Moving abroad has made me realise how bloody dire the UK is

[MattHancocksPrivateNurse]

We moved abroad 4 months ago and after the normal wobbles and adjustments I am now shocked at how different (and much better!) life is. We have considerably more spending money despite paying for private school and healthcare (which are much much better than the UK). It’s safer, considerably cleaner, better public services and much better food quality.

already I can’t see us ever going back and already want to explore somewhere new eventually! But if anyone is feeling low and despondent about the uk which we really were and gets an opportunity (or has a transferable job) I would 100000% recommend looking into it.

i wish we had done it 10 years ago tbh. AIBU to never come back bar the odd visit to see family and friends?!

I think the phrase "it's nice if the police catch the burglars" says it all really.
Nice??? 🤯🤦‍♀️

Your money goes further because of slaves and human trafficking

Pictures are hung, people are hanged btw.

Other than that your statement is not really useful without a list of capital offences.
Wikipedia kindly provides the following list
Under Omani law, capital offenses are murder, drug trafficking, arson, piracy, terrorism, kidnapping, recidivism of aggravated offenses punishable by life imprisonment, leading an armed group that engages in spreading disorder (such as by sabotage, pillage or killing), espionage, treason and perjury causing wrongful execution.

👍

So basically you are on a working holiday.

Plenty of places in the UK that are nice and have little crime, let alone sexual assaults. I work with “difficult” kids with SEN from the roughest estates in the county and have never been spat at despite having multiple INSETs telling me it’s “normal”.
I believe ME culture has a fair bit of spitting, even if you aren’t seeing it now.?

Oman, like many other ME countries, has a lot of modern slavery. So yes, as a white family, you're going to have a nice life. Build on the back of very very many poor people working as domestic workers and low-skilled laborers, who have had to leave their families and enter into indentured slavery, where they have their passports removed and are essentially trapped with no way out.

If you'd just moved to a different country, comparable to the UK, Australia, Germany etc, and were singing the praises of it comparable to the UK, fair enough. But you can't compare the ME to the UK.

The violence and the negativity absolutely exists there for the poor. Just not the rich white expats.

We are in France and I often think this.
The healthcare is a big one; I’d be too scared to have a baby on the NHS to be honest. Some of the stories I read on here about childbirth - even the ‘normal’ ones, are awful by French standards. Here everyone is in hospital for a week, however your labour goes down. Own room, bed for your husband in the room. Midwife / nurse visits your house for ten days afterwards. Also schools are generally excellent if not a bit old fashioned (although I am starting to think this is maybe a good thing) very well organised, mostly smaller classes, excellent food for the children actually properly sourced locally & cooked by someone at the school; and general standards of public stuff - roads, litter, green spaces; all very well cared for- people are happy to pay tax to spend on these things. Some of the harshest penal punishments are for defacing public property eg smashing a bus stop or traffic sign, these things belong to everyone so it’s harshly punished. There is still a sense of everyone is united, even if people are different; I get the impression the UK has lost this really.
I think people in the UK have low expectations now of public services and everyone believed the austerity lie..
My issues with France is the amount of bureaucracy to get official things done; although that is improving slowly, and also the rigidness of things like working hours; I personally prefer the UK’s more flexible / capitalist approach rather than everyone being stuck at 35hrs a week come hell or high water. The thing I miss about the UK is how open minded most people are (you don’t realise this until you live in a culture where there is less multiculturalism) and even though I speak pretty much fluent French I still appreciate hugely how easy chatting in English is!

What "austerity" did we have? Spendings grew just at a slower rate. What should the gov have done after the financial crisis?

Aren’t there currently mass protests by students about the abhorrent standards in French state schools?

Me too. I rolled my eyes when I read the title of this thread

So if I move to Switzerland, I will be allowed by the good people of MN to say that the UK is shit in comparison? 🤔

hmmm... that's hypocrisy and racism tbf.

Poverty in the UK is absolutely appalling for a country that MNetters call so much more civilised and democratic than ME. Have you ever seen the sign "We pay the living wage"? Do you understand what it actually means?

On my very quick visit to Oman, I was shouted at by various passersbys including women to cover my head. I was very modestly dressed. It was also the weekend and everyone had to wash their car by law. Unless a lot has changed in 15 years I can't see the attraction myself.

I absolutely loved living in Oman. Would happily live there again, I had an amazing time. But I also love my part of the UK.

I think this shows the French still won't accept shit from their governments like we do.

Oman is a beautiful country! But I have grown a soft spot for the UK. I quite like it here 😊

I don’t believe you.

Even 50 years ago I was never asked to, or expected to cover my head. And it’s certainly not the case today - that women have to cover their head. In fact never has there been (unfortunately) so much flesh in show by those visiting the country either long term or short term. Even Omani women are under no duress to cover their head.

And as for cars having to be kept clean - so what?

Im pretty sure that even if you tried harder to pull the wool over people’s eyes concerning Oman I’d still see through you. I wouldn’t bother trying harder next time if I were you.

British people living and breathing today should suffer for the actions of other British 100- 200 years ago?

Very strange thought process.