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?

I'm in Belgium too, and feel safer here than I did in Plymouth on a Saturday night. I agree with Belgo on the quality of life too.

However, the UK is home and always will be and we will be moving back eventually, as well as coming over to see parents and raid Sainsbury, Waitrose and M&S at regular intervals.

The weather here today is much like it is in my part of Cornwall, grey and mizzly, and sometimes it's what we call 'a Dartmoor day' as well.

I miss the scenery around where I used to be; the moors and then the view over Plymouth Sound from Kit Hill.

I miss being close to the sea Scaryteacher. But at least we live on a hill which makes me feel at home.

the water argument doesn't stand, have you all forgotten the summer 2006?

NHS -I agree that you get what you pay for, horrendous, messy thing.

Friendly, helpful people? Are you talking about the same country?

However: beautiful scenery, culture, FANTASTIC public transport (the best I have encountered and I have been around a lot), easy access to new books, films, theatres etc.

And I agree that talking about country of origin in a derogative way is something migrants tend to do to justify their being wherever they are if the move wasn't neccessarily a choice. I found myself involved with the greek community when in australia in 2004 (accidentally, I have nothing to do with greece). They were all going on about how horrible greece is, and it surfaced after a few drinks how much they missed and wished they could have stayed there.

The public transport is only fantastic if you happen to live in a city toOz; try rural Cornwall and the one bus a day that doesn't go in the direction you want.

I live about 20 mins from the centre of Brussels and the public transport here is all swept up and interlinked. Dh uses a mix of the tram and metro to get to work; there seem to be loads of buses and there is a good train system as well.

I like the UK. It isn't home so of course the way things are done are always going to seem a bit strange to me.

But on the whole people here are kind and helpful and it rains all the time and you can use as much water as you like!

The bit I inhabit (SW Central London) is full of excellent types indeed. I feel quite welcome and safe and having seen how much of the world functions have very little patience indeed for people who repeatedly slam the UK (and Australia) whilst they access safe food, water, assistance, health care, drive on roads that are not deadly and in general benefit from living in a civilised land.

Just discussing chocolate on another thread and you can't beat Belgium at Easter time for chocolate.

toOzornottoOz "the water argument doesn't stand, have you all forgotten the summer 2006?"

Snort, that wasn't a drought. If your user name is any indication you may soon be finding out what the word really means.

We were here in 2006 and everyone kept talking about droughts and hosepipe bans and it was raining every couple of weeks!

England is so soft and lush, it never ceases to amaze and please me.

Things I love about the UK

Quatrocentro's list is great. Also -

Real ale
Regional delicacies such as cornish pasties, cheeses and Devon cream teas
The NHS (for its faults, it is still a good system)
Its extensive and varied coastline
The sense of community, at least in some places

"99% of the bluebells,"

Really? Right that's one reason not to emigrate right there!

yy to real ale and the wildlife not trying t kill you.

The supermarkets have wines, cheeses, meats etc from all over the world. Nowhere else I have been has such a range of food available. In France you can only get French cheese and wine, in NZ cheese that is not yellow and square is a big novelty, in the US everything is sweetened.

1. Sense of humour.
2. I think the NHS is the envy of the world and we are lucky to have it.
3. Seasons - you can go for a walk everyday whatever season.
4. Beer.
5. We generally embrace other cultures and are not a mono culture.
6. Radio 4.

yes yes to radio 4

Also:

Sunday roasts
Beautiful countryside
Varied and lively cultural life - I seriously love the British Museum for example

The UK is generally liberal, free and beautiful.

The standard of living here is amazing.

Feel very grateful to live here - an accident of birth, no more, no less.

no life threatening spider, hurricans, typhones, earthquakes, tidal waves, heatwaves, droughts.

We have beautiful green fields, wonderful beaches, fantastic diversity of landscape.

A good road system, not to much corruption even in europe there are countries that suffer more from corruption.

I love living in the uk

The greatest thing about the UK (I'm not English, I lived in the UK for 8 yrs though) is that you can feel respected as a citizen.

Other great things:

• sense of humour
• good TV
• London
• great museums, art galleries
• great music
• cakes

The weather is dreadful, though (sorry!)

I lived in Brussels for a while... I think it rains more in Belgium than it does here!

Am an immigrant to the UK (twice! am staying put in London now) I have to agree with quattrocentro's list. Also:

Milk. The milk here is so nice and they DELIVER it to your DOOR. You never have to drive 10 miles at 10pm because you don't have enough for the kids breakfasts.

Year-round weather. Seriously. You all complain about it but it's the rare day that you can't actually go out, at least down here. DH rides his bike to work every day come rain or shine, couldn't do that in the states.

BBC. No ads. Real news.

Cheese.

Sausages.

Ocado.

AND THE NHS. Only Brits complain about the NHS. Anyone who has lived somewhere with an inferior health care system knows how lucky they are to have the it.

I miss Target, proper jelly beans and pay-at-the-pump petrol stations but on the whole feel I've traded up.

I think we get so much weather in the uk it is great not alful at all you never know what will happen next but we don't get extreem weather like some countries

1. Roast Beef and Yorkshire Puds.
2. The great british summertime! (ok I know it's short, but I live in a seaside town and LOVE our beaches)
3. Douglas Adams
4. Strawberries
5. Eastenders
6. I think we are very lucky to have the NHS.

About the weather; it's not 'awful' it's just British! And as ivykat said there is so much of it!

OH and I love how we all fall to pieces when it snows, even though it happens EVERY YEAR! The news always describes it as "arctic conditions". Now I've never been to the arctic BUT I don't think it ever gets arctic here.

I moved here from Sweden 16 years ago and still think it's great. Not necessarily better than my first country- I didn't move because I was unhappy- but with just as many good things about it. Never suffered from any lawlessness since I've been here, have had lots of good medical treatment, children are being well educated in the state system. As for anarchic immigrants...well, I do my best

How could I have missed mentioning Radio 4? There is no equivalent anywhere in the world.

And cricket. Cricket is fabulous. I've discovered this through DS. It's a game where it's impossible to work out who is winning, and they spend most of the time walking around the pitch. Every position in cricket has a silly (geddit) name. And you really do watch the game from a deckchair with the Sunday papers. Until mysteriously, slap-bang in the middle of the game, they all troop off solemnly to have tea? I mean TEA!! Only a nation with a keen sense of the absurd would play cricket.

Now we've got on to tea, that's another jolly good thing about living in the UK. I mean have you ever tried drinking tea in the US? Either they serve it cold with lemon (an abomination) or they make it with not-boiling water, which is worse.

Having seasons.
BBC in all forms
NHS
Cheese
Marmite
Much of it is beautiful
London
The National Gallery, Tates, Science Museum, Natural History, V&A, British Museum ARE FREE, come on!
A respect for education over money still exists I feel