To think that the UK is not that bad?

[QuickCoralMoose]

My family is moving from the US to the UK next year. (One of us is British, the other American). From a religious red state to Northern England near Newcastle. But all of our family and friends are telling us that it’s a bad decision - the UK is dangerous, stabbings in every school, no one can afford anything, we won’t be able to get appropriate medical treatment if anything is wrong etc.

Bearing in mind all the issues the US has (and we wouldn’t be able to afford a super safe area in a blue state with good schools anyway), am I wrong to think that a village in the north of England is going to be a safer environment for our kids?

We are pretty simple in my opinion. Don’t need a fancy house, drive old cars, just want a community, volunteering opportunities and safe places to walk the dog plus obviously a safe school and friends for us and the kids if that makes any difference to anyone’s answer.

The only drills that our local schools do are fire drills

Tbf I agree it's gone downhill but i genuinely think this is area dependent.

I got a same day GP appt for a non urgent issue this week and my kids always get same day appts Had v good experience with the local hospital recently.

I can't speak for Newcastle though. No idea what it's like up there.

'Stabbings in every school' is just complete nonsense.

I'm not a massive fan of what this country has become and think there are many better ones I'd love to live in but I would never move to the USA!

The NHS does need more funding but is still better than US healthcare and you do have to option of private medical insurance or just paying if you want to. Medical care is WAY cheaper than in the US too! As is food. The food is also less full of crap and carcinogens.

The USA has much more knife crime than the UK btw.

I've been lucky enough to live in several countries, and they've all had their pros and cons - the UK too. You know what though, in a medical emergency your care is free and quick; schools are free and many are good; the political system has more than one party and you are free to vote for whoever you want; women have the same rights as men; gay people can marry and have children; many of the cities have fantastic opportunities for work. I can tell you with absolute certainty that some of this list is not possible in a great number of countries and that is why the UK is one of the best places I have lived and why I will stay for a while longer yet. The weather is pretty crappy but otherwise there is an awful lot worse out there.

Morpeth is lovely OP. Lots of nice shops and restaurants and only about 20/25 minutes to the centre of Newcastle. It used to be our local town although we're now out in the wilds near the Scottish border.

You can be in Edinburgh on the train in just over an hour and there are some gorgeous beaches not too far away. Alnwick is only about 20 minutes in the car. I haven't got any personal experience of the schools but friends who've had kids there say they are good.

We drive 40 minutes to get to Morpeth Tandoori as a treat. It's an excellent Indian takeaway.

You have chosen a lovely part of Northumberland. I am biased because I absolutely love Northumberland and wouldn't live anywhere else. We actually came back from Portugal to Northumberland.

To be honest I love the UK weather. I adore that we have seasons, the change brings me pure happiness

It's lovely that you enjoy it, @WhatTheFudges, though all this is available with New England's reliable seasons too. Winter looks like a Christmas card, spring's gorgeous with bulbs and blossom, you know there'll be a nice summer and autumn needs no advertisement

Very little crime in much of it too, but naturally it's horses for courses and what suits one won't work for another

The UK is awful, pray you don't need nhs health care for anything serious.
I have a 4 year old who has been on the waiting list for surgery for 3 months and still no sign of an appointment, abscess from a traumatic injury, in pain, constant infections and a high fever.. Just miserable.
A&E will only treat the symptoms of infection but won't remove the problem if he developed sepsis.
Poor are being punished in this country (despite paying national insurance your whole life), if you're rich you don't have to worry.
Think if I wasn't paying NI already for substandard healthcare I'd pay private instead!

and in that 2 hours…. dozens of mumsnet posts! 😆

It will be fine , the Northeast has some fabulous coast line, great countryside and lots of other things which make it a fantastic place to live. The weather can be a bit miserable from November to March, but bring a big coat and you'll be right.

I wouldn't ever live in US. Visited but would never live there!
I find the people complaining about uk usually haven't lived elsewhere!

I would move solely for the reason that my kids wouldn't have to go through shooter drills at school.

You may be interested in this, NetDesMamans1: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/active-shooter-training-requirements-law-enforcement-by-state/#:~:text=While%20a%20majority%20of%20states,shooting%20at%20Sandy%20Hook%20Elementary.

As with so much else it's done by state and not all require them by any means - including Connecticut, which is perhaps ironic considering that's where Sandy Hook is

I think it's so weird that someone says 'what's the UK like' and that's the very first thing that you focus on.

How many trans people are in the police force? 0.0 something percent?

I complain plenty about the UK, it definitely has its cons and I've lived in 4 different countries, including the US. Everywhere has it's good and bad, but the UK has an awful lot of bad, esp when you factor in some of the lowest salaries in the western world with some of the highest taxes in the western world.

Mostly it’s kid on kid stabbing in south east London.
Im moving to around Newcastle next year, it’s cheap and lovely. You’ll be fine.

Nowheres perfect, I would say though if moving to Morpeth I hope the whole family is white, we recently stayed there on a holiday and people were more than happy to be openly and vocally racist.

I’ve lived in both, like most countries it depends where you lived, I really liked where I lived in the US, probably more than where I lived in the UK and I would consider living there again, where as I can’t see myself living in the UK again. Different places suit different people.

The UK is absolutely fine..... and you're moving to the best part of it (imo).

I have lived in the US (west Texas) and there is no comparison. I now live in the middle east and we are actually in the process of moving back to the UK with our family as I would rather they were brought up in the UK. Most of the negatives you hear are coming from people who've never lived anywhere else so really don't know how fortunate they are.

Of course, like everywhere, there are nasty individuals and small pockets of small minded idiots but I assure you, they are a minority by far.

Morpeth is wonderful, most of Northumberland is - cold, yes, but wonderful. I hope you will feel very welcomed and happy in the north east

What an absolute stalker you are. Are you counting my posts now. I'm actually a bit worried about you. I've reported you.

If only there was a way to block someone on here.

If anyone else doesnt understand. Clickclack8 has been following me across multiple threads and writing comments on my behaviour.

I said I was going for a beach walk on this thread. She then came on to another thread and said "I thought you were going on a beach walk". I wrote "yes I did go for a walk two hours ago".

Then she came back to this thread and wrote

"And in that 2 hours.....dozens of mumsnet posts".

Can you stop stalking me now clickclack8.

Following me across multiple threads and counting how many posts I wrote when I "should have been out on a walk" is bizarre behaviour.