Great Britain is 'worst place to live in Europe'

[Kitman 2204]

Research by uSwitch has revealed that high living costs, below average government spending on health and education, lack of holidays and late retirement have contributed to a bleak picture for Brits.

 

To make matters worse, the UK no longer enjoys the highest net household income in the continent. Last year it was £10,000 above the European average, whereas now it is just £2,314 ahead, slipping below Ireland, the Netherlands and Denmark.

 

Britons in search of quality of life might want to move to France, as it held on to the top spot in the index for the second year in succession.

 

Spain came second, while Denmark, Poland and Germany helped to make up the top five spots, with all these countries offering more days of holiday and a lower retirement age than the UK and Ireland.

 

Recently, a study by Aviva and accountants Deloitte found that the UK has the biggest pension gap in Europe, with Britons needing to increase the amount they save each year to have a good retirement income

[Kitman 2204]

Are things really that bad these days?

[Anorthernsoul 1221]

Fuck the research, life is what you make of it.

 

And I'm enjoying it to the full, in the UK.

[Christmas Tree 4669]

Fuck the research, life is what you make of it.

 

And I'm enjoying it to the full, in the UK.

 

 

This

[Kitman 2204]

I was interested in whether people feel things are genuinely worse in the UK than abroad. The British press seems to specialise in doom mongering, I expect the Mail and Express have been complaining about things getting worse since the 1890's.

[ChezGiven 0]

Plenty wrong in the UK but there are loads of things which go un-documented abroad. Taking the big two, health and education and specifically looking at France, there is a multi-tiered health care system with income and job determining access to services. It's not in the slightest bit 'free' in France with many procedures requiring co-payments. France's healthcare is great if you have a good job with a big company, it get progressively worse for those on lower incomes and then the unemployed. The education system is under a lot of criticism too, this summer an English professor at Sciences Po published a scathing attack on the education system which was met with significant support from educationalists in france. The lack of creativity and the fear of failure he claimed was endemic is borne out by my own experience. These things are not close to being captured by these surveys.

 

Couple of observations too, travelling around with a baby in England is much easier than in france. Baby changing facilities everywhere in stations, dept stores etc, always access for prams. You wouldnt believe how poor things are on the other side of the channel. Then a bit of a daft one, 3 first class tickets from Paris to south of france were more expensive than the same from London to Newcastle. In England you get free wi-fi, coffees, tea, water, biscuits and at seat service. In france you get a bigger seat and nowt else. They reckon that the strike riddled, old rolling stock, crap service French public transport is the best in the world too. Bollocks iyam. Bit of a stupid example but food for thought.

[manc-mag 1]

Plenty wrong in the UK but there are loads of things which go un-documented abroad. Taking the big two, health and education and specifically looking at France, there is a multi-tiered health care system with income and job determining access to services. It's not in the slightest bit 'free' in France with many procedures requiring co-payments. France's healthcare is great if you have a good job with a big company, it get progressively worse for those on lower incomes and then the unemployed. The education system is under a lot of criticism too, this summer an English professor at Sciences Po published a scathing attack on the education system which was met with significant support from educationalists in france. The lack of creativity and the fear of failure he claimed was endemic is borne out by my own experience. These things are not close to being captured by these surveys.

 

Couple of observations too, travelling around with a baby in England is much easier than in france. Baby changing facilities everywhere in stations, dept stores etc, always access for prams. You wouldnt believe how poor things are on the other side of the channel. Then a bit of a daft one, 3 first class tickets from Paris to south of france were more expensive than the same from London to Newcastle. In England you get free wi-fi, coffees, tea, water, biscuits and at seat service. In france you get a bigger seat and nowt else. They reckon that the strike riddled, old rolling stock, crap service French public transport is the best in the world too. Bollocks iyam. Bit of a stupid example but food for thought.

 

Cry me a river, dickface.

[ChezGiven 0]

[Kitman 2204]

Plenty wrong in the UK but there are loads of things which go un-documented abroad. Taking the big two, health and education and specifically looking at France, there is a multi-tiered health care system with income and job determining access to services. It's not in the slightest bit 'free' in France with many procedures requiring co-payments. France's healthcare is great if you have a good job with a big company, it get progressively worse for those on lower incomes and then the unemployed. The education system is under a lot of criticism too, this summer an English professor at Sciences Po published a scathing attack on the education system which was met with significant support from educationalists in france. The lack of creativity and the fear of failure he claimed was endemic is borne out by my own experience. These things are not close to being captured by these surveys.

 

Couple of observations too, travelling around with a baby in England is much easier than in france. Baby changing facilities everywhere in stations, dept stores etc, always access for prams. You wouldnt believe how poor things are on the other side of the channel. Then a bit of a daft one, 3 first class tickets from Paris to south of france were more expensive than the same from London to Newcastle. In England you get free wi-fi, coffees, tea, water, biscuits and at seat service. In france you get a bigger seat and nowt else. They reckon that the strike riddled, old rolling stock, crap service French public transport is the best in the world too. Bollocks iyam. Bit of a stupid example but food for thought.

 

Surprised that baby facilities are better in England these days.....certainly eating out with kids was always a mission in the UK and much easier in places like France, Italy and Spain

[manc-mag 1]

Let them eat cake tbh. I've heard it all now.

[ChezGiven 0]

Plenty wrong in the UK but there are loads of things which go un-documented abroad. Taking the big two, health and education and specifically looking at France, there is a multi-tiered health care system with income and job determining access to services. It's not in the slightest bit 'free' in France with many procedures requiring co-payments. France's healthcare is great if you have a good job with a big company, it get progressively worse for those on lower incomes and then the unemployed. The education system is under a lot of criticism too, this summer an English professor at Sciences Po published a scathing attack on the education system which was met with significant support from educationalists in france. The lack of creativity and the fear of failure he claimed was endemic is borne out by my own experience. These things are not close to being captured by these surveys.

 

Couple of observations too, travelling around with a baby in England is much easier than in france. Baby changing facilities everywhere in stations, dept stores etc, always access for prams. You wouldnt believe how poor things are on the other side of the channel. Then a bit of a daft one, 3 first class tickets from Paris to south of france were more expensive than the same from London to Newcastle. In England you get free wi-fi, coffees, tea, water, biscuits and at seat service. In france you get a bigger seat and nowt else. They reckon that the strike riddled, old rolling stock, crap service French public transport is the best in the world too. Bollocks iyam. Bit of a stupid example but food for thought.

 

Surprised that baby facilities are better in England these days.....certainly eating out with kids was always a mission in the UK and much easier in places like France, Italy and Spain

Not better, just more of them in more handy places.

[Kitman 2204]

Let them eat cake tbh. I've heard it all now.

 

[Happy Face 29]

Uswitch venturing into the overseas property market?

[Meenzer 15345]

Britain is shit in many ways, which is what prompted me to move abroad in the first place.

 

Turns out the rest of the world is shit too, which is what prompted me to move back.

[Rob W 0]

there are s******* like Transdneistra

 

grim spots like Russia

 

dodgy spots like the Bulgaria

 

Fair spots like Italy

 

Decent spots like the UK

 

Good spots such as the Netherlands

 

whatever you fancy really

[Meenzer 15345]

The problem with the Netherlands is it's just so Dutch.

[Kevin S. Assilleekunt 1]

Northern Ireland is shit.

[Ruler of Planet Houston 1]

Everywhere is shit for different reasons! You just have to decide which shit you prefer to live with.

[Renton 21038]

Plenty wrong in the UK but there are loads of things which go un-documented abroad. Taking the big two, health and education and specifically looking at France, there is a multi-tiered health care system with income and job determining access to services. It's not in the slightest bit 'free' in France with many procedures requiring co-payments. France's healthcare is great if you have a good job with a big company, it get progressively worse for those on lower incomes and then the unemployed. The education system is under a lot of criticism too, this summer an English professor at Sciences Po published a scathing attack on the education system which was met with significant support from educationalists in france. The lack of creativity and the fear of failure he claimed was endemic is borne out by my own experience. These things are not close to being captured by these surveys.

 

Couple of observations too, travelling around with a baby in England is much easier than in france. Baby changing facilities everywhere in stations, dept stores etc, always access for prams. You wouldnt believe how poor things are on the other side of the channel. Then a bit of a daft one, 3 first class tickets from Paris to south of france were more expensive than the same from London to Newcastle. In England you get free wi-fi, coffees, tea, water, biscuits and at seat service. In france you get a bigger seat and nowt else. They reckon that the strike riddled, old rolling stock, crap service French public transport is the best in the world too. Bollocks iyam. Bit of a stupid example but food for thought.

 

I was disappointed this summer going from Paris to Nice on the TGV. As you say the first-class facilities didn't compare with those on the East Coast main Line. Also the train went like the clappers to Marseille in under 3 hours and then went slower than the Metro from Marseille to Nice, taking another 3 1/2 hours (I'm guessing that is only about 150 miles?).

 

I don't know if its just familiarity breeding contempt but the things that most depress me in the UK are antisocial behaviour, the red top press, and just an underlying feeling of apathy and ignorance that pervades everything here. Often you find the most so-called patriotic people are the quickest to slag the UK off as well. Then there's the weather which can really get you down.

 

But I suspect Meenzer is correct, the grass is always greener etc.

[Kevin S. Assilleekunt 1]

I know a few Phillipinos who lived in Saudi Arabia for extended periods, and they loved it. Get free accommodation/car/food etc in your contracts, no tax. I doubt I could hack it tbh.

[Dr Gloom 21756]

What a load of crap. I've been to pretty much every country in Europe with my work in recent years. Uk has everything going for it ... except the weather.

[Gejon 2]

Everywhere is shit for different reasons! You just have to decide which shit you prefer to live with.

 

I live in Utopia, it's alright.

[Rob W 0]

What a load of crap. I've been to pretty much every country in Europe with my work in recent years. Uk has everything going for it ... except the weather.

 

 

Hmmmmmmmmm I don't agree

 

But then I like clean streets, no drunks, no violence, no coppers looking for trouble, decent & cheap public transport, a place where kids can play out of doors

[Rob W 0]

Everywhere is shit for different reasons! You just have to decide which shit you prefer to live with.

 

I live in Utopia, it's alright.

 

 

How is Felling these days?