To think the UK can't be all bad?

[Condensedmilkaddict]

I live in a town where there are lot of English migrants.
To hear them talk you would think that the UK exists in lawlessness, that your government is inept, your health service woeful and the country full of anarchic immigrants.
It makes me sad to hear this because my family is from England. I was the first one born here.
So...AIBU to think there are some great things about the UK too?
What are they?

Due to the wet weather, you can turn the tap on, brush your teeth with the tap running, and turn it off when you are done. In many hotter countries this is a luxury so instead they have to turn tap on to wet their toothbrush, turn tap off, brush teeth, turn tap on to rinse toothbrush then turn tap off.

But we should all be brushing without running the tap. It's just wasteful to run it.

Fwiw, I think those English migrants are right, but there are still some good things.

We have the NHS. Income support. Erm...that's it from me.

they read The Daily Mail - that's all. so don't talk to people who read right-wing tabloids.

problem sorted.

Actually they don't Jennyslinger. They say that they are very glad to have left behind the BNP.

ROFL at the best thing about the UK being that you get to waste water ...

Good things about the UK:

1. People in the UK really do get irony. I don't know whether having really foul weather has caused this to happen.
2. The cultural life is rich and varied. Lots and lots of theatre and fresh books and music and quirky debates.
3. The architecture is marvellous. Really. I've spent quite a lot of time in the US where they get terribly overexcited about horrifically ugly skyscrapers. There is something pretty calming and wonderful about a perfect Georgian square.
4. The wildlife here is not going to kill you. The spiders are a nice modest English size and they are not lethal.
5. You are never ever going to have to spend money on suncream or sunglasses.
6. The political system is frankly absurd. Only in England would you have MPs claiming expenses on duckhouses. You have a royal family who are all nuts but we pay them a fortune so we can laugh at them.
7. Shakespeare.
8. The health service is indeed woeful and kills off many people. But it is free (yes, you do get what you pay for) and provides a secondary topic of conversation.
9. The main topic of conversation in the UK is the weather. Which is strange given that the weather here is so uniform. Grey skies are the norm. More here than anywhere else in Europe. Quite a lot of the time it rains. The tempreature is pretty constant and almost always requires layers of clothes.

10. It's diverse and lots of cultures exist side-by-side. Massive variety and interest. 11. Some of the landscape is amazing.

my experience is that people in the UK think sarcasm is irony. My experience is that American's are far better at seeing the humour in irony and understanding its not saying 'great whether we are having today' when its raining.

Thank you Quattro.
I suspect I have been watching too much Escape To The Country and longing to live in a manor house. Please tell me that's how you all live, and you ride bikes with straw baskets into the village where the local characters gather and support the local parish priest who is of course female. And your local police constable is young and hunky and crimes are solved by little old clever ladies...

But big yes to the culture. I will definitely bring that up next time they are talking.

And Quattro - ROFL at your number 6. That's the best argument for the royal family I have ever heard.

Wasteful with water? Well I suppose its liking being a millionaire of water instead of money, instead of choosing to buy an incredibly expensive car which would be wasteful for someone who didn't have £250k, I can splash out and leave the tap on whilst brushing.

Quattro- I totally agree with number 4!

Those migrants that decry the UK are usually the ones that are trying a little to hard to justify their move. Dig a little deeper and these are the ones that are inwardly missing the UK. I saw it many times when I lived in Australia.

My hubby says one good thing about living in the UK - it's not malarial!

The NHS saved my DD's life for free when she was born at 27 weeks, so that scores highly in my book!

I agree with architecture and water. And due to the weather, there are the most beautiful rolling green vistas.

Good things about the UK:

-There is a feeling of 'belonging' which is perpetrated by the strong media culture - radio, newspapers etc.
-People can be very friendly and helpful, even perfect strangers.
-It's a great place to visit but I don't really want to live there.

My family's quality of living is higher in Belgium - my children can walk to and from school, cycling is a normal and common mode of transport, because we live close to the centre of a town every weekend we can take part in culture activities for the whole family.

The only thing I miss is the sense of belonging that you get in the UK. Even my dh misses this, and he is flemish!

The NHS gets a lot of stick but it can be excellent and world class. I know a belgian mother who is taking her blind and disabled baby to London for specialist treatment that she cannot find for him in Belgium.

1- the countryside is amazing. Diverse, beautiful and rich.
2- pubs - they are great
3- never having to worry about poisonous spiders/snakes/insects/wolves/bears etc
4 - a really good press. We have a wide variety of news sources with high quality reporting and great freedom.
5- good roads and road safety
6- a culture of not drinking and driving
7- reliable police who are not generally corrupt
8 emergency healthcare that is free to anyone - you can come here on holiday or even as an illehal immigrant and call an ambulance if you need one
9- free healthcare full stop, that is usually high quality

Oh god there are loads.

Free healthcare has to be the biggie - it's not the case that "you get what you pay for" as quattro asserted above.There are more people who have excellent care in the NHS than who do not.
Btter driving all round - whenever I have been to anywhere else in Europe I have been shocked at the state of the driving.
A very good police service (echo the "not corrupt" comment by Kat).
Am ROFL at quattro's summing up of the royal family .
Really rich history and pre-history.

NHS is amazing, Only have to watch American tv for ive minutes to realise why we have it. My personal experiecne of the NHS has been fantastic, as have others in my family. My Grandma had a breast cancer diagnosis, was scanned, treated and well again in a matter of weeks. They even looked after my grandad while she had the op, and she now has 3 new bras and a prothesis on the NHS (very nice lacy bras....)

English summers are so lovely. Made extra special by the rare sunshine. I love it when its a tiny but hot and everyone goes mad in shprts and paddling pools

Health and safety.... yes its apain but seatbelts and risk assessments are life savers...

Termperate climate - not too hot, not too cold.

Agree with friendly wildlife...

English is a super dooper language

Multicultural feel in big cities

UK is great, but has some problems, life all countries but I think we have some of the big ones covered.

And if you think our mps are bad look at some of the europena countries!!Now they knw how to create scandel

There's loads.

We have 50% of the worlds daffodils, 99% of the bluebells, it's normally green not brown and even when it snows it seldom lasts long.

Driving in the UK can still be fun if you choose your time carefully, we have some of the best creativity in the world - I just can't admire Europop - and we are the masters of ludicrous compromise - just look at fox hunting. Our sewers generally work and we have fewer killer diseases than other countries. The police are generally not corrupt and with a couple of notable exceptions our doctors know what they are doing.

And where else in the world can you get really good asparagus?

I love spring.

yanbu it can't be all bad otherwise why do so many people risk thier lives to get here

Kathyjelly - Belgium is well known for it's asparagus! We had some growing in the school opposite my house (in little specially made hills), I didn't know what it was, dh told me.

Seriously, the UK and anywhere in the developed world is an amazing stroke of luck. We have the luxury of freedom, choice and plenty. In the UK, of course, we also have the state providing for those of us who are less well off. Not many of us have to really worry about food, heat, light, shelter. Add to this, the many things listed above and I think it's pretty obvious what's great about being here.

We're an odd little collection of islands with an inflated sense of our importance and responsibility on the world stage but we're still one of the richest nations in the world and I love living here.

I've been all over the world, literally, and I still think this is the best place to live. Australia would come a close second but I'm all for the UK (in case you couldn't tell).

It is home-the rest of the world is just for holidays.
The basics are free here-you will get healthcare and education whatever your financial circumstances.
Those who dont like it are free to leave-yes FREE.That's what's great about living in the uk.

Oh yes - we are free to dress, think, date, shag, express, believe whatever we choose. Of course it isn't as simple as that but in the UK you will always find pockets of people who you identify with, whatever your viewpoint on anything. In many many countries you stick to the status quo in behaviour, religion, dress etc because not to is deeply shameful. And I'm not even talking middle east here - southern italy is not an easy place for a gay person to grow up, for example.

Ooh, and I forgot - we have non-commercial tv channels.