Tell me the bad things about living in the UK

[alwayscrashinginthesamecar1]

In the interests of equality, as we have had other threads for other countries, I thought I'd start this thread.

I'll start it off with

Bloody awful weather
Obsessed with class
Racist and in some places sectarian too
Filthy cities.

I’ve thought about emigrating many times but I’m realistic about the advantages of this country.
However anyone who says the UK does not have an issue with racism is deluded (and white).
Unfortunately we have a prime minister that is openly racist.

I love living where I live. The place is beautiful, the people are warm and friendly and I like English weather, plus it is the least populated bit of England- although I don't live in a remote area of it.

What drives me mad about the country are lazy, moaning, entitled, selfish people who want everything handed to them on a plate and think they can do whatever they like.

There is nothing as gorgeous as a warm English summer day. And as for the rain - that's what gives us our lush green countryside. Yes our weather's changeable but what do you expect - we live on a small island and have a temperate climate.

The only thing I dislike about the English weather is the too-frequent grey skies. Although covid seems to have put a stop to that.

I'm well travelled and married to an Australian but I don't think you can beat the UK. We have it all, stunning countryside, beautiful mountains (Snowdonia anyone?), lakes, woods, forests, beautiful beaches, amazing architecture, real depth of history, great cities, the English sense of humour is bloody brilliant (the Cummings debacle has proved that), good TV drama, great film industry, pretty villages with lovely country pubs, brilliant cultural life and arts scene (pre-covid). And all within easy reach and if you get bored of all that - there's Europe on the doorstep.

Oops sorry this was about what's not to like about the UK. Okay well I guess it's be the grey skies then...

And my Ozzie partner says the lack of surf but I've pointed out you can get that in Cornwall.

And people who come from abroad to live here and then are rude about the country and the culture here.

The weather, especially in Scotland
Littering
Loutish behaviour
The appalling UK government
Public transport once you are outside the cities
Jobsworth mentality

There are many good things about the UK too, there are far worse places to be for sure, but where I lived the destructive behaviour of other people made life stressful on a daily basis and it’s something I rarely witness where I am now.

I am foreign, and chose to live here. So I don't tend to think about bad things, but think about good things about UK. It's one of the most beautiful country in the world.

@soruff I have never had a good tomato in the U.K.. I’ve had some ok mini tomatoes (the expensive ones of course) but I’m pretty sure at this point it’s impossible to sources a really nice tomato in Britain unless you fly them in yourself.

@Thurmanmurman it’s a real shock. We can’t help it. We come a place where it’s often quite difficult to get into a good job and yet people go out and do what they need to do despite many of them coming from war zones, ex communist states etc. to a country where you can pretty much walk into a highflying career yet native born people who have had everything they could possibly need for free thanks to wealthy tax payers/the givers whine endless about how they can’t be rich because they’re so disadvantaged in life. It’s weird and annoying so it can be difficult to not talk about it, nevertheless we’re perfectly happy to pick the low hanging fruit that the vast majority of the native population don’t want to reach for.

On the whole I love living in the UK. I lived in France for a few years and could not wait to come home.

I am not that keen on our weather mainly because most years the winter goes on for months and months but is not proper winter with cold crisp weather but just damp and dark. If we get a decent summer it is not so bad but lots of years we don't. At least though we don't get things like hurricanes that other countries get.

Food is far far cheaper here than a lot of countries and, on the whole, is pretty good quality. We also get a good choice of food items

I think the worst thing by far about the UK is the overcrowding. There are just far too many people here. It affects so much such as GP surgeries. It used to be possible to get a doctors appointment on the same day even for non urgent things but now it is at least a 3 week wait.

The transport is expensive and often far too crowded and as for the roads! Jam packed and slow moving. Always road works, always accidents and just far too many cars on the road. I am sure before long we will be gridlocked. I thought the South was bad but now live in the Midlands and it is just as bad

I agree about the litter. It's disgusting and it's everywhere. All along the side of the motorways, the rail tracks, in every city, even in the countryside. Where I live it is terrible for fly tipping. People just have no care for the countryside or wildlife

Some of these are so nonsensical they must be a joke and therefore bravo, raised a laugh!

Taps
No good coffee outside London.

Smashing stuff

Homelessness/housing crisis

Having lived in both hotter and much hotter countries, I appreciate our weather. Relentless, stinking hot sun day after day is not much fun.
Mind you, I live in the SE - might feel differently if I lived anywhere much colder or wetter, or both.

Two things I do think are bad are house prices in so many areas, and the often very tenant-unfriendly rental market.

IMO people who haven’t been around the world much, if at all, often have very naive ideas about everything being so much better elsewhere.

I find it hilarious how Aussies in the UK moan so much about it and yet, here you are

This is so true. I'm married to an Aussie and she often compares Australia to the UK and finds the UK lacking and yet she's been here 20 years and actually on a day to day basis loves it.

The government are psychopaths.

The weather is appalling most of the year No it's not. We live in a country with changeable weather. Without rain we couldn't grow grass which my animals eat.

I love this country and the pandemic has heightened that.

Traffic. Long cold wet winters that last forever. The class system is insidious.

The way that, when a man walks out on his family it's the WOMAN'S fault. She is looked down on by society. He's just a single bloke who happens to have kids. Free to have some fun. Meet someone else. Have more kids. She is a "single mum" and she'll always be that, until she gets with another guy, the guy that isn't the father, and then she's a slag, putting it about "moved on to the next bloke". Oh and god forbid she has another baby with her new man, who by the way is a hero for taking on kids that aren't his, even if he walked out on his own previous kids, and is also allowed to walk away whenever he likes - and then, obviously the fault lies with the woman and it's even worse now as she has kids by different fathers.

Teacher bashing. Class barriers. The growing gap between the wealthiest and the poorest. Homelessness. Racism. Sexism. That's about it!

I love that we can talk about and address all these things and work on improving things. I love that we know how to queue, how to volunteer and how to share with those less fortunate.

I voted with my feet and returned as a young adult to live in the country of my birth after growing up and getting my education and qualifications in Australia. I live in the most beautiful corner of the kingdom (biased!) where work led me (I admit I worked hard and hunted for the opportunity).

I love living here and will never choose to live anywhere else. They'd have to throw me out.

Traffic, not just in cities - almost everywhere.

Coffee. How is it so bad?! And why do people queue so eagerly for a Costa coffee?

My only negativity is that there are too many of us, putting too much stress on our resources and infrastructure.
I feel very blessed to have been born in the beautiful UK.

“The way that, when a man walks out on his family it's the WOMAN'S fault. She is looked down on by society.”

See also: most of the world.

One thing I do hate, and that’s the people in the U.K. who are becoming more and more self entitled - not taking responsibility for themselves and depending more and more on society/government to provide them with everything to make their lives easier. It’s mind boggling on MN sometimes when you read posts how people blame everyone but themselves for their situations.

This thread reminded me of Bridget Jones in Thai prison. Where Thai inmates discuss all kinds of abuse their boyfriends subjected them to and then ask Bridget to share why her boyfriend is bad. At which point she realises what she has and makes up a similar story to their's, in order not to look like a fool.
There are always going to be better places and worse places to live, opinions are very subjective. My nan always used to say everywhere is great if you have loads of money😊.
But if I could ask for anything, it would be reduction in crippling childcare costs for working families from the time a child accesses childcare.

I love the way we raise millions every year for charities.

The weather.

And, controversially, the option of a life time on benefits. Not necessarily for the cost to the tax payer but for the levels of deprivation and lack of drive for the next generation.

Agree with a PP about the terrible overcrowding - there are too many people in this country, which in turn produces the terrible traffic jams and queues.

The way people worship the great god football
The long dark nights in winter
Louts swearing and spitting in the street - in the USA last winter I never heard a single person swear!