What's one thing you've seen in other countries that you wish we had here?

[chocolateychurros]

In my home country, we have riders on motorbikes whose job it is to transport things from one place to another.
For example, if you left your charger at your mums, you could just request one of those and they would bring it straight to you.
Mind you in that country taxis are a lot cheaper than they are over here, so even if we had something like this here it would probably be too expensive and not worth it.

Lots of local public swimming pools. We lived in Canberra, Australia, when I was a teenager (a very long time ago). From where we lived there was a choice of 3 local swimming pools within walking distance. The nearest was an outdoor pool, the other two were indoor. Every district had its own pool.

I know why it's not possible here, they're very expensive to run and most places just don't have the space for a pool, but how nice would it be to only have to walk 5 minutes down the road to your local pool!

Properly funded public services, prisons that actually rehabilitate, greater wealth equality, Sri Lanka's retirement age, the French Revolution and greater biodiversity.
@TheWombatleague

Who will you send to the guillotine should you get your wish for the French Revolution?

thermal bathing lagoons (Iceland) and more saunas by lakes (Finland)

That wish did rather stick out- not just a desire for republicanism but mass slaughter 😭

That wish did rather stick out- not just a desire for republicanism but mass slaughter.

Posters on mumsnet call for revolution from time to time but when asked for further details about this desired revolution, answer comes there none.

Japan - respect. Respect for the surroundings, very tidy clean streets, spectators automatically cleaning stadiums after a match etc.

I heard the cleanliness is instilled via schools from young age. I like that. We used to get mega bollocking for mess as well (not UK)

Safer for everyone or just some of the races? I don’t think UAE is quite the sanctuary it’s being cited as for migrant labourers, for instance.

@twoforeight yes it's things like this it's impossible to put a value on and it takes high tax to make it so -when we lived in Denmark it was the little things you noticed that simply 'worked' - as I said below to me it simply seemed a more cohesive society -

I meant I wish we'd had it, I'm getting on a bit, but I wasn't around in the 18th Century.

I meant I wish we'd had it, I'm getting on a bit, but I wasn't around in the 18th Century

There was the English Civil War 140 years or so earlier so I suppose you could be grateful for that.
Maybe you should start a Revolution.

Once you start looking into crime statistics it is difficult it to compare like for like. Spain has a higher homicide rate than the UK as a whole but France tops the latest crime index charts as a whole. UK was 5th as a whole across Europe, but surprisingly Sweden was 4th.

Spain and French policing structures are very different to ours and where we have depts like highway patrols in
Motorways that aren't police as an example, they would be part of the lowest tier of policing there.

I am in the UK. I got a mega bollocking as a kid from my family if I dropped litter. But lots of people think it is fine to litter.

@NameChangedForThis1985

Just about to go visit family in South Africa (I know it has its problems!) but we do a day at the spa, two course breakfast, morning tea, two course lunch, afternoon tea, all with prosecco and a drink on departure (8am to 5pm) plus 7 - yes SEVEN - treatments from top to toe - for £86. It's my highlight of the year!

But you have to wonder how much the beauty therapists giving those treatments get paid.

Dads can take the leave too.

It should be less about ‘mums taking time off’ and more about people with children taking time off. Until women having babies is seen as less of a burden and more of a ‘parental’ issue which includes the male - we will never be any further forward.

Countries whinge about the birth rate and claim to have to import people then do nothing to support parents or businesses in facilitating the difficult task of birthing and raising young children.

@ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea average salary over there is around £13,000 a year - but their cost of living is much lower too.

I saw this in a car park in England just a few days ago.

Exactly! Cheap to do things if the people being paid to do them get paid peanuts.

that's true but in my example she took the full leave and now back its affecting the company and projects we are on. plus lost a very good worker that I have been dealing with for nearly 6 years. just giving my experience of long maternity leave from the other side.

Well, not really. Twenty years ago (25 Feb 2005) one pound bought you 11.14 South African Rand. That same pound, which is currently about as weak as it has been in my lifetime against the US dollar, buys you ZAR 23.20 today.

Sterling prices for South African goods and services have more than halved in twenty years just because of the exchange rate. That's why South Africa seems cheap to Brits.

@Wexone i do remember in my company many years ago employing a woman who had been freelance for quite a while in her early 30s (who was quite a specialist ) and paying the recruitment company £4600 for the commission- within 11 weeks she was busily announcing she was pregnant and telling one of my other staff that she had been looking for a non self employed role in order to get pregnant and qualify for enhanced maternity pay .really pissed me off

Don't hate the player, hate the game. If the workplace wasn't so stacked against women, then we wouldn't have to play these games.

Decent playgrounds.

In our town we have an old playground with a few swings, seesaw, and a couple of small climbing frames suitable for kids up to say 6? There’s been a few more playgrounds popping up in the new build estates but they’re also designed for toddlers. Private garden playgrounds are usually bigger.

In America we saw playgrounds that could keep primary aged kids occupied for a couple of hours. Families taking picnics/having BBQs in their local parks whilst the kids play (for hours!) Here we’d have to drive to the next town for kids to use a half decent playground, pay for parking and they’re still not that great!

Old style German toilets with the little shelf.

If you know, you know...

Just waiting to board Le Shuttle at Calais so I can tell you one thing that’s better in the UK than in France - road signs! Ours are a lot bigger and clearer.
We’ve driven the same 5-6 hour route many times but I still notice the difference.