To be beginning to think there is some sort of bot presence here starting threads doing down the UK?

[MrsBixbysMinkCoat]

I am so fed up with it. Nearly every day there is a thread about how awful the UK is. Today it's about how filthy we are compared to other places. A couple of days ago it was about how shyte it is here. Moaning about the NHS, weather, transport, about how Ukrainian refugees feel sorry for us, about bloody everything.

There are lots of things I dislike about Britain in 2024. However, this is still a beautiful country where the vast majority of people live peacefully. The very worst thing about this country is that we don't realise how bloody lucky we are. It's not too hot like Southern Europe (sunning yourself on a beach in 38 degrees might be lovely; working in a kitchen every day much less so), not too cold like Russia or part of Canada. We don't get hurricanes like the Southern US has just dealt with. We don't get floods on the scale of Bangladesh. We don't get earthquakes like Japan or Haiti. We don't have volcanoes like Iceland or Italy. We don't have poisonous snakes and spiders like Australia or India. We don't have wild animals stopping us roaming freely like Africa. We don't have drug cartels running things on a huge scale like parts of South America. Neither do we live under despotic rule like North Korea. We don't live in daily fear or famine like the horn of Africa or of war like the Middle East. Our women are reasonably free and not forced to live diminished lives like in Afghanistan.

We live in a generally benign Western democracy and yes times have been hard and yes some of that has been self inflicted - eg via Brexit - and yes we have struggled with leadership too removed from working class priorities. Yes there are knife crime issues and gangs in some of our cities and towns and I wish there weren't. But on balance in a global scale this is fucking paradise compared to many people's lives.

Please can we have a thread bigging up the UK instead of this constant, neverending, tone deaf whingeing, that really is one of the worst things about the British (and possibly, the English most specifically).

Really? What’s with this no one can be criticising Starmer for real. Of course many are I just think Labour voters haven’t had it much until now

No problem with anyone criticising anyone :/ The issue is with posts that follow a particular linguistic pattern and tend to mirror the main lines of political attack used by opposition parties and the gutter press. Honestly it’s very obvious to anyone who does analysis for a living.

I doubt it. People cast 'bot' about on here like confetti. To anyone not pro Starmer pretty much

I've been hear for ages, I can mostly tell who is making stuff up and have seen the rise in 'bot' 'HQ' from pro Labour

Apolitia · Today 11:30

No problem with anyone criticising anyone :/ The issue is with posts that follow a particular linguistic pattern and tend to mirror the main lines of political attack used by opposition parties and the gutter press. Honestly it’s very obvious to anyone who does analysis for a living

Do you think the same about the constant criticism of Tories?

Yes well the Tories deserve the bashing they get. They are the reason why standards have dropped. They ripped the country off aided and abetted by the hard of thinking, envious, resentful, spiteful and economically inactive.

In the Millennium Dome my favourite thing was an exhibit of things that were typically British. It was a joyful collection of 100 things, ranging from bluebell woods and phoneboxes to M&S underwear.

I think we also need to remember that there's nothing Brits love more than having a whinge - which can be cathartic too.

What I love is that the Facebook algorithm has me accurately pegged as a sentimental middle-aged woman - I am bombarded with a virtuous circle of feel-good posts.

@Apolitia is it possible for you to give some examples of the particular linguistic patterns?

I moved to the UK about 13 years ago. I’ve worked and lived in other countries, Ireland, China and the USA.

I really like it here, people are generally courteous and polite. I personally have had a lot of care from the NHS, if I lived in the USA or Ireland again, unless my employer paid for a very high level of insurance. I wouldn’t get this because of pre existing health issues.

Education is good (as far as I can see but I do think the whole phonics things is silly….).

There is history, resources and access to opportunity.

Im quite pleased to live here. It’s not perfect, but where is?

if I lived in the USA or Ireland again, unless my employer paid for a very high level of insurance. I wouldn’t get this because of pre existing health issues.

You can't be denied insurance or charged more for it in the USA due to preexisting medical conditions.

https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/community-rating/

Nah. It’s proprietary natural language processing for particular market subsectors.

I agree, especially about people who haven't lived abroad. Anywhere can be heavenly when you're enjoying it as a visitor. When you're actually living in another country you see the downsides of everyday life. And many countries are less friendly to foreign workers than Britain is.

Having worked in several other countries in and beyond Europe, I have many happy memories. Yet I certainly appreciate England a lot more now than before I had anywhere else to compare it with.

24 hrs news and SM are the culprits. We are exposed to doom and fucking gloom every second of every day with thousands of different outlets with their own agendas.

Tune out of all of this and life looks immediately rosier..

It’s true.

Children need to be taught that consuming too much 24 news junk (it’s hardly informed and quality panorama documentaries - more rapid fire media bias headlines) and social media, makes you overly negative and cynical, managing a healthier media diet can make you happier and more positive).

'Typical bloody Mumsnet that in requesting a thread bigging up the UK I end up having to repeatedly defend my credentials - based on one throwaway line in my opening post '

Hahaha typical MN OP that thinks your post is read by you and people who are identical to you. Every word you post is subject to interpretation and that 'throwaway line' was most relatable to me and another 'throwaway' line might be relatable to someone else. We can not all be the same.

The misconception that Africa is filled with wild animals has for a long time been due to negative media representation. You clearly believe it and hence said it in your 'throwaway line' either due to ignorance or a lack of geography.

Yes I repeat I have never seen a wild animal, after having being born and bred! That is 100% the truth so do not invalidate my own experiences.

I hope at least you can take from this conversation how it comes across when mentioning other countries but then when it comes to Africa it's referred to as a place filled with wild animals.

This negative ignorance and lack of knowledge about African geography and diversity needs to stop.

I wish you a lovely day.

'Typical bloody Mumsnet that in requesting a thread bigging up the UK I end up having to repeatedly defend my credentials - based on one throwaway line in my opening post '

Hahaha typical MN OP that thinks your post is read by you and people who are identical to you. Every word you post is subject to interpretation and that 'throwaway line' was most relatable to me and another 'throwaway' line might be relatable to someone else. We can not all be the same.

The misconception that Africa is filled with wild animals has for a long time been due to negative media representation. You clearly believe it and hence said it in your 'throwaway line' either due to ignorance or a lack of geography.

Yes I repeat I have never seen a wild animal, after having being born and bred! That is 100% the truth so do not invalidate my own experiences.

I hope at least you can take from this conversation how it comes across to be specific when mentioning other countries but then when it comes to Africa it's referred to as a place filled with wild animals. This ignorance and lack of knowledge about African geography and diversity needs to stop.

I wish you a lovely day.

FYI OP I do not disagree with your post in general. And yes I read it all. I just called attention to that your throwaway line.

@Rorymyers
How can it be ignorance or a lack of geography when I have now said 3 or 4 times on this thread that I was brought up in East Africa?

It's really annoying how you persist with this line of thinking when I have already debunked it over and over. Just stop.