So what in the UK DOES work really well? I can't think of much!

[QueenofTheBorg]

HMRC are turning their phones off in a minute
The roads are a state almost everywhere
The NHS is underfunded and broken
Schools are crumbling, there aren't enough teachers, unsurprisingly
Railways and a lot of public transport doesn't work well
Councils are able to go bankrupt, I'm not sure how or why
Shoplifting is rarely prosecuted
Rape is pretty much a non crime, the prosecution rate is so low
The police are misogynistic and don't respond to many crimes (shoplifting for eg)
Food prices are ridiculous, as are petrol prices
The cost of living crisis has affected millions
Interest rates mean lots of people can't afford their houses
There are strikes left right and centre
Prisons are nearly full
Courts are backlogged by cases anyway
There's not enough support for anyone with mental health issues

Nothing seems to work does it?

Or are there some things that work amazingly well in the UK? If so, what?

Is this years of Tory underinvestment in infrastructure? Some of this I think is due to the Ukraine war but not all of it. What do you think?

We moved to Northern Ireland, it is CRAZY how well things work here. Same day doctors apps, minor injuries unit attached to doctors, OOO calls backs within thirty mins, a and e wait times a couple of hours and the maternity care I received felt private! Public toilets/libraries/parks well maintained and funded. Schools are excellent with small class sizes. Areas of natural beauty are easy to access and quiet as well as being unspoiled by littering etc. it really is like another world and does suggest the majority of the issues are down to overpopulation, not a immigrants dig at all, more an increasingly ageing population which means all the above are frighteningly underfunded. There is a smaller population in the whole of NI than there was in the Northern city we moved from!

Countryside
Satire and Humour
Royal family pomp
Acute Healthcare (when you actually get to it and they are funded properly and can fire on full cylinders - it is something awesome to behold)
History
Tea and toast

@Thewildthingsarewithme can anyone move to Northern Ireland? Asking for a friend 😂

Haha they can and it’s so beautiful and you can get EU citizenship after five years because NI citizens can be both British and Irish!

Hmm, not sure but please add registering a POA at the Office of the Public Guardian is currently taking about 20 weeks!

Olympic opening ceremonies.

(Although, if 2012's were to happen today, then god knows how Danny Boyle would have to do it. Sewage fountains, ill people, sad children, wads of cash being siphoned away, shuttered storefronts, the PM doing an interpretive dance with a lettuce, and a lone, delayed single-decker bus).

Tea shops.

There's a lovely one near me that has over 100 types of tea you can order.

Lovely.

And cake. Don't forget the cake.

Yes, tea. Ever tried to get a decent cup of tea in Germany (beyond the tea-drinking coastal areas)?

Tobacco control is another. Much lower smoking rates than most of Europe (not sure re vaping).

I thought of something! We do queuing really well. :lame:

My local optometrist is very good.

Anything only rich people can afford is still great - Michelin star restaurants, Claridges hotel (never been but I can’t imagine it’s shit).

Whinging. Endless whinging.

Online banking here has always been light years ahead of the US/Canada.

I still think the nhs can be pretty awesome when you really need it.
I can still get a dr appt, my child's school is good. What's worrying is that anything which works is like a surprise and worth remarking upon, rather than a norm. It's scary how quickly we've become accustomed to dire public services - the tax office are taking the absolute fucking piss, closing their helplines. The govt should be forcing the civil servants to return to proper office full time working. That they've lost control to this extent shows how woefully inept the tories are, which is not a good look in the run up to an election.

The passport office has got its shit together really well over the last year after a flaky patch during/post Covid.

Hyde Park is gorgeous and the maintenance looks pretty well funded.

Pret a Manger is always reliable.

British film industry is doing well - Barbie for example was filmed in Leavesden.

libraries!

Sadly a good friend of mine is receiving NHS treatment for stage four cancer. This started during the COVID years and is ongoing. She says that the standard of care has been incredible. Personally I can’t see my GP for love nor money but her experience makes me feel like the NHS is making some good decisions about what to do with its limited resources and is still something to be proud of.

Exactly what I was going to say!

Brits seem to excel at:
Taking people down a peg or two
Silently fuming over perceived slights
Not allowing people to get above their station
Expecting perfection on a plate regardless of contribution

National Trust seems to work ok?

Tea shops
Queuing
I think the postal service works ok
We do fish and chips well
Pubs
The seaside

Queues

Cakes

Knitted post pox toppers

The rain.

London does a lot of things really well. Like great public transport, refuse collection and street sweeping.

Cider