To think England isn't such a great place to live

[Cloudminnow]

Not just the weather, but so much more ...

parking fees everywhere and having to have change at hand (or very expensive pay as you leave - £8.80 to park for an afternoon shopping today!!)

hopeless and expensive public transport system

traffic jams all over the place

terrible customer service

obsession with celebrity culture and all it stands for

union flag and all it stands for

embarrassing monarchy (even having to have one at all)

desperate government

Olympics sponsored by Coke

Education system overly concerned with literacy, numeracy and data at the expense of a love of learning and creativity...

Can anyone sell England to me?!

...yeah, but the downside would be that you'd have to live in Oman.

if you dont like it here - leave - simple - leave plenty of space, property, jobs for the rest of us

Well put Grimble

On the topic of medical care - it is of course not free either - its free at the point of delivery which is not the same thing. But its pretty damn good none the less, and I'm not willing to go and live in Oman even if it is better cos its and absolute monarchy and too bloody hot...

I wouldn't like to live in Oman due to the heat amongst other things - but regardless of that they have a better free health care than the UK, there are a few other countries that also have free health care that is better than in the UK.

NHS, freedom of speech, freedom of beliefs, liberal, beautiful countryside (when its not pissing down with rain), interesting historic places, beautiful cities, free education, BBC- no adverts!!!! (and thank god for Cbeebies)

My granddad sold his beloved stamp collection, all his furniture and his business to bring his wife and two children here from India in the late 50s. He made the right choice and never regretted it!

ivy - they have a fraction of the population though

Ahhh KitCat - my heart just melted at the bit about the stamp collection :) Bless him for the sacrifice he made for you all.

Ivy...I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue...episodes...news night....the Archers...coverage of the Euros...the Today programme...new comedy ...the World Service...QI...I could go on

I don't watch much telly but I could name 30 radio shows that make the bbc world class IMO

it doesn't matter what the population is in Oman - someone stated we had the best health care and it was free. I suddenly challenge that statement and there is mutterings of well they have an absolute monachy - yes they do, it is hot, yes it is. But the fact is the statement was not true that we have the best health care that is free, there are other countries that have better for free.

There are also rather more that have worse that isn't free

The pigonthewall - perhaps you didn't read the bit I wrote about I enjoy radio 4? why are you trying to preach to the converted?

I think the satirical panel shows are amazing too - for the national broadcaster to be funding shows like Have I got news for you and Mock the week that take the mick out of the government, the monarchy and even the beeb itself would be unheard of it so many countries. This country has real freedom of speech.

Cloudminnow, the grass is always greener somewhere else.

There aren't many places I would rather live, but England could still do better in lots of areas.

We could get rid of the present government, monarchy, racists and a few celebs. Send them all to Australia. Sort out our pay scales. Make all towns and cities pedestrian and improve public transport. Radically improve education. Plant flowers everywhere. Then put a big umbrella over the country and turn up the heating dial. Perfect.

you really want to compare oman to the uk

look up the human rights issues in this country, saudi has great hospitals too for not only their citizens but pilgrims too

we may not have nice new shiny hospitals but the medical care we get is very very good plus freedom of speech

I wasn't comparing FreudianSlipper - please read what is written

Ivy you asked me directly what I thought was representative of the bbc so I told you. I'm sorry you're feeling snippy a bit persecuted here but I was merely answering a question you asked me

The NHS was the best once and has the potential to be the best again, but my experience of the French and Luxembourgish health systems in comparison to the NHS has been amazing.

The NHS is massively lacking funding, being privatised by stealth and the UK really needs a government that will look after it and realise just how precious it is.

As it is however every time I have needed medical care over the last few years I have been bloody grateful to have been over here, and not over there (and base my comments on discussions with NHS nurses and doctors, and health care workers over here who have experience over there).

did you read my whole post or just pick out part of one sentence

the debate is about is the uk a good place to live, you can include saudi in having the better health care for free list too but is it a better country to live in i doubt many would think either are

i suggest you read the whole of my post and then argue that another country that you can maintain the freedoms and quality you have here offers what the nhs does for all for free (yes i know we pay ni)

We have foreign students to stay their reactions to England quite interesting. The ones from Brazil are tearful when they have to go home. Over there a sensible teenage girl can't travel unaccompanied. A hop on the bus to meet friends for cinema and coffee not possible unless a parent drives you door to door. They loved the freedom and safety of England.

Also had some tearful girls heading back to southern Spain last week I thought they were mad it was bucketing rain here. They disagreed, loved the temperature, Spain is "too hot", England much more fun apparently.

It always amazes me on threads like this when people talk about the middle east and its lack of crime etc.

I call bullshit. All very well if you are an expat from the EU, USA, Canada, Australia...It's a different story if you're a cleaner from Thailand or a checkout operator from Pakistan.

Or a factory worker in Cambodia making british olympic tat for £10 a week, or the olympic cleaners living in the labour camps in London. get real, the UK is as shitty as anywhere else so enough with the bleeding heart crap.

I lived in New York-probably one of the most exciting city in the world and was soo happy to come home again, even though I loved it at the time.

Bad stuff about living there

Cant ride the subway after about 7pm
Gang culture
Surly shop assistants, the "have a nice day is mostly a California/Florida thing.
Weather 10 times colder than here.It was minus-47 with wind chill when I left NYC, when I came back it was a positive heatwave of like 9c :o
Paid for medical treatment. Cos over $100 for a weeks worth of anti-biotics
Children cant go out to play in the street like they do here.Its too dangerous.
Our education system is much better
Traffic jams-it was NYC-nuff said...

Good and bad in every country, cos there was loads I like about the states, so IMO YABU

I call people who have never lived outside of surburbia bullshit, not a clue.

I was chatting to an eastern european guy last week at work and we got on to the subject of checkout operators in supermarkets. He told me that in his home country they wear a tena lady type pad as they dont get a break dueing their shift.
this country might have its problems but at least we dont expect people to sit in their own piss all day just so they can earn a living.

Could you point me to the part of my post where it says shit stuff doesn't happen in the UK theodakoris ?

Oh yeah, it's not there.

But anyway, at least you have recourse to the police, health services, clean water etc in the UK. The way people treated their "servants" (essentially slaves) in Saudi, routinely, and in public, and with no comment from anyone made me feel sick.

theodorakis seriously, you have no idea where I live. I've never lived in a suburb in my life, as if it should matter.