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

clearly not visited most of the European countries - fair enough the US doesn't have a safety net or lots of developing countries but we are definitely lower than pretty much every developed economy. We also have the highest number of people "on the sick" of any developed nation

Yes, we found that, we weren't in Paris but certainly there was no mark-up for items consumed opposite a major tourist attraction.

I was very impressed with how Paris handled the Olympics - a much much better experience than the shit show that was Birmingham and the commonwealth games - we watched the same sports mostly at both.

It's generally shit in many countries life in general can be poor unless your swimming in money and you don't get much sympathy on mumsnett anyway alot of high earners on here.

I would take off the rose tinted glasses. Talk to a few people and discover just how broken the NHS is and that healthcare is barely functioning. Those of us born here know that once it was the quality country you imagine, now drugs are rife, crime goes ahead with no respite because there are so few police (eg shoplifting), the rivers, thus drinking water is full of shit, inequality is rife, most young people are saddled with debt and can't afford housing. Oh and 000s of immigrants live in hotels while our broken social services try to sort so3. I feel so angry at your response, my real reply would be deleted.

Forced to stay here? Give over. Harder? Absolutely but it’s not a closed border. People move from much more difficult countries with much harder visa requirements all the time. People just don’t want to have to make the significant sacrifices needed initially to emigrate. Either make positive changes to move elsewhere or try a more positive outlook at home. Moaning it’s all shit without recognising the substantial benefits of living in this country does no one any good.

If you hate it so much then find somewhere else and leave , some of us , myself included love it here .

I can sympathise with your frustration! Also, understand how circumstances can certainly conspire to make 'just fuck off then', an unattainable dream.

A couple of things I've noticed and acknowledged recently, that may or may not apply to you, is that time of life can make finding hope and the positives in life a lot more difficult, and so can time of year.

This year I've hit a wall healthwise that I did not see coming, my youngest has left home, and perimenopause is making itself heard loud and clear. Combine that with how wet and miserable it has been, and it's safe to say that living with me has not been the Pollyanna experience.

As for saying, 'well, at least it's not as bad as Sierra Leone', if that's our yardstick, there's a problem right there, surely?!

Do you have the right to live somewhere else? If you need a visa then your health issues might make it difficult to move.

My recent experience is that it’s just as expensive abroad.

However, I do agree it’s shit here for other reasons:

Healthcare
Road rage
Lack of proper, safe cycle routes away from traffic
House prices
Motorway services
Public transport
General quality of life

I've seen posts on here where people complain about the NHS and how it's not fit for purpose yet on other threads, the same people are outraged when you suggest switching to a semi private service.

I've lived abroad briefly and it made me really appreciate the uk.

The safety net is something you take for granted until you need it.

We have freedom & opportunities.

It's our pessimism & class system that holds us back.

I was talking to a visiting Australian couple at a sporting event recently. I can ,of course, only go by what they told me but they said they thought things generally were cheaper here. Apparently the cost of white goods there is horrendous.

I work in the NHS 😁 it’s not broken. Not ideal and definitely struggling with increased healthcare demands but not worth throwing the baby out with the bath water.

I come from a country with one of the highest crime rates in the world so our definitions of “rife” obviously differ. Where unemployment is high, minimal social security and a huge wealth disparity. So bugger off telling me to take off my rose tinted spectacles.

I've immigrated to the UK from a country that offers better quality of life and services and support. But I love the UK culture and weather and diversity and opportunities and (some of) the history. There's a lot of things that are awful in this country but a lot of great things too.

"Can we have a thread about how the UK isn't doing so well compared to similar countries?"

LOOK AT THE TALIBAN... THE SLUMS IN SIERRA LEONE...

Everywhere dirty. Even market towns in the stockbrooker belt are reminiscent of the North during the miners strike.

I have had really good treatment on the NHS within the last year. So have other members of my family. My friend is currently getting fantastic treatment from the Christie. Not everyone waits for years. Too many do, but not everyone.
Calling people self centred because their experience doesn't match yours is childish.

Groceries have always been relatively cheap in the Uk, though? We spent far less of our income on groceries compared to their European countries. They’re noticeably more expensive in the US as well. Of course, other things are cheaper there like petrol and eating out. Books are another thing that are cheaper here than many other countries. Stamps were way cheaper here than in most of the world for decades and have now finally caught up.

Australia is so expensive! Food shopping there is insane. A meal deal equivalent is around £12!

It must be pretty shit - we're seeing economic emigration for the first time in a long time 🙁

This. Sometimes more expensive than the UK, in fact.

$6-7 for a takeaway coffee in New York. Around £4 in London.

I don’t think it’s more expensive than many other western countries. There are so many things to do here for free. Every weekend we can go to an art gallery, a museum, there’s often a free festival or event. There is an excellent and varied food scene and it keeps improving.

Half my family are French and I grew up there and spend half the year there. You probably have a different view if you are going there for a couple of weeks, but the quality of food has declined, it’s expensive for what you get, and there isn’t as much variety. You pay for nearly all the galleries and museums, family days out are so expensive compared to the UK.

France is hopeless if you have allergies. We went this summer and my daughter could only eat a salad in most places.

I am in London and actually find housing is cheaper here than the likes of Sydney, Melbourne, Vancouver, New York, Singapore, Hong-Kong, Tel aviv, Munich.

In fact I am singaporean and my london flat is the same price as a lot of government flats over there which I can't qualify for because I have a British spouse (he needs to get PR) and I need to sell my London flat and wait for 15 months before buying a government flat. And a private condo there is 60% more expensive (and doesn't have all the restrictions). So tax being lower doesn't help much

Singapore is also basically the only developed economy where citizen couples (and singles above 35) can purchase an affordable home in a major city.