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

We have a weird situation with wages in the uk. The minimum wage has gone up but wages everywhere else have stagnated.
You can see why skilled workers are leaving, other countries don't seem to have this problem. I know someone who works the same job at the same organisation as my dad fifteen years ago and he's earning the same wage. Even if you have a good 'middle class' job you struggle to earn enough to support your family.
I agree with you op, the NHS isn't working and it's weird people try and pretend it is. Yes we should protect it but pretending it works how it's currently run is just silly.

I think you will find most countries food and expenses have gone up.
I have only seen the Uk on tv,, some looks stunning.
I would love to see the countryside.
I bet you have your seedy areas, luxury like we do not have to your 3bed estates,, they amaze me.

I was in A&E for 16 hours recently, had to wait for an MRI. Okay not ideal but free at the point of delivery on a back thread I’m on someone relayed how they paid £600 for a private MRI. I can cope with waiting what I didn’t like were the drunks, people off their faces on substances, the fight, the absolute scumbag berating his poor GF, all the folk in handcuffs with police escorts. It was a weekend in a major city centre. I then got physio within 5 days and have been going once a week for the last month.

I have been to countries where kids are in rags living on the streets, there are places where you risk being killed at the ballot box, where women are not allowed to drive, work, go out without a male relative. The UK really isn’t that bad.

What is your diagnosis if you do not mind me asking. Some conditions are harder to treat than others plus there is also the way patients co operate or don’t. Are the friends you have made through your condition hence knowing a lot?

Which country are you planning on moving to?

I'd be off like a shot if I was you, given everything is better across the channel.

Why stay here?

I do think quality of life is a lot better. My husband can't easily switch locations professionally. Wondering if I should do it anyway - cross country living is quite common in some cultures.

Can you get a job abroad OP? I used to feel like this and then I moved abroad and found out I was right. 😅 I'm back now due to caring responsibilities but as soon as those are over I'd like to go somewhere else. Where would you like to go?

Every single country has its problems and I have lived in a few

The uk is not perfect by any means but some people would love to be here. Look for the positives

If you fell today and broke your wrist you could get care without worrying about the bill, may be slower than you wish but it's free

If you lost your job tomorrow you would (in most cases) be entitled to benefits, again not as much as you would like but it's a safety net

If you want a glass of clean water just turn your tap.

Ah X post. DH and I lived on different continents at one point and it worked for us.

Yes it is shit which is why we left!

The uk is only ok if you are wealthy. And even then you can't change the shit weather!

I’m an emigrant to the UK and I’m always a little saddened by the attitude some British people have to their country and their privilege in being born and raised here.

heathcare is free at the point of delivery, there is a safety net for people and crime is relatively low. Gun crime practically non existent. It is also a beautiful country with some amazing places to visit with nothing being horrendously far.

m everywhere is expensive in the world at the moment and, in places where we feel it isn’t, wages are generally low with minimal safety netting for people. Everything is a balance and I think the UK, on the whole, is generally a great place to live.

if you genuinely believe it’s all shit then emigrate. Why stay in a place where you hate? No one is forcing you to be here.

A relative who visited recently said food is so cheap here compared to America. She was talking about eggs in particular. She nearly fainted when we went to Aldi and Tesco and saw the prices and how much you get here for £50.

I was in France 3 weeks ago and if definitely didn't feel expensive to either shopping or eat out. In fact, eating out was a lot cheaper than where I live in the UK

Food is cheap here compared to America - but we are still one of the most expensive countries in the world

Totally agree. So many people in denial - or perhaps they are just so wealthy or privileged that they don't notice how bad this gs have got.

I was in France for three weeks earlier this year and the prices were slightly less IMO and the quality, freshness, range etc was out of this world better. Made me realise just what poor quality we have in out supermarkets, even in premium ranges. You can eat so well in France compared to here, they don't tolerate shit food like we do.

I am Canada and it's pretty shit too.

Chances are you can't get a family doctor. People are dying in ERs without being seen, in the waiting room.

Housing is through the roof, if you can find something. Shitty landlords aren't renewing leases so people get kicked out. Tent cities are proliferating because there is no housing.

Meth and Fentanyl addiction is crazy and harm reduction, which seems to mean, put it all out there to screw up life for everyone else, is the answer according to the authorities.

Food prices are through the roof, for some products it's at least doubled. Beef is unaffordable, coffee, flour.

If your kid decides he or she needs to change sex you can;t take them to a psychiatrist because they can only affirm. School will go along with it without informing you. (Don't get me started on history...)

I am sure there are other things but I'd rather not think about it more.

Actually I’d very much disagree - I think there are only a few countries in the world that might be better if you’re poor, very few have the social safety net that the UK has.

I think in general it’s just shit being poor no matter where you are. I would be genuinely interested in which countries it would be better off being poor in and still have the same standards of living that we have here.

We ate out in SW France and SW of Paris this summer and it was vastly cheaper to eat out than in the UK and vastly better value for money. Groceries are quite a similar price. But again, better. Really good fruit and veg and fresh produce. Also everywhere was much better kept than in the UK, loads of places have absolutely gone to the dogs in the last 15 years. The Tories have allowed us to become the sick man of Europe again.

The UK has its problems but they are literally first world problems! I'm sure there must be more than a million people in the world who would gladly swap your problems for theirs.

Would you prefer to keep your problems or swap places with someone living in a slum in Sierra Leone?

Brexit has made it much harder to live elsewhere so plenty of people are forced to stay here and 40 years of short-termism and under-investment are coming home to roost - We've no long-term plan and never have had - we're all paying for the baby boomers mistakes in life and will be forever with less and less to show for it as the tax rises needed to sort the system out are off the scale and any politician is more focused on the next election rather than the good of the country

Do it then. Why stay somewhere that's so horrendous. Other people leave their countries all the time

Cleaner than some countries yes, but water quality in the uk is very poor.

we had 3 days around the Olympics in paris and were surprised how cheap it was everywhere except the stadiums - eating at a cafe next to the Stade de France was only 12 euros for sandwiches and drinks

It doesn't mean that you can't complain just because we aren't as bad as Sierra Leone. Yes, we take for granted our freedom rather a lot. In a lot of places we couldn't have this conversation online. The UK has been allowed to decline and lots of people feel much worse off these days.

@DinahSlade it's not perfect but you can drink it safely