Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be fed up of the constant bashing of the UK?

107 replies

Drind · 28/12/2025 17:46

I am currently away for Christmas with extended family and family friends in a very nice part of southern Europe.

It is lovely here, but I’m thoroughly fed up with the endless comparison to the UK. We all come from a smallish town in the midlands and if we see something nice here it is immediately ‘yes that’s lovely. Not like the shit hole we live in’. We see a palace and it’s ’you wouldn't see that in our town centre, would you?’ Well clearly fucking not because we live in a old fishing town not in the middle of London.

Then we’ll go to a nice restaurant and it’s ’no point in opening a Michelin restaurant where we live, it’s too deprived’. Or walking back to the hotel it’s ’at home you’d be watching chavs vomiting in the streets, not like these lovely clean streets’.

It is so wearing. I defend the UK and I’m told they’re joking and not to take it so seriously but it is endless.

Various mentions of the ‘lower class’ people at home too. It is driving me mad. Why are people so obsessed with doing the UK down? I know it has got its problems, but it is not that different from other European countries which also have their prosperous and struggling areas.

Not sure it matters but these are left leaning people too, not people desperate to criticise the country as a way of voicing political criticism.

OP posts:
SoIf · 30/12/2025 12:55

I had an old school friend on FB who made the move to the other side of the world and was forever posting pics of his wonderful new life full of sun, beers outside by the pool, more sun, look at my wonderful new apartment, more sun sun sun. He loved his life there. Living in paradise. Pictures were full of him and his wife in the sun (at least one every other day)! Not like you lot in rainy old England was commented on several times.

Lots of friends back here also commented jealous of his new life. Me included as it looked lovely.

Next thing we know he's coming home due to it was hard to get decent affordable housing, they felt isolated, life was too expensive but the kicker was...it was too damned hot!

He's back now in our 'rainy town' and doesnt talk about it much despite getting some ribbing 😂

Maybe your friends are trying to make themselves feel better for the decisions they made by putting you and your life down.

Original poster
Drind · 30/12/2025 13:46

SoIf · 30/12/2025 12:55

I had an old school friend on FB who made the move to the other side of the world and was forever posting pics of his wonderful new life full of sun, beers outside by the pool, more sun, look at my wonderful new apartment, more sun sun sun. He loved his life there. Living in paradise. Pictures were full of him and his wife in the sun (at least one every other day)! Not like you lot in rainy old England was commented on several times.

Lots of friends back here also commented jealous of his new life. Me included as it looked lovely.

Next thing we know he's coming home due to it was hard to get decent affordable housing, they felt isolated, life was too expensive but the kicker was...it was too damned hot!

He's back now in our 'rainy town' and doesnt talk about it much despite getting some ribbing 😂

Maybe your friends are trying to make themselves feel better for the decisions they made by putting you and your life down.

We all still live in the same town. We were just on holiday.

OP posts:
Hiptothisjive · 30/12/2025 13:58

KimuraTan · 28/12/2025 19:31

Err, because by a lot of comparisons the UK isn’t a desirable place to live in. Overcrowded and unaffordable with people working to their bones yet nothing to show for it. The NHS is on its knees - why wait more than 4 weeks for a knee replacement and 6 week wait time for cancer surgery??! It’s a shithole where you can’t get anything done yet pay through the nose to live in it. Zero work life balance among other things. Loss of soft power in the wider world, career politicians who climb the greasy pole regardless of who voted them in, the government would rather see it’s citizens shot than „negotiating with terrorists“, yadayada..

Go fly you’re St. George‘s flag but don’t expect others to see England in the same light you do. The grass isn’t always greener but there’s not much than comes to mind albeit from next day delivery (on the back of the people who work to get items to you) that would set England apart in a good way.

Edited

Yeah I tend to agree. I have lived in Europe in several countries and am from across the pond.I think the reason people ash the UK is because they remember it so much better and want it to return to this state.

There isn’t a lot to think is better in any respect and I would suggest OP maybe you don’t like being reminded or perhaps British pride feels hurt? I don’t say that to be snide but there absolutely is a British snobbery abiut being British that exists (ask any foreigner 😂).

Needlenardlenoo · 30/12/2025 17:23

I'm in Tenerife at the moment (where the per capita income is well below the UK) and it is extremely noticeable how much cleaner and tidier it is and how well and recently constructed the infrastructure is. It was the same in my last 3 trips abroad (France and Portugal).

Service is excellent too.

The UK has a lot going for it but the public realm has really degenerated and service is often poor.

HipHopDontYouStop · 30/12/2025 17:28

UK is alright. It is stunning in some parts but then most countries are stunning in some parts. It’s not something unique to the UK.

I think the standard of living is not great.

Poor public transport service that is expensive and unreliable. Poor roads.

Health service not great. No NHS dentists!

Higher education fees are high.

Things like public loos are invariably disgusting.

Instead of regarding it as bashing, perhaps take it as constructive criticism.

parakeet · 30/12/2025 17:42

SilverGlitterBaubles · 29/12/2025 10:17

@DrindI agree but in general what we get and what’s available to the average person here is lower quality. I go to Spain, France and Italy and there are markets full of fresh produce. The equivalent where I live here is only available from a twice a month farmer’s market at very high prices certainly not for the average weekly family shop. It is just hard to live and eat well in this country on an average income.

Bit puzzled by this. Any large supermarket is full of a huge range of fresh produce. Do you live in a very remote area?

whatcanthematterbe81 · 30/12/2025 18:05

So boring. Tell them to move then. Gets on my nerves too but then I love where I live

New posts on this thread. Refresh page