Please someone be honest, is it really that bad?

[Coffeetimeagain]

In the uk now?

I’m British but live in another European country, I want to move back but Dh is adamant it’s too dangerous and wouldn’t be the best for Dd
All I keep seeing on my Ig is all these attacks and frightening things, is this realistic where you are??
I am seeing all of Europe is becoming more dangerous, including where we are and it makes me worried

For some reason I’m developing a bit of anxiety about this, so want honest answers if possible 🙏

It's no more dangerous than anywhere else and considerably less dangerous than a lot of places. The attacks are bad but are rare and are being weaponised for political reasons.

What is bad and getting worse is the economic situation in the UK, due to the effects of Tory austerity and Brexit which has really visibly impoverished the country..plus Labours attempts to remedy the mess are painful and of limited success..

In all likelihood we will have a Reform governmeny in a few years time and they will make the Liz Truss debacle look like the work of a political genius

So in your shoes I would be saying put, not because of the danger but because 14 years of austerity and Brexit have wrecked the country and there's worse to come.

It's the same Britain it ever was. We're hilarious. We're kind and compassionate. Things are expensive. But it's the same country.

Did I mention we're hilarious?

Which area?

I live in a town that recently had an attack. Aside from flags on lampposts it is the same here. If I spent my time reading the local paper or on local social media I might have a different opinion, but I go out into the real world and it isn’t dangerous or horrible here

Everything is broken esp the NHS if you need it. People have changed, largely entitled wankers, rude too. I'd stay where you are if you are able for the time being. I would love to leave but other half not interested.

I see this is your first ever post on MN, OP. I’m sure all your concerns are entirely legitimate and above board but it’s interesting that you’ve picked this forum to air them, having never posted here before.

If I eliminate what I see on social media and read in the papers and only include what I have seen with my own eyes then last year a man was quite verbally abusive to passers by in our local pub and the police came. That's it! If I go into my nearest city there are issues with drugs and dunks as it was in the 90s and the 2000s. If I include what I see and read on the Internet then its an awful, violent place thats gone to the dogs. Even had a few weekends in London and Manchester and not witnessed anything particularly bad. My elderly parents caught the train to Birmingham on their own last week and had a group of men with cans of beer help them get their bags on to the train and ask others if they could stand so my dad who uses a stick could have a seat. Even one moved and helped happily.

What the sarcastic comment? I also grew up when the IRA was active and lived in London at the time of the Harrods bomb, mine and my family's everyday life has none of those worries

Random lone wolf terrorists can literally strike anywhere in the world but as a general rule the risk is infinitesimal

I don't know if the OP is coming back but also very interested to know what accounts on IG she's following

Well, we live in a postcode area that classes as deprived and only last night someone quietly abandoned a supermarket trolley beside our house. Absolute scenes obvs.

The truth of it is that here is no worse than a lot of places and better than a lot. I think both of you should probably come off social media if what you describe there is what you're seeing for the most part.

Clearly the OP is new to the ways of mumsnet, why else would her thread title pre-suppose that no one is going to honestly tell her the truth about the UK?

Although it might be helpful to her to point out that maybe the whole population of the UK doesn't have the same experience

Here are some interesting graphs.

People love to create fear. Sure, there are some nasty neighbourhoods but that's true in most countries. There is less crime in places like Dubai and Singapore but the UK is pretty safe on the whole.

Errrrrr -crime is down partly because much is not reported.
Shoplifting is RIFE even in my quiet corner of the country. Doesn’t get reported does it?

From Google -‘Approximately 80,000 mobile phones were stolen in the UK last year, with a significant number of these thefts occurring in London. The overall trend shows a sharp increase in phone thefts, particularly in urban areas.’

Burglary is down cos there’s no market for tv or microwaves. But targeted burglary is up.

just listening to radio4 there’s mention of millions of pounds of vat being missed by dodgy ‘businesses’ on Amazon and small shops, so much fraudulent emails and phone calls. This leaves me feeling a bit unsettled and out of control as no one,least of all the Gov, can fix it.

We have 2 immigrant hotels. Lots of men chatting,drinking coffee in the town. Polite and no problem but I’m 70 not 17.

This doesn’t impact me day to day except for the out of my control discomfort.
NHS is hit or miss.
But other countries could be similar.

Honestly, I think the whole world is becoming more unstable. But the UK is a lot safer than many other countries and of course the media sensationalise everything - as they always have done. I doubt you'd notice any difference here now from the time you left (unless that was in the 1950's)!

I have lived overseas for years in the past. I think the U.K. is much safer, more organised with better prospects than most places certainly in Europe. The standard of education and universities is very high too.

My aunt is in the South East and her experience mirrors yours. I went last year to her town, the first time since 2010 and was shocked at the difference. Everything is so run down and so many good shops have disappeared. It had a really vibrant hight street, not any more.

You can live in fear about what might happen and give yourself and your kids half a life as a consequence, or you can accept a very small risk and go out and meet life head on.

I wouldn't describe the UK as dangerous but a lot of people are struggling with all sorts of very big issues so there is a big undercurrent of dissatisfaction

This.

I'm in a city most say to avoid - but we're in a nice area - not wealthy bit there's a few of those - it's ex council but lovely and low crime stats.

Got kids braces on NHS but can't get DH or me NHS dentist so forced private- medical treatment can with bit of work access GP and have had emergcy hospital treatments which were good - but within wider family scaterred acorss UK it's hugely varraible across locations and departments and conditons.

There are parts of this city I'd be mad to walk round in at night - but not near us and avoidable - city center run down and been one of worst hit - still okay and showing signs finally of an upwards swing again.

Education been a huge worry - poor secondary and kids at uni and FE and DH career in HE - but kids have done okay so far and DH says his area fine for now. Housing as kid start to enter work place - renting and cost of buying huge issues.

Lots of niggles - biggest feeling poorer all the time as prices go up but wages mostly don't.

There are bad parts in the UK, of course, as there are in every country, but to imagine that it's become dangerous here is ridiculous.

Most of the post on my local pages are about people's cats or dogs missing, or people giving stuff away.

There are some nasty people about, the same as everywhere, but the children in my town play out on their bikes and still play hopscotch in front of their gardens.

Don't recognise your description of the UK at all.

The majority of UK including town out of big inner city areas are just very very normal, life day to day....yes, places with council estates and ghettos or inner cities do get problems but...

Brace yourselves, don't apply for a council estate in the Midlands, pay your way in life and you will have more control over the area you live in. No one holds control over the future though....

i’ve just been to my small hometown in spain and this is what i found out has happened in the last few weeks:

• local supermarket robbed at gun point

• guy threatened to be stabbed by two guys while walking out his dog at night

• friend’s son punched in the face outside his flat at 4am by guy that was waiting there just to steal his mobile phone

so maybe the whole world is becoming more dangerous.

Things do seem to have gone downhill in Europe since we imported 100 million migrants.

Definitely on a downwards spiral

I work with an Italian. He and his wife recently obtained British citizenship. He lives in central London. He says he will never go back to live in Italy full time: too much crime, aggression and rudeness in public, rising cost of living, etc etc. Then again, maybe his is a universal attitude of ex-pats, shared by the OPs husband, that their country of origin has gone to the dogs.