Sherro

Hey,

I am interested in some points of view here. Not because I am concerned, I go back every year and love the UK....but !

Listening to the media (not the mail, I dont read it) reading the yahoo and MSN messenger boards, the british people, or at least the ones who are blogging and writing seem so fed up and anti britain, anti govt, anti everything. The vibe I read everywhere is Britain has gone to the dogs, to pot blah blah, there is no hope.

Just what exactly is it that has ruined it for so many do you think and just how "affected" are the british REALLY by social change such as immigration. i.e average joe living and working in London, lots of Polish in the area..So what, what does this mean?


for example..87% of surveyed Britains think the UK has gone to POT and cant get any worse.

http://news.uk.msn.com/social-trends...sdisabled=true

I am not blinkered, I left the UK in 99 are a few years of Cool Brittania, under the wave of new labour, britpop and a feeling we would all "live forever". Back then Tory was a dirty word and people were upbeat. Now it seems people are so thoroughly pis*ed off and miserable with the UK. And Conservative party are looking good to be elected next time round.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED ?

Do people forget the 70's and 80's in England, THAT was grim !! When i go back I dont see any of that, but something is a miss and I would be curious to hear your thoughts on this? Why are the British so miserable and downbeat about the country, what's gone wrong?

is it the internet, just the ability for people to whinge in the thousands that makes it seem much worse, can you imagine the internet in the 80's in the face of industry shutdown, poll tax, miners strikes, bleak bleak...It would probably read worse..

Cheers

gruffbrown

Thank God we can still make decent cheese.

Elvira

"The future looks bleak for the UK unless its population can buck many of its current social trends. Society is growing older, fatter and people are becoming increasingly lonely, according to the latest research..."

Gosh - really?

Now mention me one Western country that the above does not apply to...

As for that stupid poll - must be a self-selected sample of stupid whingers.

We all know Brits have the whine + moan gene... Unfortunately, the vast majority of them have never lived elsewhere for any length of time, and therefore have no idea how good they have it.

Tossers!

flipflop

oh good to know we have something going for us.

Elvira

And Gruff is back there so it can't be all bad surely...

flipflop

hey i love england, just dont much like alot of the idiots who live here.

gruffbrown

What can I say, there are lots of things I love about this country and lots of things I hate. The same was true of the US. I guess it's all about what you want from life. A very dull answer, now pass the Wensleydale.

bluejohn

Hi sherro, I have just returned to OZ after being in the UK for about 6 months. It was not a permanent move and my husband had work there, he wanted to stay and i didn't because of my family being here, but would have liked to if things had been different. I love Australia too but in a different way to the UK.I have been back one week.

The biggest problem I had with the UK was the negativity and I think it is just how they are. Something bad happens and they are still going on about it weeks down the road until it is done to death, also there does seem to be this feeling that they are loosing control over themselves has a country, Europe, human right gone to far, the British government seems to come up with some daft ideas, just like the past window tax etc. Now it is weighing the wheelie bins so you pay for what you throw away in weight.It seems to be pay for everything. the wanting to charge motorist for driving on the A46,A52 plus a few others . It is driving people mad being constantly bombarded by these things.
The UK does have a lot to offer but to be honest , even renting can be a mine field they don't seem to run the tight ship they do here. This of course is only my personal experience.

Sherro

[QUOTE=bluejohn;6180503]Hi sherro, I have just returned to OZ after being in the UK for about 6 months. It was not a permanent move and my husband had work there, he wanted to stay and i didn't because of my family being here, but would have liked to if things had been different. I love Australia too but in a different way to the UK.I have been back one week.

The biggest problem I had with the UK was the negativity and I think it is just how they are. Something bad happens and they are still going on about it weeks down the road until it is done to death, also there does seem to be this feeling that they are loosing control over themselves has a country, Europe, human right gone to far, the British government seems to come up with some daft ideas, just like the past window tax etc. Now it is weighing the wheelie bins so you pay for what you throw away in weight.It seems to be pay for everything. the wanting to charge motorist for driving on the A46,A52 plus a few others . It is driving people mad being constantly bombarded by these things.


hey thats a fair response thanks for that. Of course I have an opinion on that too. I agree, hence the reputation we have for being whingers. The rubbish solution is an interesting one, as the UK are really lazy when it comes to recycling. We recycle about 22% of recyclable goods, compare that with 65% in the netherlands for example. All that ends up in landfill, so they are doing the right thing by making people think about what they throw. They are not charging extra for recycling, just what already charged in landtax.

As far as charging for roads, once again, most other countries have been doing it for years. At one stage I was paying $80 a week (about 35 quid) to get to work using Melbourne's citilink. People hear accept it, rather than the grim alternative.

obviously not that cut and dried, but it sounds like the Government are getting increasingly petty and big brother like judging from your post.

Thanks for that.

jumping doris

Don't forget the bread!

Nu-Shooz

Times change, things change. Just the way it is.

Cheetah7

That is so true.

I didnt and dont hate England, although I have seen some changes that have terrified me.

My Dad getting attacked at his local station, my sister/Dad/friends getting burgled, gang culture, etc.

But its stuff that happens everywhere in the world and if we all look for paradise - a place with no crime and violence then we will spend our lives searching for something that can't be found, thus wasting the lives we do have.

I don't miss England, I am loving the space and the environment of the place that I am living in.

But I do know that if ever I had to return to the UK, I could so without bad thoughts because I made sure I was at peace with my country before I left it.

In my opinion, it is the laws of the land that frustrate people. It seems that the Human Rights laws have gone way too out of hand giving more rights to those that break the law than the victims themselves.

And when people get angry with laws that they know cannot be changed then they are bound to get frustrated and this can escalate.

Whatever country they happen to be living in.

Elvira

What on earth are you talking about...

Cheetah7

There is no need to be like that.

I worked as a PA in a psychology clinic and I can tell you now that in some cases, the 'experts' will spend more time and effort into understanding a criminal than they will offering support to the victim.

My BIL works in a prison and 'human rights' are always being bleated on about and quoted in some of the most nastiest crimes.

You know exactly what I am on about so there is no need to be sarcastic with me Elvira, I wasn't with you and I do not expect it back.

Elvira

You are referring to research that is being conducted by academics, and people 'bleating'........ hardly a justification of your previous comment.

I was not being sarcastic - I simply think you are completely and utterly wrong.

Human rights is just that - rights that EVERY human is entitled to.