To think it’s shocking how bad Britain has fallen apart compared to other European counties

[TheColourofspring]

I am in Spain at the moment in one of the big cities. It’s clean, modern, well maintained. Transport is cheap, food is cheap, healthcare seems to work pretty well (from talking to local). Parks are noticeably well maintained- even saw park keepers! Clean & tidy.

Pensions higher, if you lose your job you get a portion of your salary in unemployment benefits while you look for another and there are no penalties. Based on the premise that if you have paid in, you will get looked after if you are in need.

I am not saying it’s perfect- no country is but it was the same when I was in France last summer.

In Britain, everything is underfunded and close to the edge. Schools, the NHS, local authorities are all at breaking point. My local parks look shabby & there is very little maintenance. Roads have pot holes. Yesterday I read an article about pharmacies being the latest at ‘crisis’ point with major drug shortages (thanks to brexit). Queues at borders, people can’t heat or eat properly, food banks, housing is ridiculous for many people.

I think it’s just so noticeable when you go to other places just how run down Britain is.

Finding it shocking and a bit depressing - like I said, all countries have their issues but I think Britain really has been pillaged by the tories & Brexit really is a disaster.

Padstow? Jesus Christ. You've got no clue.

OP I couldn't agree more.

I used to live in Italy and still spend a lot of time there, which I think is why I find all the mad assertions about how everything is 'in Europe' so annoying!

"Britain’s debt to GDP ratio is tipped to climb to just over 101 per cent in 2028, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected."

"The IMF said yesterday the UK economy will be the worst performing among the G7 this year, shrinking 0.3 per cent. "

These predictions are not good.

I currently have a friend awaiting surgery for an elbow injury because of

You're obviously not in same Spanish town we visited in October. Dog shit on pavements was common occurrence. The locals we were staying with were continually telling us to watch our feet!

It’s linked to the fact we have such inequalities in this country. It was like this before Brexit. The gap between the rich and the poor is very wide in the UK and this leads to poor services and poor health in general.

This is exactly it.

There are a plethora of reasons why some countries fare better or worse but in UK we don’t want nuclear energy - France had it and did very well with it this year.

Reality is that unless we all deal in facts and figures we would be just pontificating on stuff we don’t know about.

Hubby is a high high earner and would be hugely better off under the French tax system plus it’s based on family income not individual income and has lower IHT rates. Also he would get a pension based on his earnings contribution so yes wish I lived in France so perhaps they waste less tax money eg you see a doctor you pay each time a nominal amount so stops lost appointments that cost millions here.

Also why does the UK historically spend more on defence than France and Germany - we were the only ones spending 2% of turnover that could have been invested in industry and jobs.

Also why do Brits lack the patriotic pride of other countries who try to get all food produce from their own country - we’ve all noticed UK products buried on lower shelf’s in France.

😂😭

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So do I and I have also left. The crime is awful and the police either don't care or don't have the resources to deal with it. The criminals are hardly ever punished properly and seem to have more rights / sympathy from the courts than victims. Even rape now appears to be legal when you look at the conviction stats.

The French were rioting about the proposed increase to the pension age - it’s already happened in the UK and still likely to increase further

With the NHS & social care already at breaking point I can't see how things will improve with the ageing population issue.

I’m sure you’re the only one who knows people in other countries

I agree.

@FinallyHere I wasn’t doing any congratulating. I was pointing out that unemployment in Spain is a huge issue as I think it’s important to present a balanced view.

The fact is that the UK has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe and one of the highest minimum wages. All countries have their bad points and their good points.

I also feel that there are a lot of people that believe that things are going to get better if and when Labour get into power. I don’t think they will. It will still be the same old creaking NHS that no party has the guts to abolish. I think that even more doctors will leave the country so we will be in a worse position as far as the NHS goes.

One is a recognition that we used to be a major economic power with a seat at the table of world decision making and that this has been eroded by poor government decision making (within our lifetimes). Those of us who are old enough to have been voting adults during the Blair era know that while that administration was very far from perfect it was a time where the UK had an enviable economy, functioning public services and global respect. It has none of these today. And this is totally self-inflicted. It's not all Brexit, but Brexit is responsible for the lion's share of this.

But this is exactly what I mean about the exceptionalism expectations of where we 'should' be. Our historic 'seat at the table' was a legacy of colonialism (and basically sheer luck in sharing a language with the biggest superpower). Absolutely we therefore should have clung onto the benefits the EU brought - I voted remain, and was devastated by the result - but it was inevitable and probably correct that we had to become less globally influential as a nation.

I’m actually half Italian so have a good steer and family have houses in France. I see the parts of Italy tourists never see - the swathes of decaying empty factories as industries are decimated by global economy.

I lived in several countries in Europe and the UK is the scariest, followed by France.
I’m stuck here but yes, I would leave if I could. The only way to have a good life here is to have a lot of money, I don’t find that to be the case in other European countries

What is wrong with the UK?

It's government and the attitude of the majority of its people. Self absorbed. The main reason why I hate the majority, they only think of themselves.

The people who chose tory probably aren't suffering too much as they are primarily middle/upper class. (Although the lower end of middle class are feeling the pinch)
The issue is the people who need the help (lower/working class) often don't vote so the voting isn't a true representation of what Britain needs/wants

Over the last 12 months I have spent time in Spain, Portugal, Austria, France and Switzerland. All of them were nicer, cleaner and better organised than The UK.
As soon as the DC have finished their education we are leaving, which we can actually do thanks to DHs EU passport.

This. The roads here are in a terrible condition compared to France (country I travel to most often). Local councils funding has been cut so drastically that road and street maintenance is bottom of the pile. When anything is repaired, it is just patched which doesn't solve the problem long term. Streets in general just look scruffy and ill-kempt. It's been happening slowly over a long period of time and people just become used to it, until you travel to another supposedly similar country and things are so much better.

I’d be doing more research on the UKs essential legalisation of rape if I were you, I’d also be looking at gang violence and gun crime in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Liverpool, Glasgow and county lines.

As soon as the DC have finished their education we are leaving, which we can actually do thanks to DHs EU passport.

I didn't realise this @Hoppinggreen, I thought all adults needed EU passports.

I will be encouraging my dc to look elsewhere (they have EU passports though).