Originally Posted by Essex_Man (Post 7680783)

Alll I here about England form English people. They all tell me it gone to the dog. It now almost a police state. Crime is out of control and people are being stab everywhere. I believe non of it. So what has change I haven't been back in 10 years. I intend to go for a holiday and see my family and have a good explore of my homeland. Tell me it's not gone to the dogs. What has change in England why is everyone so concern about safety.


http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...ering-dad.html

This is precisely the kind of yobs/scum that are becoming prevalent in the towns and cities of the UK. No respect for authority, no respect for other humans full stop! The punishment for kicking a father of five to death?, try 11 and 13 years! The justice system is an absolute joke.
Just been listening to the radio tonight which featured a story about a soldier injured in Afghanistan, resulting in the loss of 3 limbs. While being pushed around town by his mother in his wheelchair he faced a barrage of verbal abuse from teenage louts. Each day I become more and more ashamed of my country and what is happening to the younger generation. Isolated incidents? Nope! Gone to the dogs? You would not believe it!!

Originally Posted by nwtrucker (Post 7984881)

i think the australians and the americans and canadians are sayin the same thing .The issue isnt the country its the moral code western nations live by , the keeping up with the jones,s ,the greed , got to have now society . England isnt the only place afflicted .
Migrating isnt the answer if your looking at a safer environment ,my life has been touched by more violence and drink related and drug related problems here in australia than it ever was in the uk .
I dont want to get into a slanging match about other countrys but to be honest believe me England is no different than anywhere else .Inregards to authority ,well im afraid as i have said to very good friend of mine , the bigger the stick the bigger the kick back ,just look at america .
Publid beheadings and whippings in the village square went years ago and id like to think the brits young and old would rise up aginst law and order that the like of saud and singapore advocate.
The fact is world wide the government departments are withdrawing from the people ,police arent part of the community now ,cameras [a world phenomenon ] add to the big brother feel and all sold on the idea it makes us safer when in reality it makes us less safe .
The very issue of materialism just what most migrant aspire too ,ie bigger house ,flash 4 wheel drive etc is at the core of the problem .Lower income familys breakdown because they cant afford the perceived trappings of life ,dad goes one way chased by the CSA and mum is left with pre-pubescant brats she has no hope of controlling on her own .
Its no wonder that society is going to the dogs in general ,television full of baubles and trinkets and shops full of electronic equipment you cant afford or really need . The youngster just want and behave the way they feel they should , they feel entitled , they feel cheated as each younger generation has to prop up the one before with no hope of getting a home of their own etc . No wonder they are pissed off . Mind you beating up on men in wheel chairs etc is beyond belief but its no worse than 19 year old men raping 80 year old women her in perth .

Originally Posted by Victor Meldrew (Post 7985426)

Materialism, wanting something (everything) for nothing, demanding rights whilst shirking responsibility, not accepting responsibility for the effects of ones own behaviour, poor or negative parenting, ineffective/weak judicial system, lack of respect for others. I could go on but......

The biggest cause/effect on this? parenting. Too many 'lost' children/adults whose values are instilled by bad popular culture, negative peer groups instead of by a positive parental/family influence.

UK seems to be a place of 2 extremes with the above very evident in the media, but also many kind, considerate, self sufficient people to be found. Wonderful culture/history and natural beauty.

There are safer places in the world, where many (not all) of the things above are addressed. However, they are not 'home'.

OK grumpy head now firmly on :frown:

Originally Posted by Biiba (Post 7969771)

I've lived my whole life (39 years) in the UK. I think the UK is a beautiful country and has a lot going for it, but over the last 10 years or so these are the changes I've noticed:-

1. Political correctness has gone mad - it's unacceptable to say you're from England! Scotland, Wales and Ireland are fine but if you say you're English for some reason it rubs people up the wrong way :confused: England is always referred to as the UK and you're British...

I'm sure it's fine to say you are English in England.


2. It's now frowned upon to send Christmas cards that say 'Happy Christmas' in case it upsets anyone not of the Christian religion!

Daily Fail nonsense

3. The population has risen quite dramatically in towns and cities, therefore the UK is now a much busier place than it once was - the roads are very busy in general as there are more car owners than ever before.

Probably true
4. There are security cameras everywhere! I'm sure I read somewhere that the UK has more surveillance/security cameras than almost anywhere else in the word...
who cares if they work

5. House prices have risen dramatically, but not in line with salary/income therefore it's more difficult to purchase your first home and get on the property ladder.
We said the same thing in the 1980s, true though

6. Smaller villages seem safer than most main towns or cities, however housing is more expensive there, and in some villages the property prices have been driven higher by well paid commuters or people purchasing second/weekend homes. Lots of people can no longer afford properties in the villages they have been raised in :(
ditto
7. It seems to me that there is more of a class divide than there used to be - There are high flyers that earn enough to live somewhere nice, there are everyday working families that struggle to live a comfortable life, then there is a new underclass of families where they have never worked and have no intention of working as they can earn more claiming benefits than if they were working. It's quite a sad state of affairs really :o

1997 Thatcher left a massive class divide - it has been closed to some extent in financial terms by New Labour with minimum wage etc but yes, agree about the underclass being much bigger. It is linked to breakdown of social fabric in general and no one wanting to stay at home to look after their kids anymore probably.
Less true in other European countries where people still value the family more and go to Church (not that I do)

8.In general, I find that because our lives are so busy, people are more stressed and therefore ruder (though some people are still nice :thumbsup:)
Always surprised how friendly people are outside London - agree everyone is too stressed - high mortages so Mum rushes back to work - daycare for young kids for longer hours than when they start school etc etc/ coupled with long commutes from cheaper property areas

9. In supermarkets and shops (not local newsagents etc) cheques are no longer accepted, and they look at you gone out if you pay by cash!!! Most people use debit or credit cards.
Wholly positive

10. The metric system has replaced the imperial system so you no longer buy a pound of butter or a quarter of sweets - it's 100g of sweets and 500g of butter. Road signs are still in miles though!
Not an issue for me but a change for sure

I love the UK but find it a much more stressful place than it used to be, and I've lived in the same house since 1991 so I've watched the places take change. If you can afford it there are still some beautiful places to live and visit but the cost of living is quite high - petrol is expensive though cars are cheaper than they used to be.

I don't think the UK is really any more dangerous, but prolific drug use increases crime and street violence so there is more crime due to more drug addicts (my husband is a police officer and tells me this all the time)

All I'm trying to say is that it's not any better or any worse but it has changed over the last 10 years or so :blink:;)

Originally Posted by Essex_Man (Post 7680783)

Alll I here about England form English people. They all tell me it gone to the dog. It now almost a police state. Crime is out of control and people are being stab everywhere. I believe non of it. So what has change I haven't been back in 10 years. I intend to go for a holiday and see my family and have a good explore of my homeland. Tell me it's not gone to the dogs. What has change in England why is everyone so concern about safety.


http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...ering-dad.html

This is precisely the kind of yobs/scum that are becoming prevalent in the towns and cities of the UK. No respect for authority, no respect for other humans full stop! The punishment for kicking a father of five to death?, try 11 and 13 years! The justice system is an absolute joke.
Just been listening to the radio tonight which featured a story about a soldier injured in Afghanistan, resulting in the loss of 3 limbs. While being pushed around town by his mother in his wheelchair he faced a barrage of verbal abuse from teenage louts. Each day I become more and more ashamed of my country and what is happening to the younger generation. Isolated incidents? Nope! Gone to the dogs? You would not believe it!!

Originally Posted by nwtrucker (Post 7984881)

Precisely. This stuff happens regularly. I'm afraid it has gone to the dogs. Sorry

Originally Posted by martinw01908 (Post 7989487)

As often as in the UK?. I don't think so. There is no deterrent for this type of crime, stupidly tame sentencing, no police on the street to stop it happening. And under this government it has got worse through the breakdown of the family unit and family values.

Originally Posted by Mummy in the foothills (Post 7989748)

Oh yeah, it's happening all over. Here just about every local city is cutting police, crime is rising like crazy and gangs are in the schools and tagging everything in sight, knife crime isn't so bad, they usually carry guns.
Sacramento (our capital) is installing a tremendous amount of CCTV cameras in the streets, they seem to think it'll help as they don't have many police on patrol :thumbdown:

Originally Posted by martinw01908 (Post 7989487)

As often as in the UK?. I don't think so. There is no deterrent for this type of crime, stupidly tame sentencing, no police on the street to stop it happening. And under this government it has got worse through the breakdown of the family unit and family values.

Originally Posted by Grayling (Post 7990010)

I hope you are not planning to go to Australia.

If you think it is any different you are in for hell of a shock.

Originally Posted by martinw01908 (Post 7989487)

As often as in the UK?. I don't think so. There is no deterrent for this type of crime, stupidly tame sentencing, no police on the street to stop it happening. And under this government it has got worse through the breakdown of the family unit and family values.