British Expats - benefits

British Expats (https://britishexpats.com/forum/)

- Spain (https://britishexpats.com/forum/spain-75/)

- - benefits (https://britishexpats.com/forum/spain-75/benefits-734017/)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Domino (Post 9654350)

I can remember a dead body or two floating in monsoon ditches of Singapore, the way the cab drivers became an instant rioting mob when some soldier or sailor "forgot" to pay a couple of dollars for his ride.
Sector 6 of Cape Town that was moved enmass to become the New Town of Soweto.
Parts of Hong Kong where gwailo's didnt walk at night, where even a taxi driver wouldnt venture with a gwailo in the back.
Parts of Manila where anyone with a white face was a target.
There are places in every country, in every city (and sometimes even more rural areas) where it is not safe to go.

In most parts of the UK I feel I can walk free whenever I want, but even in broad daylight the other day whilst driving through one part of this town I could see I was being watched, I was different, I wasnt one of them...
Perhaps it is because it is my Home Country that makes me feel safer, where as in another country there would be an inner feeling that this is not home, this is foreign, and this is picked up by the locals, especially if there is no common language.

A few years ago Washington DC was the murder capital of the entire world. It had the highest number of murders per square mile. At that time I had workmates who lived there, they said it was safe really because only the drug dealers got murdered, well that must have been a lot of drug dealers!

The UK actually has one of the highest crime rates in the world (if not the highest) but has relatively few murders compared to South Africa, the US and the rest of the Americas. It is the most crime ridden country in Europe though, there is a lot of data to back that up (Google is your friend!). Ironically Spain 10 years ago had the lowest rate of crime in Europe although this has gone up slightly since then. Anything to do with the 5 million immigrants that arrived I wonder?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mitzyboy (Post 9654257)

Thats the point though isn't it :D .... we share our experiences here, and they are different. I havent experienced what you mention it in Birmingham, you haven't in Madrid .... but I bet you there are areas of Madrid you would be worried about walking down the street at night in, as there are in Birmingham UK.

Yet for some reason some people say the UK is a complete disaster area and a terrible place to live .. they forget that this kind of think happens all over the world every day

Good post. Only just read this thread, and it seems one of the few sensible posts in the thread. Both Spain and UK are far from perfect, both have their problems, both vary enormously in various parts of the country. Like you, I have no problems going out at night, have never been on the receiving end of any trouble or crime, nor do I have any friends that have suffered locally. I love visiting Spain, but compared with where I live, there is far more crime there, (I've been on the receiving end twice) far more traffic, and far, far more concrete. Guess that's why I prefer to go inland or visit Costa de la Luz.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mitzyboy (Post 9654257)

Actually, the drunkenness and fighting I referred to was in Manchester, not Birmingham (it was Birmingham where I was talking about people having been killed during the recent riots).

I am very sure there are areas in Madrid I wouldn't want to go to at any time of day or night, but my point is that they are not right in the centre of the city where tourists and residents go to enjoy themselves. On a visit to Manchester earlier this year, however, my OH and I saw a horrible, vicious assault being carried out by 3 men who were kicking another man whilst he was on the floor whilst a group of screaming girls, probably their girlfriends, egged them on. This was on John Dalton Street, not at all a rough area, right in the centre and about 10 yards from a very expensive bar/restaurant much frequented by Premiership footballers and the like. Their security staff did nothing to intervene. This took place at 11.00 pm as we were walking back from a restaurant to our hotel, and sadly it is all too common. My brother-in-law (in his 40s, not a young lad out on the razz) was mugged violently whilst walking to a car park after attending a concert in Manchester City Centre, and my stepson has twice been beaten up in the town where he lives, resulting in him having to spend time in hospital. He is not a drunken idiot, the first assault was the result of him having intervened when he saw someone hassling a young woman.

I have been the victim of a pickpocket myself in Spain, as I have in Paris and Amsterdam, but never seen the level of public drunkenness and aggression anywhere else that I see in the UK.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lynn R (Post 9654603)

I have been the victim of a pickpocket myself in Spain, as I have in Paris and Amsterdam, but never seen the level of public drunkenness and aggression anywhere else that I see in the UK.

Absolutely. My OH had never seen a fight before she went to university in Sheffield. Then she saw one every night!

Still, too much can be made of crime. I think its more about creating safe environments where you want to spend time.

Spanish cities and towns all have public areas such as squares, parks and paseo maritimos where everyone goes at night to "dar un paseo". It is part of the culture for the whole family to go for a walk at night. When I first moved to Spain it was a real pleasure to see whole families out on display at night, something you dont really see in the UK.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lynn R (Post 9654603)

I understand Lynn, and I realised you were talking about Manchester ... but you missed my point. Wherever you go it is a matter of experiences ... you had a bad experience in Manchester ... I've never seen such a thing in the City Centre in Birmingham. In fact Ive never seen such a thing in the rough areas of Birmingham, although I am sure they have happened.

In fact, thinking deeply about it, the only place I have seen a street fight was in Benidorm a few years back ..... and that was two women :eek:

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnyone (Post 9654057)

Is this self analysis?

Perhaps you should try living for a while north of Watford....it's a different world up there in the north!

I used to love my country, but that's the point....it is no longer the country many of us grew up in, it's changed much for the worse.

Depends on what part of Eldorado you lived in I guess!

When we left the UK, we had and still have everything in place to go back whenever we want, we did not sell up.

Reading some of the comments about the UK,it would frighten the life out of anyone who had never been there.

We visit very often and still have a positive opinion of the UK and the people.

It is true that we are influenced by our own experience, and I must say ours has been positive, we liked where we lived, our children are still there and are doing fine.

It seems a long way from the violent doom and gloom hell hole Ioften read about.

The expats who come to Spain from a 'rough' area of the UK and now live in a peaceful area of Spain will rightly praise their new home, but it's not a like for like comparison.

From personal experience I can compare Southend-on-Sea with Torrevieja and I don't think you could put a cigarette paper between them. At midday on the sea front at either place you will find the same people, holidaymakers enjoying the sea side attractions; at midnight the noisy young people take over in both places, looking for members of the opposite sex.

And is Benidorm any different to Blackpool? I would say the only difference is that you get better fish and chips in Blackpool.