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?!

Hear Hear worra

Its all geography at the end of the day, you can change your location but not how you feel, so if you are naturally a "happy go lucky, glass half full" person that will go with you wherever you live, but if you are the opposite then where you move to won't always make you happy(ier)... everywhere you go has its up's and downs... OP I think the key is detachment of the negatives... if you don't like reality TV don't watch it, take the bus, advantages of bus lanes etc etc.. and focus on the positives of why you live here!

Sole i read it as 'we need a sexy PM' not 'we have' one.
Now i don't agree with everything. You and Sam can have him

Where is OP? did we scare her off?

Let's not block the boarders just yet Lentilly

I can see what you mean OP about some of those things but frankly if you are paying £8.80 to park for shopping, you are shopping in the wrong place.

I'm also wonder that Laquitar - OP just posted, wound us all up, and is now sitting reading this for her amusement.

Op you can spout shite like that because you are lucky enough to be British.

Worra I just read your post and spat out my wine laughing. Top post.

mmm curry...I am also unsure of the stylish part (agree with the fashion houses and designers but not the actual public, have you seen French women?).

I wouldn't mind living somewhere else just for the sunshine but if we could afford to live in a lovely house in central London and send dd to a great school I'd rather do that. London is the best city in the world imo, the history and beauty of it, the restaurants, bars (which you can go to at any age), the parks and I even love the rude people.

When it comes to customer service the independent stores and restaurants are always the best and we have plenty of them so just use them instead?

How can you not love the monarchy and all they do? If you hate celebrity culture and the obsession with it have a look at Kate & Wills, they do lots for charity and are much better role models for children nowadays.

body I hope you licked up every last drop

Seems like Yorkshire might be the place to be!
SoleSource - thanks for your suggestions too.

Stop buying magazines, don't pay £9 for parking (you don't actually have to drive a car or go to the shops), move somewhere with better public transport (use the train instead of bus?), ignore the flag as it's a meaningless symbol for a long-lost time, ignore the monarchy for the same reason, and home educate if you're not happy with the school system.

I have solved everything. HTH.

I have lived for many years in three other first world countries as an expat. I had a fantastic time, loved each country for what it was but my favourite place to live is in the UK.

Customer service is really good in the UK and generally I find people to be friendly and helpful. You should look up how much other countries give to charity compared with British people. I admit that if I had a magic wand I would change a few things but generally I like it.

Fanjo

You forgot "And cheer the fuck up"

Yorkshire? You said another country....

Why aren't you answering questions op?

BTW
I have just had a holiday in York/Yorkshire and it was rather lovely especially the pubs

England/Britain/UK is a bloody fantastic place to live.

I count my blessings to be born into an affluent society where you can walk down the street without fear, you can talk without fear - where I can have more than one child without major fear of death, where my life expectancy is high, I have ENOUGH food, I have shelter, I have free access to healthcare and a safety net of welfare if I fall on hard times - there are many reasons to be thankful that but for an accident of birth all these things could have been opposite.....

I love it here!

Wonderful arts and culture, amazing multiculturalism, freedom of speech, yummy scones and Yorkshire puds, beautiful scenery, cosmopolitan cities, the fantastic NHS, brilliant teachers and education system, animal lovers, acerbic wit & funny comedy, great thinkers, lots and lots of people who care and try to put things right in small or big ways wherever they see injustice.

Oh and Mumsnet. Obvs.

Of course worra, it's wine, never waste a drop!.

Thank god we can drink in Britain, we have friends in Dubai and it took them 4 months to get an alcohol licence... God alive I wouldnt have survived that level of sobriety!!

Op if I choose to wear a mini skirt and boob tube I can and won't be slung in prison,, though to he fair I should...

Britain is fukin wonderful.

Those of you citing the NHS as a plus - what the hell are you doing to it in England? You won't have one left by the time you've finished with it.

Another vote for Wales, it's way better than England in so many respects. Can you please stop lumping us in with you? OP was talking about England

I hear Syria is nice this time of year OP.

Thanks for all the sensible replies Mumsnetters. Guess I was just feeling brassed off and wanted to share how I felt.

Sorry if I offended anyone (which I clearly have) - I didn't mean to and would have hoped to raise the debate beyond the realms of 'if you don't like it, go and live somewhere else'.

I'll leave it there.

Where is better?

Yes, where did you have in mind, and which countries have you been to?

Totally agree with you OP. Thats why I left the UK and would quite happily never set foot in the country ever again.

"would have hoped to raise the debate beyond the realms of 'if you don't like it, go and live somewhere else'"

Well then tell us where it is you think Utopia exists and we can have a go at that instead.