Does Britain suck?

Rhisiart

Rhisiart

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Crime rates in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) have always equalled the USA with one notable exception; gun related homicide. This now seems to be changing, at least in the major English metropolitian areas.

Worse still, a recent United Nations report found Britain to be at the bottom of the table in terms of child well-being (poverty, abuse, teenage pregnancies and child related crime) - in many cases even worse than the poorest parts of America.

What is it about British society that is so rotten?
 
It does suck somewhat, hence me leaving :)

I think that report was a bit dodgy though, as it was based on some odd factors. I have to say I'm very rarely proud of being British though, in no small part because the right seems to have appropriated patriotism. Whether its the crypto-racism of the Daily Mail or the outright racism and bigotry of people like the British National Party (our fascist party), it makes me want to be seen as a European not a Brit.
 
Defector! :D When I said British, in reality I meant English. We're in a right state at the moment but I can't imagine myself living anywhere else, no matter how much pain she causes me. There are a lot worse countries to live in.

Where are you living now Ora?
 
Hi mw,

I'm living in Switzerland, working for one of the international organisations, so am nominally working for the state, at least the British government pays my salary!

I never used to imagine living abroad, but its a pretty eye opening experience, extra perspectives on your own culture and that of others. I'd recommend it for a spell if you get the chance. The bonus here is the work is in English so I only have to use my terrible french in bars etc.

I guess I'll end up back in the UK at some point, but I have to say I'm not in a hurry, or at least am open to other alternatives. Maybe I can try out my Brit accent in the US or something ;)
 
Yes, Britain does suck, it's not functioning as a democracy anymore and it's high time we ditched it. The UK doesn't seem capable of tackling crime, from petty crime to violent crime, while creating more and more legislation that infringes on civil liberties. We also seem to have let illegal wars and weapons of mass destruction slip through the net.

We'd all live in fairer, freer, more prosperous nations if we repealed the Acts of Union and created new modern European states accountable to their citizens.
 
Monktus - I'm with you up to the Acts of Union bit. I have no imperialistic desire to keep Scotland with England, but i think the countries do benefit from one another on many levels. Perhaps an adjustment to something the Scots felt was more equal, but I'd hate to see us cut our ties entirely. We need each other, be it for social or political reasons, and would be less apart.

One good part of the idea though, we could make you take Blair and Brown back!!
 
We don't want Blair and Brown either ora. Bear in mind that breaking up the union doesn't mean living in isolation. Scotland, England and Wales and Northern Ireland would all remain within the EU and John Reid's visions of barbed wire and passports at the border are ludicrous (not to mention contrary to European law). While the EU isn't perfect either, as European citizens we're free to live, work and trade anywhere we want, and that wouldn't change in the event of the UK dissolving.
 
Hey, this all sounds like France. At least this is one of the up and coming election debates....crime, immigration, etc..
Did you know that one of the largest influx of immigrants to France in the EC come from Britain. More an affair of good stock options, cash flow and taking over the place then economical/political problems like in Eastern Europe(Polish plumbers and Rumanian Tinkers, for example, although the eldorado for these folks, amongst others, is still the UK).
One only needs to look at realestate offices in Bergerac or Brittany or Province. They are all in English now. Direct flights from London to Pau for example are cheaper then Paris-Pau. And so forth.
I don't see the UK in such a dark light (smart move to not be in the Euro sphere though), but then again I don't live there. I just visit. One thing is sure "certain" Brits are moving to the continent in numbers. Good luck. Last one turns off the lights.
 
I don't see immigration as a problem reed. Scotland especially needs skilled workers, as does the rest of the UK, and those coming over from Poland, Lithuania and other countries are valued by our employers because of their strong work ethic. I was discussing this on another forum and somebody jokingly suggested swapping Britain's working class for Poland's. He had a point though, I don't want to tar everybody with the same brush as I know it can be hard to find a job and most of those on benefits need the help, but we have far too many lazy swines in the UK living off the state.

The things that will make me leave the country if they get worse are the erosion of civil liberties and high taxation for little in return. I view the dissolution of the UK as the best solution to these issues however I'm quite willing to jump ship and move to Ireland in the meantime.
 
monktus
I don't see the immigration side either. I was trying to illustrate why folks are leaving the UK...whereas those from Eastern Europe and elsewhere are breaking their nuts to get in. This is a political debate here in France, thats all. I come from a country built on immigration so I have nothing to say. What I find amusing is the number of Brits "fleeing" their country.
Ireland is very "in" for young French workers, by the way. Good pay, less taxes (compared to here), great people. Like in Scotland and Wales.
I suppose the grass is always greener on the otherside of the fence. We all are tempted to push off and try someplace "better."
Not always easy. Cheers.
 
The problem is we're too entwined with Europe, and thus wasting our money. It also doesn't help that Blair prefers to help other countries and not England.

Aside from that its a pretty nice country to live in, especially if your in the country.
 
Just to remind you MrTAToad that UK != England. However much I dislike Blair and his administration, he is still Prime Minister of the UK, not England. Once the union is dissolved then I'm sure England could try and pull out of the EU if it wanted to, however it would be incredibly complicated and costly, and would basically be fiscal suicide.
 
Last time I looked, he was still the Prime Minister of England. He's also the PM of the rest of the UK (unfortunately).

Note that England, excludes Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

United Kingdom (aka Great Britain) includes Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland.
 
You don't have to lecture me on the differences MrTAToad, I'm well aware of them. My point was that you appeared to use England interchangeably with Britain, which is incorrect of course, however I didn't realise you meant England specifically, apologies.

Out of interest, what do you mean exactly by Blair preferring to help other countries and not England?
 
You don't have to lecture me on the differences MrTAToad, I'm well aware of them
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Good to hear :) Many people seem to get the terms confused, for some reason. Mind you, it could get even more confusing if the Cornish people decided to seperate from the Union. They would probably start slapping on extra taxes for cream teas...

however I didn't realise you meant England specifically, apologies
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No problem - I only really know what he does here, and not north or west of the borders :)

By helping other countries, I mean Africa and other third-world countries. Whilst money should be given, it could do with being cut, and used here (the UK, that is) - replacing council houses, rejuvenating areas, improving road and rail, NHS etc etc. Charity should begin at home.
 
I liked your cream teas comment. I don't agree with you on cutting aid though. After all, most of the problems in Africa were caused by Britain and other former colonialist countries. If anything we should be cancelling more debt, doing more trade and giving more aid, however if we didn't have to pay for the likes of Trident and Iraq, then the government would have more money to spend on things like more social housing (which we badly need).
 
Yes, cancelling all debt would help - and something that should be persude. However, only small loans should allowed to be borrowed, unless proper economic measures are taken to stop corruption.

Whilst we may have started problems there, we cant be responsible for their current state.
 
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