sunshine all the time.

A lot of the things you list are worse in many/most parts of the world. Job expectations for instance. And I can’t think of anywhere on earth that doesn’t have inequality or sexism.

The weather here is crap. We don’t have proper seasons anymore.

Crime seems to be out of control, especially what is deemed as ‘low level’ ASB.

Opportunities are few and far between to re-train/upskill.

If I could, I’d get out of here.

We have the NHS, which is still wonderful (and a rarity in global terms) despite its many failings. In America it costs something like thirty grand to have a kid.

Bless. I’m sure you will be so much happier somewhere else.

Good luck.

Next.

NHS only useful once you're 65+?!

How have you come to this conclusion?

But why did you think that? I live where I live — I felt thoroughly at home for the majority of my time in England, and planned to stay. I studied and worked there, I gave birth there, I followed current affairs, I paid tax, I voted. I didn’t feel I was a diplomat on behalf of my own country. Why did you always assume you would return to your home country?

Yes, it's just grey, grey, grey, dull here.

But seriously, on a worldwide scale, we're mostly incredibly fortunate in the UK. Of course, it's not without its problems, and inequality is a big issue, but we don't have the weather extremes, crime levels, or levels of destitution that many other countries suffer from.

It sounds very much like you're suffering from 'grass is greener' syndrome OP. I'm sure that the countries in A Place in the Sun aren't quite as perfect as you make out. Nor are most of the faults anywhere near as endemic in the UK as you claim. I'm sure many other countries could show us a thing or two about crime, corruption and terrible roads.

Be grateful for what you have. You must be a fairly high earner to be paying that level of tax for a start.

It really, really doesn’t. Several of our American friends have had babies over the past couple of years and their out of pocket expenses have ranged from a couple of hundred to just under two thousand dollars, made up for by much lower rates of income tax.

It's horrendous for those of us under 30 currently. I am doing a few more years of saving and further career development and then looking to move abroad.

All that will be cured when we go back to imperial measurements.

And yet people die trying to get here after travelling through many other countries.

People who think the UK is shit are seriously in need of having their eyes opened.

Poverty across the world, children starving to death, women unable to attend school, genital mutilation as a standard practice, and you think you have it hard because you don't like the Cotswolds?

Honestly don't know wtf is wrong with some people.

Weather in Reading is pretty fabulous! Yes, house prices are too high, but I consider myself very lucky to live where I do!

The uk is a lovely country. It really is. I could think of many worse places to live.

That said, I left 20 years ago and have no plans to return.

But I do enjoy going back for one week a year, nonetheless.

What's wrong with being pale?

No it doesn't suck. It has it's issues like anywhere else, but I think people should be grateful if they are born here. There's a lot worse places in the world.

I agree with everything you've said.

But then I'm from a decrepid Northern ex Mill Town.

I now live abroad.

Poverty across the world, children starving to death, women unable to attend school, genital mutilation as a standard practice, and you think you have it hard because you don't like the Cotswolds?
^^

I think op was comparing to other first world countries, not third?

Exactly.

Bye then OP. I’m sure there’ll be many people wanting to take your place 👋

The problem with the U.K. is that there are two main political parties who have both proven over the last thirty years at least that they do not have the people's best interests at heart.

Both Labour and Conservative have had their day but the smaller parties don't stand a chance unless we all start showing our support for anyone but Labour or the Conservatives.

Depends on where you live maybe?
I live in the South East. Its not a bad place at all and the weather is fine. Weeks and weeks of sunshine gets boring just like everything else. Nowhere is perfect. Maybe other places are better. What suits one doesn't suit all.

The U.K. does suck. The standard of living is way better in the European country I recently moved “home” from. Healthcare, education, leisure activities, travel opportunities, public facilities, freedoms for children, you name it, all better there. I just wish I’d realised it before moving back!!