kinkladz-ade said:
I put it to you fellow bluemooners that us English folk live in the best country in the world.
This is something I firmly believe and after reading about the conversations about national pride/patriotism in the St George's Day thread I thought I would start this thread to see if people agree.
Reasons why I believe this:
1. England/UK is one of the most culturally diverse, accepting and tolerant countries. I myself am an immigrant, my family moved here when I was twelve but growing up and my whole adult life I have never felt like an outsider. Most people really do not see skin colour here.
2. The NHS and free school education. Having lived in a few other countries where there is no health service I feel passionately about our greatest institution the NHS and would march on London to protect it.
3. Real natural beauty: The countryside, hills, lakes, all the beautifully preserved historic sites.
4. Great culture: Music, sport, art, history, traditions, pubs.....
5. Weather isn't really that bad. We don't have extreme heat or cold weather, we don't get water/elec/gas shortages.
6. We don't get tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis (fingers crossed we never do)
7. No killer animals : poisones snakes/spiders, alligators or anything really that could kill you.
8. Good economy: If you work/study hard you can be successful. You have the chance to achieve your dreams
9. Low crime: We don't have real gun crime, gangs, or any huge amount of organised crime (that i know of).
10. Benefits: Having lived in countries where you either work or you starve. Having seen whole families that live in shantytowns, under bridges etc, I feel we do take care of our out of work/old folk etc. When people say 'poverty' in this country it really isn't even close to the level of poverty in say Africa/Asia
I could go on and on...... but will just finish with this ........
My uncle who spent his whole life in Pakistan came to visit England for the first time. I took him all around the UK and one day we were standing by a lake in the Peak District and he said to me "This country is just like how I have imagined heaven to be"
English and Proud!
You forgot to mention its full of chavs, always pissing it down and freezing and you probably need a gas fire on in June.
All countries have good and bad things about them, and some of the things you list Britain hasnt got the best of, for example No 3, tons of countries have much greater natural beauty than the UK, you dont have any mountain ranges of any height, you just have green rolling countryside, plenty of that in France, New Zealand to name but 2, but they have proper mountains as well.
No 6, I remember a hurricane in the 90's that ripped down the oak tree's in Sevenoaks, Kent and havent you guys just had really really bad floods ?? and what about when the river Don burst its banks about 5 years ago and half of Yorkshire was devastated with floods ?
No 2, Most western countries have free state education including America & Australia, the NHS is a shambles, I wouldnt trust it, My MIL died waiting for surgery, they said there was a queue and let her die at 68..........how long does it take you to get a doctors appointment, Ive read on here upwards of a week. We have a free health service here in Oz called Medicare.
Even if I moved back to the UK though I would pay for private health insurance, I just dont trust the NHS.
Ive lived in the UK, USA & Oz and I would say out of those 3 the USA is by far the best if your prepared to work hard for a living, next I would say Australia, which is fantastic blessed with a great climate (although unlike the UK, you can live in many different climates in Australia- yes we have mountains to ski on)
The USA is best cos it has really the lot AND everything is cheap, it used to be cheap here in Oz but now its like the UK in that everything costs a bastard fortune, except petrol, w UK petrol is the dearest in the world apparently, ours cost about half what your does.
Your houses in the UK are shite too, mostly small and joined on to other houses, whereas ours are mostly detached standing in there own land.
We have No 9 also, so does Canada, New Zealand & a host of other countries I could mention.
Basically if you work hard, in the USA or OZ (and Im sure Canada) I think you can have a lot more to show for it than you can in the UK.
Even in Europe you have THE worst quality of life..
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.theguardian.com/money/2011/sep/29/uk-worst-quality-of-life-europe" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.theguardian.com/money/2011/s ... ife-europe</a>
