Do you enjoy living in the UK?

[jahtao]

London is full of ignorant, moaning and sad people. That's why I'm planning my escape to a better place. 5 years in here is enough.

try 18

My theory on London is that no one ever said it was meant to be all that likable or nice, its a love hate thing. The romance with London... the London of the mind's eye.... well it's Dickens, its William Blake, its Sweeny Todd, its jungle, its punk, its grey, its pea soopers, swinging London in the 60's.............

Its a love hate thing, and they're the sweetest.


Brits are moving to Australia in record numbers btw.

Its good to see the world I strongly recommend it

[lomax]

Loads of good stuff here.
Loads of nice people here.
Very good music.

Taxes? Well stuff neads paying for so meh.
Miserable people? 'llow them.

[slim]

I'm definitely leaving the UK next opportunity i get, won't be for four years yet, but i do want to go work in the US when i get the chance. I agree with the love-hate thing, i've lived in London for 19 years now (my whole life) and i figure when i am 23 that will be enough, there is a whole world out there i could be seeing.

There are some other reasons why I specifically chose the US as my first emigration, but i don't know if i could stay there forever either.

As far as people saying life in the UK is shit, granted there are a lot of things wrong, but we have made some serious acheivements here, like the NHS, our general multiculturalism and obviously the music, you shouldn't overlook these things.

[aleks zen]

London is quality! So is most of the UK- especially like South West England, just have to get out there and see it.

Its worth seeing the world just to appreciate where you are from, why do you think so many young people from around the world move to London? -its is undeniably one of the greatest global cities on the planet along with just a handful of others.

I have lived in the USA, France and New Zealand and travelled most of the world and can honestly say the standards of living do not really seem any better- just different, housing migh be cheaper in a certain place but wages are also less, moan about London's public transport but tourists voted it the #1 city public transport system in the world, architecture, open spaces, events, culture, health care, crime levels, global transport links, employment opportunities etc etc are all world class.

Granted, big city life might not be for everyone and seeing the world and change is a good thing and I am always planning to move away for a while, but I'll always see it as a good city and love it while I'm here.

Bored of London=bored of life.

thats a pretty good attitude. its easy to project ur own thoughts onto others i guess but im adamant the people are miserable and the girls are uglier then in most other countries

[gwa]

London is quality! So is most of the UK- especially like South West England, just have to get out there and see it.

Its worth seeing the world just to appreciate where you are from, why do you think so many young people from around the world move to London? -its is undeniably one of the greatest global cities on the planet along with just a handful of others.

I have lived in the USA, France and New Zealand and travelled most of the world and can honestly say the standards of living do not really seem any better- just different, housing migh be cheaper in a certain place but wages are also less, moan about London's public transport but tourists voted it the #1 city public transport system in the world, architecture, open spaces, events, culture, health care, crime levels, global transport links, employment opportunities etc etc are all world class.

Granted, big city life might not be for everyone and seeing the world and change is a good thing and I am always planning to move away for a while, but I'll always see it as a good city and love it while I'm here.

Bored of London=bored of life.

ok dappa dan you tell it how it is, what is the crime like in london? (serious question)

[BLZDub]

South West England, just have to get out there and see it

This is the one.
Most people seem to be city based in the thread so perhaps that is the main attribute to the moaning though I now live in London, I really like it.
Get to the countryside, the UK has some of the most amazing, picturesque and idilic rural landscapes EVER.
It's like no other place on the planet, FACT.

[elbe]

think overall I enjoy it. Weather can be miserable, life is always tough, and many concerns on the re-emergance, or at least the more public face of certain attitudes, yes I am talking of racisim the BNP and Boris Johnson as london mayor. It also annoys me that the older I get the more ignorance greed and stupidity is see in society.

But on a good summers day, when its warm, with a cooling breeze, and I look out over Oxfordshire green hills it does fill me with a sense of pride belonging and love.

I am often awestruck by the beauty of this country.


Def need to get out and going travelling for a bit soon tho, bit scared I might not want to come back...or even worse I do want to come back and find that Britain no longer compares.

[gwa]

London is quality! So is most of the UK- especially like South West England, just have to get out there and see it.

Its worth seeing the world just to appreciate where you are from, why do you think so many young people from around the world move to London? -its is undeniably one of the greatest global cities on the planet along with just a handful of others.

I have lived in the USA, France and New Zealand and travelled most of the world and can honestly say the standards of living do not really seem any better- just different, housing migh be cheaper in a certain place but wages are also less, moan about London's public transport but tourists voted it the #1 city public transport system in the world, architecture, open spaces, events, culture, health care, crime levels, global transport links, employment opportunities etc etc are all world class.

Granted, big city life might not be for everyone and seeing the world and change is a good thing and I am always planning to move away for a while, but I'll always see it as a good city and love it while I'm here.

Bored of London=bored of life.

ok dappa dan you tell it how it is, what is the crime like in london? (serious question)

I'm well fucking dappa and dont you forget it!

I'm no crime expert but in London it is bad in certain areas, but there is a lot of media hype, 8 million people and shit is gonna happen. But nothing compared to most of the world- seriously...you dont think its worse in most US cities, mexico, S America, Aftrica, Asia, Middle East and comparable in most of Europe? Huge amounts of organised crime, corruption, guns etc around most of the world compared to London.

Yeah but kidulthood?? Ha

No, I'v been to london a fair few times as my sister used to live down there, but i havn't seen anything when i have been down, but yeah i imagen media to overhype things but i also imagen alot of nobs down there too..i wouldnt know but would be cool to know what its really like

[BaronVon]

No it is rubbish. Im bloody stuck here for at least another month.
I should be tanning my arse in Thailand right now

[triky]

i love the UK. lived there 4 years and am just waiting to go back to live in london. had a fucking brilliant time at uni, even if it was in essex. fucking love essex as well. i love brick, i love off-licences, i love parties in the Uk, i love the clubs and the bars, i love the fucking music scene, i love the small, shit houses, the dodgy water heater things and the double-taps, i love those fire-proof doors and those weird right-angle staircases, i love british films, i love the greasy breakfasts, i love the supermarkets with their rows of junk food and crisps, i love one pound shops, i love marmite and tea but above all i love the people there. i've lived most my life in french speaking countries and if there's one thing i love about the brits it's their sense of humour, their openess and general friendly attitude. they're much easier to get to know than the french.

i reckon there are miserable people and assholes everywhere, and money is always a problem. but i'm saving up to move to london and it's gonna be boss when i get there

[concept_]

I have lived in SE London my whole life. It shaped me as a person and can't deny it is my birthplace, a lot of my friends live here, nothing I like better than driving round South at night on empty roads just so I can get some good signal on the pirates etc.

However, despite all this, I don't really like London in general as a place no more- in terms of going out i feel it is a little bit rinsed/all the same, and I have explored a lot of areas others haven't or where I shouldn't have been and feel like I've seen the best (and worse) of it as a city. It is wierd, as I used to love it and would never think of going somewhere else, but I guess things/perceptions change- all my friends went to uni which left London feeling a bit of a social wasteland at first, and i think generally its hard to meet new aquaintances in a city full of pretentious style, where fashion and self image are core principles if that ain't your thing. Maybe it's just turned to dislike because I've become a 9to5 commuting zombie like the rest and fallen out with my family, and I've grown up and now have to face real responsibilities- no longer young strapping zoots and walking around the city with mates making our own fun.

Im going to Leeds for uni in September, and I cannot wait, as I really like the city and the MUCH friendlier people. Probably not going to come back to London for a while if I can help it.

Ideally, I want to be a tenant/hermit on an island where I can sit mulling over things on my own all day in the sun

/loner rant

[throneofblood]

I only lived in London for 8 years (grew up in the South West) but I did love aspects of it - particularly living in Brixton, it was great. Thing is, if you're a certain personality it can sort of take it out of you as well, so while there was an enormous amount of enjoyment there, the constant hangovers and roughness are a bit draining.

Living in Sweden put things in perspective and I don't think I'd ever move back to London, but I really miss the clubs, bars, music and just the London-ness of it all really. I do miss a lot of things about the UK, it's where I spent the first 28 years of my life (give or take) and you can't forget that.

Having said that, moving away from the UK was also a really great thing. You take what you can where you can and it all balances out.

[__________]

it could be worse.

not a lot goes on in cornwall, but at least dubstep has now touched down here, and its nearly summer again...shame the place will be over run with holiday makers though.

i'll move country eventually.

[oddfellow]

The things I enjoy about living here are just the result of being born here I think. The benifits of living in other places are very appealing. Stress is one of the core problems of this society, its a direct result of the working hours and the huge amount of government theft (or tax).

The music scene here is amazing and passionate, which the stress of living here contributes to, but any major city in the world will have a good music scene so its not something I'd be that concerned about if I left.

I dont have any pride in being born here as it had nothing to do with me

[oddfellow]

I dont have any pride in being born here as it had nothing to do with me

Isnt national pride more about being proud that you are part of this society that you are part of rather than being proud of yourself?

People generally say "I'm proud to be english" not "I am proud to be part of this country." Neither I agree with. You cannot be proud of being born. As I have said, it had nothing to do with me so why should I?

I might like certain aspects of this country, but if I subscribed to overall national pride I would have to take into account: the government, monachy, and the stupidity of a nation of immigrants being against immigration. I'd rather take pride in my own achievements personally.