Then millions on renegotiating deals with countries who don't need the UK. I think you got it all right! Last year i went to London and y find it very interesting, because there are many differences with Chile. The cold, the racism, the bigotry, the expense, the American attitudes of greed and money over morality, the awful changes to education, the privatisation of everything. I mentioned in one of the previous comments that sometimes, the UK can be beautiful through the eye of a spectator. We left for 6 years, living in Australia and France but recently returned for 6 weeks. Celebrity fixated zombie population. There are idiots on both sides, but probably many more thoughtful and intelligent people on both sides as well. Which one would you pick for your next trip? It's proven that immigration is a totally positive thing for a country, and historically immigrants have contributed FAR more than they have received. Once I would have thought you were exaggerating. The funny thing is we have recently moved to London (it's been 6 months) and we don't seem to be happy at all. I hope you getting differential treatment than your British man is just a silly coincidence! Good luck with exploring the new options, looks like you have some stunning countries in mind :). I have even found happiness in giving up my life as the career city girl for a stay at home mom and have never been happier. Hi, I can see what you mean in your article. Hi Cory. But that does not justify mass immigration, and I say mass immigration because I am in favour of short immigration of few people and more controlled. Anyway, good luck How on earth can you say the roads in the Uk are well maintained????? I've held 3 stable jobs since I was 16, and in each on I was the minority. Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and lots of National Trust locations for wonderful days out. I think people come to the UK and expect a paradise. How is that fair? Alas, we did it! I had the idea that the UK would be a paradise for me, and I would be able to continue my professional career over there, in London, to be specific. For me, the 'First World' is now Singapore, Australia (yes I rate the UK as 'Second world' in comparison to these countries). However, you do need an address in the UK for your business. And everything about th weatheryes, yes, a thousand times yes haha. A passport country that doesn't accept me the way I am due to my ethnic heritage, global upbringing, and different cultural views. Thatcher, back in the 80s, spearheaded the trend of heavy reliance on spin and marketing to bolster her politics aims. (I am from Serbia). Definitely not a bigot, my friend. What British culture was I referring to? Brits live in the illusion that its great here but in reality its a shithole. (Has the author been to 'Bradistan' in West Yorks?). I actually ended up being extremely depressed. SO MANY of them. If you are not careful, it can be a cruel existence whereby you work to live and you live to work. I cycle to work and yes it does rain at times, but much less than elsewhere and often times it only rains a little bit, so you don't actually get really wet. Iceland is meant to be a very expensive place to live but in Reykjavik I worked 30 hours a week in a minimum wage job, payed my rent, bills, transport and food and still had more than half of my wages left over! why assume Philip de Bose is French? Think why that is. In the Balkans we also have pljeskavica or plecavia which is a kebab burger. As a Brit, I can say that most of what you say is true. About 12 years ago when I came to study in Manchester, Britain was a different place. White Europeans cannot understand racism, and ought to go figure on their home countries. We should all be free to live a happy life everywhere. You should point out it is illegal for Muslims to convert to another religion in the UAE. Me and my wife have lived in many places around the UK, going up the property ladder, creating a small property portfolio, opening businesses and going up also the corporate ladder. Britain was built on pure evil and racism. Bristol is actually just as wet as Manchester because it is in the west - so actually you did live in a relatively "rainy" part of England, yes. :). Compared to Italy, Germany and most other EU countries schools and universities are really easy, not in depth and way too expensive for the quality they offer. -Safety- its NOT safe here, my 2 year old son was attacked by teenagers but the great British police is HELPLESS. [2][7] The word "chavvy" has existed since at least the 19th century; lexicographer Eric Partridge mentions it in his 1950 dictionary of slang and unconventional English, giving its date of origin as c. If allowed to succeed, immigrants will go above and beyond to prove themselves worthy of your acceptance. They have Netflix, the internet, consumerism, vacations abroad etc just as we do. Once again, thanks for this post, I will be recommending it to my friends. To be honest, the Brexit vote is hardly surprising, knowing the British people as I know now. So travel around the UK doesn't come cheap. New Zealand is a close second best, but the earthquakes and parochialism relegate it for me Im afraid. See how you feel, see if you like it or not. She has visited hundreds of destinations and has lived in 7 different countries. But obviously you're biased because you're an immigrant so you're never gonna understand me. Dear Cory, I think this is the most precious article on living in a country on the entire Internet. Well, if you are going to Japan things won't be easy there is much more difficult to integrate in Japan than UK, you are really targeting difficult countries, but is your choice. Even though I think the political climate in Scotland is slightly different than in England - especially in Glasgow, where we live - there is no denying that the overall situation sucks. I told my British friend about this and her reaction was: "Were there any foreigners working for the company?" Thank you so much for writing this. Cultures are preserved. We've also found that while Mark (who has a british passport) breezes through various application processes for banks etc, I (with a Latvian passport) struggle much, much harder to get approved. Something has happened here, and its not a good thing. To be honest honest there is no credibility in your post, as all youve done is made a great realised, narrow minded view of a nation of 60 million people! I think the major reason I want to leave (and I think my husband is feeling it, too)) is the amount of work you have to do to earn a normal living, even with professional skills, and the animosity that is spreading throughout the country. I still remember talking to my husband the previous night, saying that the world is not that stupid. I found it. Both children born here , is so hard , really hard . And frightening. The living quality and standards are just so much better in most other countries I have lived in (Ireland included) that I lost my willingness to try and live here. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Those who are racist can be found anywhere, even in your own country. Then in work I'm working with a bunch of northern white guys who all wanted that to happen. Britain is unrecognizable from its former glory. Over half the worlds patented inventions are British. Same problem in Belgium! "I love the British culture". I grew up in the 80s and 90s, with my formative years being surrounded by garage and house music, multiculturalism, brilliant Saturday night TV, and the Notting Hill carnival. I went to uk last month and fell in love with portsmouth seaview and brighton, and my boyfriend told after the trip we wants to go to UK! Throughout the years, I lived a relatively calm and happy life. The weather part had me laughing with how much I identified with it. There are so many rolling hills, empty, kept for a handful of sheep. Here I was living this dream, envied by friends and family yet felt the most unhappy in my life.I was more than happy to give everything up including my great city job when my husband was offered a job oversees close to my home country. The difference in skin color, the way of dressing or religion is something that attract a lot of atenttion, there are very very different people living in the same country. Any economist will tell you that. Nonetheless, the dark side usually has cookies :), I can imagine you want to escape the rain. But there's always hope. Brexit will force the country to develop the regions and become less dependent on London, which in turn will reduce the pressure on housing in the South-East. [21] The writer John Harris argued along similar lines in a 2007 article in The Guardian. Outside brilliant minds are no longer welcome to contribute to the Great British societies and money is being invested in privatisation and corporations as opposed to a stable economy, educated, informed and healthy population. I am having a bit of a quarter life crisis in that I'm really struggling to come to terms with living in the UK for much longer at the age of 25. Nobody likes the idea of having someone around who is totally different than what we are used to. TAIWAN is great if you can make living there. The Oxford English Dictionary defines "chav" as a "young person from the working class, usually without a high level of education." In 2004, it was announced as the Oxford Languages "Word of the Year" and entered the mainstream, appearing in documentaries and television shows. I always felt like if I moved there I would be able to achieve ultimate happiness in my life. As I said before, once you leave home, settle, then leave home again, the word "home" becomes so relative, elusive almost. I went through the whole British educational system. We have less of a poverty divide than such likes as the good old USA, and better transportion than the vast majority of Europe (which I have travelled all over). And your seasons kick ass :) You can ski, swim, tan, walk. I'm going to start by saying that it wasn't always like this. I'm glad you had the chance to go for a brighter future abroad. This country in terms of its media and even statesman speed by the government have made it very hostile place towards people like myself. Biased review - well yeah, I mean it is my site. [12] This is widely regarded as a backronym. 'Avant-garde fashion and full of chavs' - Lincolnshire described in vicious online write-ups. One thing I am sure of though from all the faults of living in italy we are so much happier as a family. Hes the Mrs Bucket candidate; and yet his shiny top hat and molecule-thin veneer of civilisation somehow hypnotises his target demographic into forgetting his divisive and dangerous extremism. Best wishes for your move. You're so much better than those who dared to vote Leave or god forbid for Trump, aren't you? 2) Not sure about Bulgaria but in Romania we have many famous Black Romanian celebrities and even have a Palestinian MP my visa expires in few weeks (and will get 2 years extension) and i have decided to make a move to EU country on long term residency visa (probably Portugal or Germany), i absolutely felt gutted to see the direction of things going on, wondering what would be the outcome of this Brexit uncertainty. It is the term Chav that is uncommon to me. Whereby his reply was: "What British culture?". The question is why is the UK so expensive including the impossibility for a young graduate to get a mortgage for a flat in London? You have NO IDEA that you have written exactly what I feel. It's not as simple though that everyone voting leave agrees with Farage and Boris. France thought about it. I really like your article. -Weather- No comments needed here. Yes, Australia is far higher cost of living, but the living standards and quality of life is also much higher. We are now in Portugal and we miss the prices for groceries in the UK BUT with everything, life is still such much cheaper here. Please do not come back. Im scared for the future of my children and have never been so ashamed to be british! Perhaps a better question would . Not just weather, lifestyle or even landscape. yum!). Education is in a terrible state in the UK. So, the tribalism, is everywhere in the world and the UK is still one of the most open and tolerant countries in the world. I am struggling in this last year or so. I say we invest more into the NHS and social welfare. I am bisexual and growing up in Romania vs UK are two different worlds - yes, Romanians were way more tolerant than British kids who physically abused and bullied me. The entitlement culture that pervades is really shocking. With a crime rate of 123.2 per 1,000 people, West Yorkshire is the most dangerous part of England. My article is too polite if you ask me. The level of racism in Continental European football matches for example is shocking. I am very sorry to hear about your experience in the UK, but it has become all too common these days. You find people studying geography, english literature, philosophy and human sciences way more than any other country! Of course, many people want to be English, that's why they come here. Also your whole comment is actually quite racist. Us British have enough problems with American and Russ. I couldn't agree more. [35], In the "New Earth" episode of the BBC TV series Doctor Who, the character Lady Cassandra is transplanted into Rose Tyler's body (Billie Piper). Dear Rhiannon, thank you for your comment. It's interesting. It's a hiker's paradise, there's so much green, with ancient woodlands, rocky formations and medieval villages. Cory is multilingual and an alumna from The University of Manchester. Reread if you didn't get it the first time. I dont always like this, but I prefer this to the Chinese system of steamrolling over peoples rights, which would be much cheaper. For me, however, there have been two really important breaking points between me and England. Let me tell you about the art of British food. We enjoyed the crazy amount of products, the fantastic range of online shopping and the quality customer service. Very interesting! I wouldn't want that much disdain on my doorstep. The review reads: "Staines, the very name conjures up a vision of chav-ridden, rubbish . Before the big crash in 2008 I felt a sort of charm about the UK that was such a huge part of my identity. I thought it had to do with me but the more I got to know more locals and foreigners like myself, the more I realised that was just the way life in London was. It took me years of hard work before I could even begin my application as a British citizen. So the big thing I'm thinking about is with the meteoric rise or location independent working opportunities over the last 5 to 10 years and the growing unattractiveness of British society what kind of impact is this going to have on the skills based economy of Britain over the next 10 to 20 years? I always turn up to a new place eager to learn about the culture, and with romantic views about the entire city/country. Get a grip! Kind Regards. Is England a good place to live? I want to take this opportunity to wish you well, wherever you two decide to settle. Thats a huge number for a small country. I tried to live in London, it lasted a few months. Is there an article of apology that I have missed? We contribute more to the country than many others. In modern Britain, the working class has become an object of fear and ridicule. Having lived and worked in many places, from the US to India, the liberal (not liberalism that is being forced upon us now) mindset of this land has always accepted that "different" person to practice their life with respect. There are so many digital nomad jobs so you don't need to live in London anymore. Yes i still travel as it is my passion but I no longer see it as the fix for life's problems.Goodluck to you all in this journey of life. That would be denigrating for a Brit, wouldn't it, to be an immigrant? I say we bring fibre internet across the country and we create better infrastructure. That is a fantastic thing, is it not? [11], In his 2011 book, Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class, Owen Jones argued that the word is an attack on the poor. Youve shown me that there is hope. Right after Norway and Switzerland. Bigot "a person who is intolerant towards those holding different opinions". UK is a wonderful country and the best country in the world for people looking for a better life, I live in usa and is not easy here is a tough country but because we are British things are easier for us that is the honest truth but is tough country. I've found people angry and bitter, jealous of our "success" so shunning us, mad at the whole world and blaming the new family down the street rather than reflecting on how their own attitudes drive down the areas we live in. What has made this country an awful place to live is intolerant arseholes like you who are too uneducated to embrace what different nationalities and viewpoints have to offer. Also it does rain here a lot, but given water shortages will be one of the biggest threats to world peace, I would take a bit more rain over a dry country any day of the week. As a Brit who has lived abroad for 10 years (in Germany), I always said that I could not really see myself going back to live there permanently for similar reasons. It's my subjective narrative based on my life story ?! Britain was once very much once of the shining stars of the Enlightenment. But there's no garden without weeds, right? Uncertainty in things!!. I came from Italy to do my bachelor and master degree, not because of lack of an excellent (albeit very bureaucracy reliant) university system in my country. - Houses- I have seen bigger matchboxes. We have a shitty secondary education system and a generation of younger people who think that the world owes them something. The Midlands, SE, and even parts of the NE have less rain. Other countries set a higher standard in who they let in and they *make it clear what is expected of them*. I disagree when you say that most people in the U.K. are racists. In all my years in the UK I never paid for a taxi in London because I could not afford it yet in Cairo I can go for a half an hour taxi ride and pay under 3. You saying Italians and Greeks will never 'tick' the same as Germans, Austrians, and Dutch but do you even have a friend from Italy and Greece? Vine leaf rolls with rice. In fact, it should be illegal to pay for medical care in ANY country in the world. Unfortunately despite all the UKs flaws he's reluctant to leave the UK and I myself am finding it hard to pin point the perfect location to move to. I'm excited for something new and a place that's easier to travel solo in. I also witnessed a significant rise in social tension, not to mention all the things you refer to, such as, very poor housing, extortionate prices and a general lowering living standards across the board. I know some will agree, whilst others won't. This worked up to a point! The most heartbreaking part is the attitude towards immigrants which Britain seems to have adopted. Really it is a daily sadness that I experience when I wake up and I think I don't recognise my country any more. They're some of the most hard-working, dedicated people I've ever worked with who will do ANYTHING to earn a decent, honest living. I say keep traveling and find places that you can afford to have a decent life and by that I don't mean buying 'stuff' settle for much less but a good lifestyle. However I found people to be so friendly. Same for BritainI left the UK because I wanted a better life for myself. One other thing I learnt is where can you go in the world where you will not be the victim of racism because of your name or your origins? Mass immigration destroys societies, creates division and problems, immigration of few people and more controlled, where only the best can become English is what UK has to do. We're in North Yorkshire and we absolutely love it here. I am sad because I honestly thought a country based on colonialism and multiculturalism had lots to offer, but I found a rancid class system still very much alive. The negatives are playing out on the world stage. 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