AIBU to feel the UK is really a bit crap?

[clogdance]

We have a German exchange child staying with us. He has been learning English at school for 2 years, and is apparently not top of the class in it. He spent supper talking to me about the rights and wrongs of vegetarianism and veganism.
He also mentioned that he lives in an old house but that new houses in Germany are larger and more solidly built. Just like here then .
His family are very very pleased that they unlike us are staying in the EU. And that they, unlike us, are welcoming a very large number of Syrian refugees.
Being English feels pretty depressing.

It doesn't matter if it's crap. It's all some of us our going to have. Make it better (apart form the weather - that's out of our hands, right?).

Agree with this

Rufus yes there is something unsettling about the prevelance of those comments. But why? I can't put my finger on why it's a bit...off or something.

My point is that OP uses the terms " UK" and "England" interchangeably. Not an uncommon occurrence in England, but never to be heard in Scotland, Wales or N Ireland.

If OP meant UK is crap, she needn't worry because I doubt it will exist for much longer.

I haven't read anywhere here examples of people not liking our country pip. When did pointing out that some places do some things better elsewhere equal hating a country? My Italian relatives and friends always say how they envy our lack of bureaucracy, cleaner streets and higher employment opportunities- doesn't mean I think they hate Italy, just that they would love there to be a possibility to adopt what they see others doing better alongside what they are proud of in their own country.

I live in the UK - but specifically the best part of it - and nope, it is not "crap". It has got sooooooo many things that beat abroadness, hands down.

YABU

Every county has its pros and cons, we're a lot better off here than some places in the world right now, count your blessings

Only Sweden does queueing better.

She means Edinburgh although she chooses (it seems) to let people think she means London. She made the same boast post a couple of weeks ago on a thread about a flat in London. It must be her thing.

Sorry, it was this post I was answering.

👇

Skerry, near the capital? I am wondering where this magic place is! ( I realise you might not want to answer).

my honest opinion is that if you don't like our country or feel the need to slag it off then you can always fuck off else where

Are you Theresa May - and no one is allowed to criticise aspects of the UK and if they do, they are unpatriotic?

I love the cultural diversity, too.
I love our style.
I love our temperate climate.
I love our music scene.
I love the quirkiness of the English language.
I love that we punch above our weight.
I love the variety of our scenery.
I love our accents.
I love our sense of humour.
I love irony.

And so much more.

We rock.

twitter.com/SoVeryBritish?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

some things I like.

other things, not so much.

It's wild that unless you are waving a flag hung out of every way Rita she and screaming god save the queen you should fuck off and leave

funnily enough one of the things I quite liked was how people can agree to disagree

hey ho

Soz that should be a flag hung out of every oriface, my typing fingers must be unpatriotic.

Brb hacking them off and throwing them on a good old fashioned British bonfire™

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So agree User1489. Just sat in the garden waiting for the Tour de Yorkshire Bike Ride to go past, with a glass of prosecco, and looking at all the bunting and thinking I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. The UK has its faults, but I would never describe it as crap. Absolutely love my country!

"We had someone visit us a few years ago from east Germany. He said that even under the worst days of the Communist no one would be condemned to live in such awful circumstances as we lived, in our pretty averages SE England flat."

Having visited East Germans in the Communist era I can assure you he was talking rubbish!

I loved living in Germany. They do many things very well. However, schools there did loads of tests, and I'd be surprised if that's changed. And while they certainly learn English much better than we learn foreign languages I find it difficult to believe that the German boy was able to converse so well after only two years.

Pity the UK won't be in existence for much longer.

If it's so shit why is immigration from the EU a one way street?

Our minimum wage is one of best in world. 10 of the 28 EU countries don't even have a minimum wage.

I find it difficult to believe that the German boy was able to converse so well after only two years. If indeed the little genius existed in the first place.

Susan, why shouldn't she use England and UK interchangeably? England is part of the UK. Both are accurate words. If people in other parts of the UK don't want to, that's their prerogative but it doesn't mean the OP is wrong to do it.

I don't agree that the UK is crap though - some things are lovely here, others are not. Same as other countries.

If it's so shit why is immigration from the EU a one way street

Apart from those 1000s of people who emigrate from the UK to the EU?

So it's not a one way street.

You do know what NET migration means? People leave here for a better life elsewhere.

agree with User getting bored reading threads slagging off the UK.

if indeed the little genius existed in the first place

Susan, why shouldn't she use England and UK interchangeably? Because England isn't the UK.

I haven't read anywhere here examples of people not liking our country pip.

Have you read the thread title?

Yabu op. A lot of the language stuff is watching films etc in English. Our housing is generally good yes there are some people who unlucky as there isn't enough but TBH I went in a German exchange years ago and stayed in a Potsdam tower block. I suspect the child is from a fairly privileged background if 'everyone has massive houses' tbh.

Susan, why shouldn't she use England and UK interchangeably?

You have no idea do you.

You probably wonder why all the Scotch are fussing about independence.