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?!

I've lived in Finland previously and we have a house in France.

The weather might not be great here just now but spend winter in Finland and you would probably see things differently.

I don't think England is so bad especially Yorkshire where we are.

I don't know what uk your all talking about. I'd hate to leave. I love this country and I'm proud.

Just had afternoon out by the river in Knaresborough having spent morning at Brimham rocks. Kim147. Oh my god, I have never ever heard anyone mention Brimham rocks before. Used to go there loads when I was little and stayed with friends in Ripon. I Loved it there

I never understand posters on aibu who, when told yes you are, flounce off.

im unbelievably proud to be English and i love living in my country....rain 'n' all!! Live in Yorkshire and couldnt imagine wanting to live anywhere else. If u r so unhappy here then go somewhere else as suggested! We are incredibly lucky to live here and have the standard of living we do have - despite reports of how negative everything is we have so much to be grateful for. When i have had hols abroad im always so so glad to come home to my lovely little part of the world. Really gets me annoyed when folk just want to bring down England!

These may have already been mentioned but my fave things are:

democracy

rule of law

equalities

the climate (yes I know)

Radio 4

My heart says no way.

There would be so much infighting - stick with Westminster.

Which other countries have you lived in? I think the uk is a fabulous place to live and wish I was there!

Hippo what did you strongly dislike about living in the UK? I'm just interested to know not being goading.

Which country did you move to? That's if you do not mind me asking :)

Op if you want sensible debate then why post on AIBU?

Looks like you need to move to Yorkshire . Personally, I'd say Lancashire is better

I want to move to York now! The North is so much friendlier.

Yeah I agree England is shite. Think I might go live in Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia maybe? They seem like swell places to live, especially if you're a woman.

England is not so bad, but there are better places. I am a big fan of Germany, in particular, its efficient public transport system and extensive network of footpaths and cycle lanes. On the other hand, I would not want to have major dealings with the German tax authorities and, while the lack of Sunday opening (except petrol stations and bakeries) is fantastic in one respect, it can, at times, be a little inconvenient. My impression is that Denmark and the Netherlands are pleasant places to live, but my experience of them is not so extensive. I was once offered the opportunity to move to Switzerland, which I turned down for personal reasons, but I don't like Switzerland as much as Germany or Austria. I simply cannot explain why, because many of the things I like about Germany are very similar in Switzerland...

I bloody LOVE the UK. I enjoy visiting other places, but here is my home and I'm very proud to be a British person. Sure, there are frustrations and you only have to read some MN threads to appreciate its not all milk and honey for many, but on balance I feel very lucky and privileged to be part of ths country.

There are lots of things on your list that frankly are easy to fix or easy to ignore.

Turn your frown upside down OP!

also it's worth considering that the parts of the UK I've lived in were WORLDS apart from each other, completely different pace of life, different vibe to the society, different weather, completely different public transport set ups etc...

Tatty, I agree re Switzerland. So many things in the plus column. I've searched my head and come up with 2 reasons it somehow bugs me: being landlocked and sense of humour on a parallel universe

Daw, I quite agree and hope to goodness the NHS isn't dismantled before our eyes. I am still proud we have it and continually delighted by its excellence though (particularly since being pg).

I have to say I was thinking of Britain rather than England when I wrote my list, one of the things I love about Britain is the different things brought to the table by Scotland, Wales, England and NI and I will be very sad when the day comes when each of those countries is separate, although I can understand why it almost certainly will.

Maybe the op should move to greece were no one pays tax and every service requires a backhander even the class teacher

Really fucks me off if its so awful here get ye passport and get ye to gatwick

Having lived in Cyprus for 3 years I LOVE living in the UK!

How about moving to
South africa where mobs half beat people to death and burn them alive
Mexico where Thousands are killed in drug wars every year
China where pregnant women with one child are given forced abortions at 9 months because they cannot pay the £3.000 fine
India where children are mutilated so they can make money beggin
Certain Muslim countrys where as a woman you have no rights
I could go on but cannot be bothered

Why should I sell England to you? You should go and live in one of the above countrys and England will sell itself

I once worked with a bloke from South Africa who had lived all over the world. He said that he thought the UK was the best place he had ever lived because of the freedom of speech, freedom of worship, NHS, education and that everyone had opportunities regardless of their background. In so many countries this just isn't the case. I count myself lucky - through pure accident of birth - to live somewhere where this and more is the case.

I have travelled fairly extensively and there is nowhere in the world that I would rather live and bring up children.I'd rather have our democratic monarchy than some rotten republic or military megalomaniac.There are faults everywhere but [even including the weather] the UK has fewer than most places.
You do invite being told to go somewhere else if you don't like it here.

I no longer live in the UK, but my parents still live there and we visit regularly. Personally I'm happy with the choice of where we now live, though it is far from perfect. I miss:
Bacon, sausages and pork pies
Proper tea
Pubs (and pub lunches with the sunday papers)
Over the counter medicines
Fun and exciting vs purely functional shopping
Customer service

Am currently on holiday in England enjoying all of the above