To be depressed about how expensive but shyt the UK is

[OptimismvsRealism]

God it's expensive God it's shit

Please regale me with examples of how other places are also shit and it's not just here

More detail about what is shit would help! It's a bit vague...

I don't think it's shit. I know food has gone up in price, but I bet it has in most places post-Covid. I suspect this is partly the supermarkets exploiting the situation, but i believe we should pay more than rock-bottom prices for our food in order to give producers a fair wage and also to support better animal welfare.

Have you experience of other countries? All of them are shit in their own ways unless you have lots of money.

It’s miserable at times but we have safe schools, access to free healthcare and a benefits system.

Our healthcare absolutely isn't 'free'. We just pay for it through taxes. No deadly animals and mild although miserable weather. But it won't whisk your roof away.

Absolutely everything has gone up. Clothes, food, travel, accommodation. Fun. Everything. It's so extortionate compared to over the channel.

I haven't been able to get NHS treatment for years. I spend thousands on healthcare. I have friends in chronic pain in their thirties and forties because the healthcare system is so bad.

I have had no problems getting rapid NHS treatment.

You would have to be pretty self-centred to think this is typical

Have you been "over the channel" recently? You'll find that it's more expensive over there, "UK grocery prices are 23.6% lower than in France" (from https://www.newbridgefx.com/news/cost-of-living-in-the-uk-vs-france/#:~:text=UK%20grocery%20prices%20are%2023.6,the%20UK%20are%207.9%25%20higher.)

The whole world got more expensive, not just the UK.

But a lot of the world has better weather....

We have a generally safe society. Relatively few crimes in the UK. And natural disasters are quite unlikely (tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes etc.).

I think the lack of confidence in the UK is a shame, it is something I generally admire Americans for.

A grumpy person can always find things to complain about and make themselves more miserable

have you ever lived anywhere else? I have lived in lots of different countries, EU and developing world, and nowhere is Utopia (not even Sweden, trust me, the Dutch are not happy either, the Spanish face lots of issues)

yes there are lots of things here that could be better but it is a bit of a glass half empty approach to say everything is shite”

if you genuinely believe that though, and feel that strongly can you look at moving abroad? Maybe you are not in the best country for you? Maybe You would be happier somewhere else? Sometimes it is good to not just complain but also take action. You might love it in Oz/Europe/US/Asia/anywhere

be brave

Feel like we have these posts most days?

I like living in the UK. Can't think of another country I would prefer to live in. It's all a balance, I suppose.

Everywhere is more expensive unfortunately.

Things have got more expensive but that’s the case everywhere and this country isn’t shit. If you look for good things you’ll find them. If you walk around muttering and moaning with a scowl you’ll find things to complain about. Up to you 🤷‍♀️

Unless you’re planning to emigrate you may as well try and appreciate the pluses.

American food is total Shyte and they have guns.

My brother pays £10 for a cauliflower in Canada 😂 I think the uk prices for food have been too low for a while with farmers making a loss on milk etc. There’s a weekly thread on here about how shite the uk is. Why would you spend your one and only life living somewhere you think is shite?

I must be self centred too then because I have had fantastic care from the NHS too.

@Rollercoaster1920 its okay in the US if you’re a “have”. There are plenty of “have nots” and plenty of problems in the US the “haves” choose not to see. It’s easy to be confident when you kid yourself that everyone has the same life chances as you.

@RamonaRamirez emigration, it’s not that simple though, is it?

I am too old to move to Australia on a work visa.

My professional qualification doesn’t work in the US so it would be almost impossible to emigrate for work plus I like the US less than the UK.

I would have loved to move to the EU but I stayed in the UK to care for an elderly parent, and by the time parent died already 52% of the voting population disagreed with me about EU membership and so Brexit closed that door.

I have absolutely no desire to raise my kids in Asia or the Middle East, away from their roots.

You are. Thousands of people are waiting years in agony. The NHS needs to go and people like you stanning it are just causing needless delays (and concomitant suffering).

It is generally well known that there are problems with the nhs at the moment.

I'm sure some people are getting quick and good treatment but the national stats say otherwise.

I have a relative in Australia, lived there for over fifteen years. He commented recently how much more selfish everyone has become since the pandemic.

Very true. Although I did initially read your final sentence as "...you may as well try and appreciate the pulses" and spent a happy minute or so pondering what lentil and bean appreciation would involve 😀

No point being in denial, the UK has been declining for a while now.

I spend periods of time in continental Europe. Most places moved on from the recession and are thriving. Public services, infrastructure and quality of life are light years ahead of the UK. We got stuck in 2008 and politicians have no idea how to get us out.

I think British people have forgotten that life can be good and full of hope, because it hasn't been for years now. Things could be very different. We should be angry at our politicians instead of bickering at each other.

<Waits to be told to bugger off abroad and that the NHS is best thing the world has seen>

Chronic pain is not always something you can 'fix'. Usually managed by pain consultants and medication, but there's no miracle cure. If your friends are struggling to get treatment due to long waiting lists, have they considered paying privately to be seen sooner.

Unfortunately, everything has gone up with the cost of living etc... that's due to poor mismanagement by this and previous governments leading to this massive £22bn black hole which they keep preaching to us. Your only alternative is to either make more money or move to another country (or cut down what you can but whats the fun in that) The vast majority of us are all in the same boat, limited funds with excess bills to pay. To top it off, the budget comes out next week which will probably squeeze us even more.

It depends what measure you use. We have friends in Spain (locals not expats)and the issues their DC have with finding jobs is worse than the UK. Youth unemployment is higher in many EU countries. Similarly, DH is North African with immigrant relatives in France. You see a very different side of France in the more diverse areas. It is not all Liberté, égalité, fraternité.

Most major countries have issues so it depends what matters to you.