So it's the anything goes thread. In advance- please excuse typos. It's dark and late and I've had a few gins :-)

My wife and I are travelling the world. Partly out of curiosity and partly to find a new country to live in.

I'm wondering who else feels this way, and not nesc. about just Britain. We are leaving (well, have left), and our reasons are. (not in any particular order)

1) Crap politics - a government who put nothing back into the country, after all the taxation and waffle, nothing improves. All the BS about revitalising the NHS, transport, public transport. blah blah blah - nada!

2) Crime - cops have no real power or respect any more. YOu can tell a copper to f-off and get away with it. That can't be right.

3) Filth - we are without doubt living in the messiest country in Europe. Every time we go to a new city, not just EU, it shows how slack the UK is.

4) Lazy workforce - where else does eveyone strike at a hint of their excessive overtime being trimmed.

5) Apathetic workforce - linked to above. Service could not be worse in any other country. We are soooo glad to see the back of surly, miserable staff in all the shops. Clearly linked to over zealous employment law meaning you can't easily sack the dickhead you might accidentally employ.

6) Weather - enough said.

7) congestion - truly daft - especially when it's cheapert to hire a car for a weekend than use a train. In fact, it's often cheaper to fly than use a train.

8) Thugs/Yobs - can't think of many towns where it is safe to be on the streets after closing time

9) The "getting pissed" culture - we are alone on the mindeset of going out MUST involve getting bladdered.

10) Being Brussel's bitch.

11) Overpricing "because we are on an island" - come on! what bull lol

12) Nanny state laws - we are caught up in PC nonsense. Take disabled parking spaces for example - ever seen more than 1 or 2 cars in a bank of 50 bays? Same with houses - all new builds are not allowed steps to the front door. Same with the bumpy paving slabs for blind people - really, lets; be honest, how many blind people do you see each day? It's rediculous. Caveat - I of course understand it's great to provide for the less fortunate - but to change the landscape of the whole country?)

13) Pedants - seriously - the Brits love the law. I got served a £4 pint of Erdinger in a pub in Englad recently and the barmaid refused to serve it in the proper Erdinger tall glass. Reason?, "beacuse it's illegail". I probed further... "we can't quite get the beer to the 1 pint mark and people complain". What!?!?! If you don't like it don't buy it! Come on!

14) Smoking ban - OK - I know Europe is all going that way, and many other countries too - btu give us a choice! - make smoking and non smoking bars. Don't spoon feed us tabacco adverts all our teenage years then say "sorry, changed our minds - you are plebs now - bugger off".

15) Taxation- I was a high earner and still, trying to see a dentist on the NHS was nigh on impossible, but the unemployed... no problem. What gives? LInked to above - I've paid more tax on smokes than any non smoker - don't discriminate against me based on my habits.

16) Benefits - what a MAD system. I could not claim free prescriptions when I quit working because I didn't want to sign-on to benefits. So I decided not to claim benefits (principal more than anything) and this buggered any chance of free medical prescriptions. SO they want me to sign on?

17) Benefits - they make it too appealing to be on benefits.

18) Fines - in London they train the bus lane cameras on the last 5 meters before a bus lane finishes. That's not to deter bus lane abuse - that's to cash in on people who merge at the end of a bus lane. I got stung 4 times, 3 of which on a scooter - faster than any bus. How can we live ina country where local authorities totally abuse their power in such a transparent way? I actually emailed Ken LIvingstone on this point. His "aide" responded and just spelled out the letter of the law, refusing to engage me on the actual point, which was that cameras focussed on points where people will naturally make a mistake is not constructive, it's a cash in, plain and simple.

I chose to leave the UK and I'm well glad of it. The EU means we can move with great ease, and if you are skilled, the rest of the world is pretty much your choice.

SO tell me, are you thinking of leaving your country,or have you, and why?

:-)

Wow another epic Dodgey rant, how many gins did u say you'd had? lol
You've made some interesting points, but I think you're primarily talking about London more than the UK, half the things on your list don't apply down here in Brighton (well a couple at least anyway: better weather, friendlier shop staff, cleaner streets and not many yobs).
I agree about the smoking thing, it is getting ridiculous, I read an interesting statistic recently, apparently 22% of the British population smoke which is more than I thought, we're not alone!
I used to like Ken but now he's been hanging around like a bad smell for too long and he's planning more congestion charge extensions, Boris may be the new man.
You're right about taxes, but some countries in europe are worse, try living in Paris.
The other thing about the British is we love to moan, I think you've proved the point!
I've often thought about moving to Amsterdam, I've been there many times and I know they have a few problems too, but for me it's pretty close to Utopia, although I did hear recently that they'll soon be bringing in the smoking ban there too, the coffee shops will be exempt but only for smoking pure weed with no tobacco!

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:-) - aye - london is a special case I'll admit.

Amsterdam - yup - coming very soon if now now already - though you could never drink alcohol in coffee shops anyhow so it;s not as if the boozers will move to the weed dens. If they make it pure weed only.. omg! how mad will that be lol

Why not try san diego? We have among the best weather on earth. The cost of living is high but if you can deal with that i would say its paradise here.
Look into it if your interested plus house prices are coming down very hard.

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