Do you love the UK?

[Annabella92]

Or Britain? Or England, or Wales, or Scotland, or NI, or Spain, or the US, or Canada, or Ghana, or Greece or wherever you hail from. Do you love it? What do you love about it? AIBU to wonder if any of it is real?

Yes I do, although I don't think of myself as nationalistic at all- to me that's more about feeling superior to other nations. Sadly I think people sometimes find it hard to distinguish between the two things. To me it's like loving my children- I can love them with all my heart while also understanding that other people feel exactly the same about their children.

Things I love- the weather, the countryside, our native birds and animals, English literature, our tendency to distrust cant, our food history (before it was effed up by two lots of rationing and a tendency to defer to the French), our sense of humour and willingness to joke, our coastline, cheeses, puddings, beer, the Venerable Bede, the many interesting things about our language, parts of our constitution and political history, folk music, punk, I could go on all day...

(If anyone is tempted to think, "But other countries also have cheese and interesting language etc", I refer you to my first paragraph.)

I despise the UK state but love my country. I love the culture, the social structure, the scenery, the traditions, the languages, the friendliness. Some political issues are not to my liking but they don't change my overall regard for Scotland. I also like England, it seems generally a nice place as does Wales, but like @DelilahRay above, I have no affiliation with the rest of the UK, and some of it seems culturally alien to me.

No.

I know it's better than other places but just because it's the best (or one of the better) of a bad bunch, doesn't make it great.

I do enjoy the actual land. I live in Northumberland so I like the beaches, the castles, the coast, the countryside etc. I think the weather is fine, aye it's cold in winter and often rainy but it really doesn't bother me. Warm days are a lovely treat.

No, I'm a real person

I’ve lived in countries with horrific corruption, crime, no humans rights let alone female rights, no universal health care, gun crime, homophobia attitudes. Very happy with my English village and feel very lucky to live here.
We’re down on ourselves, that’s our culture. But we’re better off than 91% of the world… on average.

I'm from the UK and used to live there, in London - I love London with all my heart.

I now live in America, and also love it, but for different reasons.

I'm a naturally positive, glass half full person though, so perhaps I'd love anywhere!

Extended resident, because of the type of residence permit I was able to gain I can apply for citizenship after three years, everyone else in the family is already a citizen.

I love Swansea because my family are here. There are lots of good things about the city. It is a city of Sanctaury for asylum seekers many of whom are women escaping sex trafficking and there are many charities who are supportive of vulnerable people. It has two excellent universities It has the most amazing coast and is the start point for the Gower coast which is the UK’s first area of outstanding beauty. Many people in Swansea are so friendly and warm. At least that is my experience. I love my city and I love Wales

Me too! Although I was born in Sweden, then lived in England (and some other places) all of my adult life. I liked England, but didn’t love it, then I completely fell out of love with it after brexit so made my move back home to Sweden and it’s the best thing I have ever done.

I agree with you about the diversity and the warm people. I went for work and my colleagues were warm and friendly, and I still keep in touch with them.

The bits of the city I saw though were dark and depressing, and I've not been inspired to go back.

Yes I do. I didn't appreciate the UK when I was younger but after living in two different foreign countries, I do now.

I'm British - no, I'm stuck with it, but I feel no affinity with it, and certainly not love!

We lived in London, which I used to love, but I started falling out with the UK when I had our son, it just wasn’t family friendly enough for us. My husbands Swedish, he hadn’t lived in Sweden since he was a child.

There are positives BUT a friend fell seriously ill
in USA yesterday, within 3 mins emergency services arrived & immediate hospital treatment followed with no wait.

Yes, I absolutely love this country. I love to visit other places but it's always good to come back home. I don't always love the way the people of the UK behave though eg. The racists and homophobia (but then you get good and bad everywhere)

if you're not sure whether the UK is real how do you know you are?

Do you @Annabella92 ?

I do, yeah. I love these hills, and the steep winding streets in my little town and the people and their humour and kindness. We are a hobbitty and wonderful place - I'm sure very disdained by many but we like it. I like my bicycle and my pasties from the market and the concerts at the weekend and the bookshops. It's a gentle and beautiful place. It feels precious.

I don't want to leave. I might have to, though, as professional jobs like mine are disappearing in England. I might have to go to America where tech is still hiring. I have lived there before and I don't hate it at all - I have good friends there. But it's not my home.

Yes I do.

I love...
the coastal walks, especially places like Cornwall where it's up and down cliffs with crashing waves.
...old country pubs with a roaring fire in winter.
...the different seasons (even tho they're not as dramatically different as they used to be)
...the quaint villages with thatched cottages.
...tea shops with homemade cake
...a pub Sunday roast
...summer evenings in a beer garden
...climbing mountains in the Lake District
...the British sense of humour
...the music

I absolutely love Northern Ireland I've lived here for over 30 years and it has given all 4 of my adult children a strong work ethic and excellent careers. I love the beaches and proximity to the sea for a swim

I don’t live in the UK anymore and unless I became independently wealthy I wouldn’t move back.

There are lots of lovely things about it, like the culture, history and some really beautiful places, but the lovely areas are eye-wateringly expensive and unattainable for most people and the cheap places are depressing and lack opportunities. It’s really difficult to get a truly good standard of living in the UK, even if you have a decent enough job. Salaries are low, affordable homes are tiny or poorly constructed, and one of the main reasons I wouldn’t live there again is that the UK really seems to lack ambition and a drive to compete on the world stage or be truly innovative.

Yes, love it. But I live in London which is the greatest city in the world.

No I don't. I don't feel welcome despite my parent and I being born here.

I’ve travelled quite a lot in the UK and abroad but I love and live in Scotland, it’s not crowded, I love the people and our simply stunning varied landscape, the multiple rivers and lochs, the peace and quiet, the long summer days, our amazing wildlife even the bloody rain. I wouldn’t live anywhere else for all the money in the world.