What is Digg?152 Comments
- evolent, on 10/12/2007, -0/+45I'm another ex-resident. I left after finishing my undergrad to do a PhD in the US.
Some things I miss:
Pubs (no bar over here feels the same, and good pub food is fantastic)
The countryside (America feels so wide and exposed, and less lush)
The BBC (American TV feels like a huge step down)
Some things I don't miss:
The gangs of stupid, violent kids.
The filthiness of everything. I didn't notice this until I lived away from it for a while.
The pervasiveness of (and almost pride in) mediocrity
Personally, the CCTV cameras never really bothered me. - BarmyNick, on 10/12/2007, -0/+36I completely agree with you. I intend to leave the UK when I complete my degree.
I've been thinking of moving to one of three places...Holland...Germany...or Canada.
I particularly like your last comment:
" under threat from a growing underclass of complete and utter cretins who have no respect for anyone or anything."
Well put. - Lynxpro, on 10/12/2007, -2/+32
Come to America, oh my distant cousin....we need more English speakers over here! :) - Bigfootsdick, on 10/12/2007, -2/+29I was just in Heathrow airport awaiting a flight back to LA when I overhead this lady speaking with her family about the comments Blair made the other day to the immigrant class about adopting British culture or go away". She says "Too late isnt it? You've let them all in already"
I lol'd. Too True. - RichPowers, on 10/12/2007, -4/+30Yeah, those CCTV cameras must be both frightening and insulting. Once US cities put them in the streets, I'm outta here.
- Artifez, on 10/12/2007, -1/+25Just out of curiosity where do you plan on moving to?
- hambend, on 10/12/2007, -0/+19Anyone planning to jump ship from GB should consider New Zealand. Our native population is on the decline and our government has the hots for British immigrants. Around a third of the people I work with are British and they all seem pretty happy with their decision to move here. Just a thought.
- CanceledCzech, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17What's the deal with these violent kids? I never knew Britain had a big problem until I read some of the comments. Does anyone know where I can read more about this? Now that I think about it, I know virtually nothing about Britain.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+16@canceledczech: Do a search for "chav" and "yob". (Mainly) white underclass youth(ish)s which are fiercely proud of being rude, dumb, uneducated, prone to petty crime & violence, drunk/high on crack, and ideally on welfare - basically the British version of gangsta.
You simply can't miss them, try as you might - most town centers are completely taken over by them on weekend nights. - sarusa, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17FYI you can get BBC TV and BBC Radio here in the US... not that I'm suggesting you hop out of the frying pan and into the fire.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14oh, and for god's sake, please keep madonna quarantined in the UK...we are eternally grateful!
- CiXeL, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14yeah south florida has alot of brits but we need plenty more to dilute the 90% latin population. they speak my language and theyre polite!!
i would pay a monthly fee to be surrounded by polite people. you never know how great you have it on the west coast of the US until you move to south florida. - Lynxpro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12"And bring some Fuller's Bitter and Walkers Crisps with you while you're at it!"
...and Jemima Rooper. And Billie Piper. And half the female cast from *Mile High*.
Do that and I'll sponsor ya'll. :) - NerdOfPrey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11*sigh* I put an ASCII arrow after the BBC URL, Digg has interpreted it as an HTML comment, so 90% of my message was removed. Reposting, sorry...
"What's the deal with these violent kids? I never knew Britain had a big problem until I read some of the comments. Does anyone know where I can read more about this? Now that I think about it, I know virtually nothing about Britain."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/ :top-left corner, type in 'hoodies' as a search term.
"The filthiness of everything. I didn't notice this until I lived away from it for a while.
The pervasiveness of (and almost pride in) mediocrity"
I lived in Canada until I was 8, when my English father decided we should move 'back' home. Go into any public toilet in this country and you wretch involuntarily, it's foul. The streets and buildings are coated in grime, and litter is everywhere.
As a nation we do seem to revel in our failings and underachievement - not in the spirited underdog way that characterized previous generations, but because losing has become acceptable and the status quo.
We've inherited an archaic, Victorian infrastructure and we're trying to graft on modern amenities, it just doesn't work, there's no space left anywhere. But the Home Secretary is determined that we should be building tens of thousands of new homes. The prospect is appalling. No-one is cheery, we're a glum, dour lot - binge drinking the weekend away to make it all vaguely bearable. - SwissCamel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12The problem with Britain is two fold:
1. It's too small and crowded. I always thought for the most part America is Britain with space. I am sure even the worst areas of London are relatively tame compared to the worst areas of many American cities. The difference is that most respectable, hard working Americans can choose to live some distance away from these areas due to a lack of space constraints but also due to a far greater importance being placed on personal mobility (i.e it's cheap to buy and run a car, and easy to get about).
Contrast this with Britain where not only is space at a premium, but local and national governments do everything they can to placate environmentalists and make car ownership prohibitively expensive. This discourages development of 'working-class suburbs' as seen in the U.S and means that the really undesirable areas are often within easy walking distance of more upmarket housing. Taking my home town as an example, you can walk from one area where the average house price would probably exceed £400,000 ($790,000) to an area where I wouldn't really like to leave my car for any length of time in about 15 minutes.
The result is the feeling that you can 'never really get away' from the crime, because for the vast majority of people, they usually live within walking distance of the main criminal areas!
2. Highly restrictive, left wing government. Labour were always meant to be a stick to beat the Conservatives with. You'd vote them in for 5 years just to let the Tories know that you were going to keep them on their toes. Sadly, they have fallen to pieces over the last 15 years and no one could, in all good conscience, vote for them. Labour in effect had no real opposition.
Ultimately, Britain is a bread and circuses country. Our system of government has remained largely unchanged for well over 600 years, and we have never had a revolution. We are not like the French or Americans, nationalistic and independent in spirit, we begrudgingly accept that we will never have 'inalienable rights' which will be defended no matter how inconvenient it is for government. We are all about 'grinning and bearing it' and 'the Spirit of the Blitz'. Putting up with it is what we do.
Really the 4 things British people seem to be asking for again and again are perfectly simple:
1. Minor, nuisance crime to be taken seriously, with less regulation on the police.
2. An end to the seemingly endless 'open door' immigration.
3. The cost of owning your own vehicle to not be prohibitively expensive.
4. An end to the 'rights' culture.
Considering how minor these 4 issues are, and the impact they would surely have on the morale of the country, I really am at a loss as to explain why we seem to be moving further and further into the abyss. - Technopundit, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11The grass is always greener on the other side of the pond.
- psients, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Britain has always been a country of people "living abroad." That's part of the culture and history. Britons were the first world citizens. The BBC the first and still only real world radio news service.
If there is a spot on the globe a Briton hasn't touched, be suspicious of it! - Stumoney, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10I left England for the States ten years ago. I had planned to go home, but ended up loving the NW so much that I can't ever picture moving back to England. It's feels less crowded here, with more open space.
The Internet has allowing me to keep in touch with life over there. I can listen to and watch British media. Got married to an American who loves to listen to the Archers! - Dayyve, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Perhaps they underestimate the human will to want to score some international tail.
- Lynxpro, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11
Go back and rise to the level of Prime Minister and do something about it! :) I mean, after all, a son of circus performers became the PM back in the 90s. That's quite an accomplishment in such an alleged class-based society.
And while this is a foreign perspective, how is becoming a de facto "state" of the USA worse than being a pawn of a Federal European Superstate that does not respect your language, legal system, work ethic, or culture in general? Churchill had some interesting ideas on the subject... - MacLeod, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9I can believe the statistics, I moved to the US eleven months ago and the number of people trying to leave the country is astonishing. I have to say though people don't really know what they have got till its gone.
Don't get me wrong but I love the US, and wouldn't be anywhere else, since my wife is US. But as a Scotsman there is plenty of things I miss...
Haggis, Irn-Bru, black-pudding, good fish and chips, and I am in full agreement about the pubs, countryside and BBC comment. I used to hate the BBC for making me pay a license fee... but now I miss it, it is the best news in the world and a ton of quality programing - does anyone know how I can get it in the US? I miss my snooker, nature and comedy and sometimes the mild weather.
And I love how everyone in this thread is going on about, "I am going to move here or there" if only it was that simple! Try getting into the states... it take on average a year to get paperwork through for a fiance visa... and that's an initial visa, there is continuous scrutiny for the next 5 years - and it may be as long as two years before you can return to your own country!
Visiting somewhere is completely different from living somewhere, make sure it's what you really want, because it is a long expensive process. The US doesn't take anyone - what do you have to offer? - noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10It's rather odd that I've wanted to move back for years, I kept trying but never had any luck. Last time we were there was a couple of months ago. I decided I really wanted to get a canal boat and live aboard but there were lots of things that made me really upset with the country.
1.) The friendliness and common respect I remembered is gone.
2.) 12 year olds having babies every ten months to get the welfare cheque.
3.) Those same kids smoking while pregnant because it will hurt less if the baby is premature.
4.) The countries desire to be raped by refugees who take everything we give them then demand more.
Britain has lost itself.
I still love the weather, I've never felt healthier in my life. I hate that I've become so removed from tradition.
Hmm.. New Zealand huh... whats the COL like? - Lynxpro, on 10/12/2007, -4/+12
That was a lame "lobsterback" reference. Can some people get over the Revolutionary War, please? - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8The problems in the UK isn't at all entirely due to immigration. Most of the yobs/chavs are ethnic brits.
- bklyn112, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10Hey - if that means I can watch more British football over here across the pond, then emigrate away! And bring some Fuller's Bitter and Walkers Crisps with you while you're at it!
- GMorgan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Whoever suggested moving to France, only people looking towards retirement do that and have done so for some time. Britain's problem is we are now losing more people at the start of their career rather than at the end.
We have manufactured the same economical conditions that have destroyed half the EU economies. - tmesis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Funny -- I was planning on moving to the UK as soon as I finish my degree.
- evolent, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7@akira117
"What are some of the differences that you don't like about our tv?"
I can't stand the huge amount of advertising, and also the low quality execution of the adverts. I hate the way that programs seem driven by profit, not creativity. American series get pushed for seasons and seasons, with different teams of writers, until they burn themselves out because it's gone downhill so much that no-one watches. I also just prefer British to American humor.
Naturally there are exceptions. - CiXeL, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8what ethnicity were they?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9I left 11 years ago, mainly because it was cold, ran by morons and starting to be covered with CCTV cameras.
Each time I go back my choice to move to California is reinforced by yet more invasions of privacy that the Brit's just go "ho hum" to.
Britain will be a muslim state with sharia law within 20 years. - unitethenations, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9I'm another expatriate. My parents (doctors) left due to racism at work that prevented them from advancing.
- bl8tn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I moved to USA from UK couple of years back. Tax burden is pretty much the same. I'm planning on moving back to the UK, I miss it too much.
- flubba, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6the owner of that Florida license plate is quite L337.
- Burritoboy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8I got out permanently about 10 years ago after several extended visits abroad.
Goodbye: Cold, ice, cars, expensive housing, grumpy women and chavs.
Hello: Heat, humidity, 6 weeks of winter, low taxation and decent food.
Leaving the UK was the smartest thing I ever did.
BB - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5The fact that I earn 300k + for the same job my friends in the UK are getting 35k for and being taxed up the arse to support immigrants that won't integrate and kids that respect nothing.
This has been going on ever since American was born. Remember the "brain drain" after the second world war ?
No change, all the smart people leave the UK, the idiots stay in the cold and the vacuum is filled with immigrants that can't be bothered integrating. - pigsbladder, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I moved from the UK to the US almost 7 years ago and, if it wasn't for my family I'd never go back.
There's plus and minuses for both, it's just the US is a better place to live, imo. - CaseyUCF, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5nah, they just don't tan and get burnt as hell, thus turning red.
- NerdOfPrey, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6"What's the deal with these violent kids? I never knew Britain had a big problem until I read some of the comments. Does anyone know where I can read more about this? Now that I think about it, I know virtually nothing about Britain."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/ - evolent, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Something really striking to me when moved to the US was how many extra curricular activities kids were encouraged to do. I don't remember anything to that degree in England. Kids end up hanging around in parks and on the street smoking, drinking, getting bored and starting trouble.
UK youths 'among worst in Europe':
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6108302.stm
Asbos (anti-social behavior orders) viewed as 'badge of honour':
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6107028.stm - MacLeod, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5It's interesting to hear you speak about the tax burden being pretty much the same. I feel similar to you on that note, lifestyle is slightly cheaper and they know what a sale is in the US. US is no longer the land of opportunity - it took me 5 months to get employment, and I have BEng.
@ lostboytexas
I would love to know where you are getting your numbers from... my wages are taxed approximately the same as they were in the UK! - fakecoward, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4As a norwegian, I am considering moving to the UK. As a non-domiciled resident, there are not taxes for income earned outside the UK. What a tax haven!
For UK citizens, I would recommend moving to Norway. We probably have lower taxes than you do, higher wages and a good social welfare system. How? No national debth and a national oil fund that gives a return of something like $7k per citizen per year.
Cheers - drake546, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4used to be there were frontiers where people could go to get away from big government and high taxes, and just be what they wanted to be.
hardly anyhwere left to go now. - lostboytexas, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I just don't understand the violent crime statistics for the US. It is soooooooooo much safer here than in the UK.
- lostboytexas, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5What exactly do they do with all that CCTV footage??? They sure as ***** don't use it to solve crimes. At least there will be plenty of documented evidence as to why Britain went down the ***** a few years from now :-)
As for immigrants to the UK, I say... MORE OF THEM!!! Nothing will keep a gang of neds/chavs at bay more than a cold-hearted ex-KGB sniper high on lighter fluid. - noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4You know why god never let the sun set on the british empire don't you, he couldn't trust the buggers in the dark.
- firemillen2, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I'm not sure what you wankers are talking about. I have no intentions of leaving my job at Wernham-Hogg unless they fire me. I reckon I'll retire in Slough.
By the way, has anyone seen the receptionist? - bekifft, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4or be good at getting through fences
- drlha, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Well its a lot easier to come to the US if you're skilled and can get a job, or even if you want to go to school. Of course getting here is quite easy, its saying here which is the difficult trick to pull off.
- ratdk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I left the UK 7 months ago for Scandinavia. Best thing I ever did. My tax works out at around 50%. Ah well, more than doubled my money doing a similar job. I have a fantastic standard of living.
A state that doesn't insist on nannying, bullying or monitoring what everyone is doing. Where people want to work.
That offers a good education to it's inhabitants.
That insists that immigrants learn the language.
That hasn't completely eroded it's own traditions.
Where crime is low.
Where people know how to party without having to resort to fighting each other at chucking out time.
Where public transport runs all night.
Where you aren't treated like a criminal for using it (oyster card anyone?), they don't even have barriers here. People buy tickets because they should, not because they are forced too.
Where people are, on the whole, honest.
Oh and Scandinavian women (and men) seem to have more fun. ;)
http://www.jacatu.de/wbb2/t7850-swedish-versus-british-nightclubs.html -
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