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?!

Tiptoptoe, sorry this thread is getting you down. It is true, however annoyed we are with life, it really is a cushy life we have for the most part in Europe, cushioned as we are by a welfare state than a lot of people have elsewhere in the world.

It is hard to be satisfied though however good you have it, you can always see how it could be a lot better IFYSWIM.

it is possible not to appear British IMO, it is not the colour of your skin or your ethnic origin, it is to do with how you walk, dress, facial expressions etc. It is I think often possible to tell for instance if a person is from India or British and of Indian descent or African or Eastern European for that matter. I don't think it is unrealistic to say you can tell people are not British from the way they look. You can't always do it but sometimes it is quite clear

ZZZ, I can see what you are saying, yes, I even agree with you, however in the context of the entire text, it sounds very, very...

Oh we are so great, people from all over want A BRITISH PASSPORT, we are the best, blahblahblah...I am sorry, this is not about comparing yourself with the poor and desolate of this world.

And by the way, it does also have an aggressive undertone with lots of wording I know and hear from many members of the so-called "British underclass".

you find my posts aggressive? Sorry, I don't pick up on it when I post I suppose, wasn't intended

No, the post before that written by fellatio

Sorry, I meant in the context of the entire text describing who clearly didn't look British etc.

That text, fellatio when you are reading this now, I am sorry, but this is an attitude which usually only comes out in the anonymity of something like this thread and fuelled with anger...or again, some other segments of British society have no problem whatsoever to voice it to anyone who wants to hear and who doesn't. It could also be a dailymail article by the way...sorry .-(

Things I love about Britain
NHS
TV
Free Education
Music
Equality
Generosity towards strangers - My sister was robbed on her first night in her new flat. The removal van was stolen with her stuff in it. Within two days her neighbours provided her with furniture, food and clothing. There was even £200 stuffed into an envelope anonymously.
The way we champion the underdog.
Tea.
Museums.
Chippies.
Fashion. Don't ever throw anything away as it will be back.
The lake district.

Things I dislike about Britain
The attitude we have towards children in public places
The way we tear down anyone deemed to be "Too big for their boots". I'm thinking celebs here.
Our obsession with America.
Jobsworths.
Our obsession with BMI charts.
Competitive parenting.
Lack of bank holidays.
Christmas starting in October.

Ah, I LOVE British Christmas! It's the best!!

Christmas starting in October

YY I agree that is awful! I much prefer Christmas in France, particularly in this corner of France where we have snow (often) and traditional Xmas markets in DECEMBER.

In the UK - judging from conversation with family / friends over there and from threads on this very site, so many people seem sick of it by the start of December.

Plus I prefer the Christmas food over here :)

I've had another look at Fellatio's post and it doesn't read that way to me at all

fair enough :-)

In the same way that you can spot the people on holiday abroad who probably are British, you can spot the people in Britain who are probably not, or at least have not always been. By their style of dress, the language/or accent they have etc. And of course, sometimes their ethnicity/skin colour, although not always. Skin colour is the least easy/accurate way to tell.

Sorry, by which I mean that skin colour would only be an indicator when in conjunction with other factors. But I can usually tell when I'm standing next to a couple of Polish or Russian women in Tescos and they don't even have to open their mouths. Can't you?

My point was that whether we think the UK is fabulous or not, from an 'outsiders' perspective (for want of a better word) looking in, it is an extemely appealing, safe and secure place to be. They would be at how we can get so fired up about its apparent flaws and faults, which are pretty non-existent compared to so many other places, and would probably conclude that we are spoilt, self-absorbed and whiny beyond belief.

Fellatio, no I can't :-) :-) :-) because I usually do not go to tesco's as when I am in Britain I love the M&S food department. That's what i think is so great in the UK hahahaha.
No fellatio, I also think seeing people in a supermarket or else, is different from a passport office, where to be able to also see who is not British, well that would truly take some "sharp eye".

To clarify, I am not British, I am a Brit-fan as would say, i love the UK for travel, for having dear friends there, for lots and loads of things, even would love to stay for a year or two, so I could finally visit more spots and do all the great things, without constantly flying back and forth etc.

Would I stay for longer or contemplate to become a British citizen, no never, sorry.

NHS, education, safety, women's right's, and and and. All good, but not better or much better than where I come from, ad a big part of it is a latent (deep-simmering) negative attitude towards foreigners. this has been mentioned quite a few times here already.
this is also a main reason why educated academics from wealthy western countries with highly sought after degrees and work experiences plus very good English skills, come and leave after 3-5 years.
And the British government is trying 'desperately' to figure out what the reason could be for that and what they could do to keep attracting them and especially to make them stay.

Yes Fellatio i totally agree with your last post, this is also a very uncomfortable British trait, this constant moaning and grumbling about these things.
The UK is a wonderful place, many reasons have been mentioned here, and the reasons mentioned by the OP are a good example of that.

However, there have been very, very good points here in this thread brought up by others, and they are well worth to present to a government committee responsible for attracting, recruiting and retaining highly-skilled foreigners. i am dead serious about that.

and I know, sorry I am going off on a tangent here, this is not what the thread is about, So sorry about that.

Fellatio

You realize that once you've been naturalized as a British citizen, there is no rush to 'get your hands on' a British passport? Your naturalization certificate is proof of your status as a British citizen. The passport is so you can travel....like everyone else!

I suspect the reason you see so many 'obviously non British' is because all first time applicants for a British passport have to go to the passport office for an interview. You can't get your first passport through any expedited process. So they're not there because they simply can't wait but because they have to be.

I think your prejudices have led you to jump to conclusions

Oh, and your friends wife can't be a British citizen until she has lived in the uk for at least 3 years and forked over ridiculous amounts of money.

....and the reasons mentioned by the OP are a good reason...for the moaning I wanted to say

fellatio, on a personal level your "obviously non British" touched me, because I am here in northern-western european country, born and raised, but with Mediterranean parents, and when I am in the UK many Brits, especially English, less so in Scotland or Wales I have to say, comment a lot on me not being what I am as I do look (appear) differently from what they perceive to be the typical look for my home country.

So, in all my travel and living in other countries, this experience is the most prevalent in the UK.

Elaine Ah, that might explain it! Thanks for that - I wondered why it was that so many people would bother to go and collect the passports in person rather than just have them posted. My point is still the same though - clearly lots and lots of people think it is a marvellous thing to be able to become British, and I think they would be a bit bewildered at some of the things we love to criticise ourselves over. I hate the phrase 'first world problem' but sometimes it does need to be said, for a bit of perspective.

Sorry, did you mean my African/British neighbour's wife Elaine? She is not British, only he and his children are. She has never been here and neither have the children. But I believe if you have a British parent you can still be registered as British when you are born abroad.

In my line of work, this would be called "Luxury problems" seriously :-)

"this is also a very uncomfortable British trait, this constant moaning and grumbling about these things."

Its not a trait of this British person.