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?

I think our financial regulation is good here. The FCA have struck a good balance between keeping consumers safe and encouraging innovation. We are seen as world leaders in fintech (financial technology) and the sector is attracting a lot of investment and creating lots of jobs.

We have lots of beautiful parks in London.

I really like our culture of doing fun and silly things to raise money for charity

Free speech and a free press

No guns

As someone else said up thread, you can dress how you like in the UK and you probably won't be judged for it. I've found when I've travelled to France, Italy and Germany for work and to extent the US, there is more conformity and less individuality in how people dress. I like the fact I work in a corporate role and rock the occasional vintage find or quirky piece of jewellery when I'm meeting a client.

I think Barclays still uses a pin entry reader that you had to put your card into to get a code before you can login online, sorry but that’s archaic.

Far from archaic, multi-factor authentication is vital to prevent phishers from emptying your account.

Well we’re not being bombed, starved or threatened by another country so maybe we should be grateful for that.
of course the UK has problems. But it’s still a hugely wealthy country at peace.

Sorry it is very archaic, I’ve used online banking for ages and many other banks all have proper security without the need to generate a code from a reader that you have to carry around with you.

You literally have online only banks like Monzo etc, SoFi in the US now which means that they face more cyber risk thank traditional banks and yet they are able to secure funds without a pin reader.

And the point about withdrawing money from a branch, all I need is my drivers license at. Chase branch and they can very quickly verify I am who I say I am not a policy that I must have a debit card. They all have machines that scan your drivers license or state ID and they verify you, I don’t even need my passport.

I can also get a temporary card issued in the branch for me if I really need it while I wait for the permanent card to be sent to my home. The policy of £100 only without a debit card is ridiculously archaic.

We have world class cave rescuers. The key individuals in the rescue of the Thai boys soccer team were British.

Our judiciary score highly on judicial independence scores. There may be delays but IMHO once you get to court the system works pretty well.

Council run Easter holiday clubs.

Pub Easter lunches.

All the free Easter family activities by the church and the National Trust and council run parks/libraries etc.

Easter food in the supermarkets and local shops and how easy it is to get it.

parkrun

Being the boss of British Gas seems to be working well for the fella who is the boss of British Gas.

In fact the UK blaming things that happen everywhere but the UK for the cost of everything rising, rather than companies and individuals profiteering, has been working very well lately.

We are brilliant at undervaluing women, misunderstanding attachment theory, moving away from our families and repressing our emotions. 🤷‍♀️

Paid time off, maternity leave, sick leave

Not bankrupted and lose everything if you're ill

Not wondering how you'll find thousands for medication

Beautiful countryside

This is a really good one. I feel like the UK has a lot of otherwise average people with very specific, interesting expertise like this.

Depends on what you're comparing too. Would still pick England over most places in the world (as a woman especially). Healthcare, education, public services (bins, libraries, roads, planning permission etc.).

I don't have nor want a smartphone, so the online banking apps that can treat the smartphone as a second authentication factor aren't an option for me. Which leaves TOTP fobs and card readers as my only MFA options.

Multiple factor authentication has been a statutory requirement for regulated financial services providers in the UK since 2019 and rightly so. That fob, card reader, or smartphone app is the only thing stopping a thief from using your password that you also use for LinkedIn and was leaked from clearing out your account. If the US isn't mandating a second factor, they're the archaic ones, not us.

I’ve just come back from a third world country where there are no benefits, no unpaid health care, poor or no access to education and the life expectancy is 58.

We have a lot to be grateful for.

I’m in a shit LA which will end up going bust, but yet my son is receiving an excellent specialist education (if we ignore the fight it took to get it!), the LA put on lots of child friendly stuff and the libraries are excellent. They’ve started a ‘repair shop’ once a month where residents can take anything that’s broken and there is a hub of people there who will try to fix it (toasters, kettles, etc).

If I get onto my doctors online consult by 7.30am, they’ll call me by 8am with an appointment for that day. Waiting times at the surgery are fine too, usually running to time.

Cancer treatment on the NHS is generally very very good.

Apart from our rape convictions.
Also isn't the judiciary increasingly in need of review? If you saw the C4 show there were many issues with the current ideologies - the show gave the example of 2 juries coming to different outcomes purely due to the characters making up the jury, the difference between manslaughter and murder and 15yrs in sentencing.

FFS don’t tell them all about it or they’ll all
move here and we’ll be in the same mess!

Since I left in 2019, and even though it was a good move, I do miss the network of field paths, bridleways, and rights of way. Here there are long-distance paths, but not the numberless ordinary paths across ordinary farmland between villages.

I also miss the fact that perfectly ordinary villages often have astonishing medieval or earlier churches with crusader tombs, interesting memorials, roof bosses, alabaster effigies, shrines, misericords, wall paintings etc. Where I live now most churches date from the mid-19thc.

I’m always hearing these statements and I work in the nhs so see the bad but actually, I’m the last few weeks I’ve had 2 gp appointments (phone calls but within an hour of calling the reception team), prescriptions sent to pharmacy and available the same day, blood tests with results available within 24 hours. My dad called an ambulance for my dm early this morning and it arrived very quickly, she’s now been admitted to hospital and is having really good care.

I’m not saying it’s not falling apart but there’s still a lot of good happening.

Passport renewals are currently very efficient but cost a fortune so they bloody well should

in terms of public services, almost nothing

however as a nation we are somehow still staggeringly good at performing arts. Though it’s getting prohibitively expensive

Blood donors. Many countries don't have volunteers who donate blood. We do it well and give tea and a 🍪 after too.

Cricket teas. We have lovely and delicious cricket teas.

No smoking in restricted areas. I hate that in Europe you go for a meal and someone always seems to light up a cigarette.

@queenmeadhbh 😂😂

VACCINES!!!!!

Can we still say that? Otherwise, I've got nothing else right now.

We moved to Northern Ireland, it is CRAZY how well things work here.

Has the ability to get an abortion improved? (Not goading, genuine question, heard it was still challenging even with the law change).