Talk me down - is this country really so bad?

[BluePassportsAreBollocks]

I’m a long time MN user, NC for this.

Anyway, I’m really down about what our country has become. I’m Scottish but live in England, so much of what I’m saying relates to England but Scotland is just as bad if not worse whenever I go back (before anyone comes along and tells me that it’s all rainbows and unicorns elsewhere!).

The quality of our public services is pitiful. You can’t get a doctors appt, mental health support non existent, hospital backlogs, social care on its knees, schools underperforming, staff in every public sector unhappy and considering going on strike, huge wealth inequalities, huge health inequalities, outrageous profiteering by private companies exploiting the rise in inflation for their own gain (energy, fuel, food, travel), companies cutting their customer service to a shoestring level where it takes 45 mins for someone to pick the phone up only to tell you to use the online contact form, customer service in general appalling and delivered by people who just don’t care, continued and endless political divisions forced upon us and tearing people apart (divide and rule… brexit, boris, scexit, covid), no reply for days and weeks for administrative services like passports, overcrowded public transport, completely unattainable house prices, exorbitant cost of childcare, everything about parenting is a completion, I could go on and on.

I am genuinely thinking of looking for work abroad. But before I do, can someone please tell me…

1. Are things really as bad as they feel here compared to other peer countries (if so which)? Is it that we are living in a bubble and I’m not grateful enough for the things that work? Yes I appreciate the rights and human rights we have, but even they are being trashed as we speak.

2. If I could move anywhere in the world where stuff just worked, where would I’d be and why??

Ok you might have to wait for a GP appointment but medical treatment is free at the point of use and accessible to all.

It might be free but the outcomes for illnesses such as cancer are significantly worst than other countries.

I went to the GP recently with an ENT issue. I was sent for an XRay (it was not a condition which could really have been anything sinister). I had the XRay in our tiny local hospital the next morning. Parking was free. There was noone else waiting so there was no delay. The XRay was done by 09.30. Before midday the GP and I had been emailed the results. That process, for non urgent investigations and results would probably have taken 6 - 8 weeks or more in the UK. Less than 24 hours in France.

When I have an MRI next month, I will get the results before I leave. The healthcare system in the UK is broken.

I truly think the good times are over. We have a huge demographic shift which the government are completely unprepared for & of course young people when faced with little chance of owning a home, high taxes, low wages & not much chance of retiring are going to look elsewhere for opportunity.

How on earth is the NHS going to function with less cash & staff with the ageing population?

New Zealand isnt that great. Everyone I know who has moved there hasn't stayed there. I think like everywhere it has its pros and cons. Same with nordic countries.

Let's not forget, what countries like Norway, Finland, Sweden have, simply put, is money! They are wealthy countries with low populations. More space for everything, less complexity.

I left.

England has hit the skids. It's only going to get worse.

This.
We've lived in excessive luxury for a long time- so we have to reign it in. I'm always amazed by the amount of stuff we don't actually need but think is our right to.

My husband has a friend in France and he is usually very positive but last week he was very depressed about what is happening in France after the recent elections.

My husband had never seen him so depressed and so tried to make him feel better by saying that at least they didn't have Brexit but his friend just said that that was nothing.

Justthisonceharold

Did you have to pay anything at any point for that service? A co-pay etc?

What happens if people can't afford to pay any charges?

We never really recovered from 08 & the legacy of that was higher house prices, wage stagnation, austerity, no investment & low productivity. Add Brexit & then lockdown/covid it's not good.

I think you have a negativity bias going on. Yes there are lots of things that are not functioning very well and it does feel bleak, but you’re not appreciating all the good stuff due to over focusing on the bad. Suggest you read this….

www.goodreads.com/book/show/48581422-stop-reading-the-news

I think it’s going to be increasingly attractive to live in a temperate climate going forward. The government could change and bring around improvements quite fast, nothing is fixed. But current external factors will be affecting all countries to a great extent

I think it's a bit like the 2012 Opening Ceremony when everyone thought it was going to be shit, and then it was a bit shit, and then somehow it got really fucking amazing... despite everything I still think there are things which are really fucking amazing about the UK. Sometimes I read stuff on twitter where the Brits are all having a lovely time punning or laughing about some ridiculous shared cultural reference, and everyone is being very funny, while the Americans act all confused (which adds to the fun) and I think I wouldn't want to be surrounded by anyone else.

I'm in Canada, we have pretty similar problems here, a few things are maybe better but others are worse. Tbh I would probably be willing to move to the UK at this point.

Some things are worse - we have a nationalised monolith of a health service which is grossly unsuited for the demands of the 21st century's aging population. Yet no politician has the guts to suggest reforming it into a European system.

Inflation is high in many European countries though, so that's not just us.

Nice affluent middle class home counties, what's not to like ?
Shitty deprived northern town, warehouse and retail jobs pretty much the only employment available, homeless and food banks galore, not so much....
Pretty much agree with you OP. Folk need to get out of their bubbles and see what life for much of the population is really like. My ukrainian guest told me she had dreamt of moving to the UK since being a teen, after 6 weeks she is thoroughly disillusioned.

Someone mentioned schools, they are major funding issues due to decline in numbers. Southwark borough alone has 16 schools in financial difficulty & predict it will rise to 37.

I left the UK and would never move back. I go back to visit but there’s no way I could live there again. I am very happy in the US and I don’t think we will ever leave. However un-MN that is. Fortunately I know a lot more about life here than the media wants you to believe.

I think if you're in a certain age bracket then things seem bad because a lot of things are worse or more challenging than they were for us when we were younger. To me it feels like the late 90s were so positive and life was affordable for many, unlike now. I felt like there were opportunities and I had many choices, unlike now. But then, I was in my early 20s, and maybe that's just the positivity of youth, and the fact that you haven't had years and years of the daily grind yet. I don't want to become one of those old people always looking back and saying how everyhing was better in the old days (even though I secretly now agree with them )

People in their early 20s now know no different. This is their reality and they have their youthful enthusiam in their favour. It's hard not to look backwards when you remember better times for our country but also I know that the grass isn't always greener so I'm grateful for what I have.

@MangyInseam please tell us what is worse in Canada . I am struggling to find information on what impact the global crises are having on other countries, sometimes it feels like it’s just us and it’s self inflicted (Brexit)

Customer service is a lot worse in continental Europe in general. I thought that's a known fact. We have lived in a few EU countries. Inflation is also off the chart now in EU, a lot worse than in UK. Food in supermarket in general just cost so much more. Trust me we still spend most of our time in Europe unfortunately & we have done food shopping in quite a few European countries this year. England is just so much cheaper (obviously not alcohol because of the tax).

If you are highly skilled then Switzerland is great. It's extremely expensive but taxes are low so a high paid job will give you a much higher quality of life. You only need to be able to speak some German or French. Customer service is still crap though just in case you were wondering.

We would not really want to live in the US or oz based on personal experiences. Have worked & lived in both. Asia in general is not so family friendly because of the workaholic culture. However if you manage to marry someone from there or have family there. They do really look after their own.

I would probably say Switzerland, Luxembourg or maybe Norway if you can stand the cold are the only 3 countries I would consider. Well one does need to be earning a lot to make it actually possible to relocate to these countries.

And, since I noticed OP that you commented on having your freedom of movement removed:

As a commonwealth citizen I would at one time have had the right to go live in the UK, but I don't any longer, along with millions of other people around the world. Ultimately talking about rights of that kind outside national borders isn't really accurate.

If you don't mind me asking, what happens to low earners in those places? There must be people working in coffee shops and such.

Hugely helpful....thank you

Every country in the world has its good points and bad points. Things are tough worldwide right now with most countries experiencing a real cost of living crisis and huge knock on effects from the pandemic. Even EU countries are having huge staff shortages. But ultimately many people do come from all over to make their lives here for various different reasons. There is no perfect utopia

Do I think England, compared to the rest of the world, is bad? No. Our national health service will offer you life saving treatment if you need it. The police generally investigate serious crime fairly. Our streets aren’t over flowing with rubbish. Every child goes to school. It isn’t a racist country and we don’t have the death penalty etc

is bad compared with Western countries? Yes. Expensive to live in, crowded, the weather is shit. Public facilities are dire, outpatient appointments take forever, if you’re burgled you’re lucky if anyone comes out to you. We let the lunatics run the asylum in the case of TRAs and Stonewall.

where would I go given the choice? Not sure, most likely the south of France.

I have moved here 9 years ago from a rich European country. I have only seen England go downhill more and more during that time, it is sad.
Its good to read some people on here are finally willing to acknowledge just how bad it has become, so that maybe there is a push to improve things again. I doubt it though. Most ppl dont want to hear about it and would rather pretend the uk is the best place ever (it really, really isnt) and of course the government...

If you want a better place, where things actually work: Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, possibly France.

I might go back home at some point. What is keeping me here for now are many lovely friends I have made.

I have lived in a fair few countries and in every country, I notice that people are keen to move somewhere else. The grass is always greener.

Generally if customer service is great- most of Asia- other things aren't so great.