lifes what you make of it...
if your lifes dull, chances are, your dull.
Chat Forum
[closed]
Has living in the UK become very depressing?
-
Posted 1 year ago #
-
Posted 1 year ago #
-
It could be argued that at this time of year, it is, what with seasonal affective disorder
Its not about the economy and politics, its about the extent of SHRED in your life, now crank up the gnar and giggle your way to spring.
Posted 1 year ago # -
For all it's faults (and there are many) I love this country and I can't imagine living long-term anywhere else.
Far, far too may whingers out there, where is the land of milk and honey?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Woon't say it's depressing, as that's a very personal and individual state of mind.
Definitely on a downward slope, socially, politically and economically though. Will it recover to levels that have bin enjoyed previously, is the big question.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I know that if I lost my job tomorrow... I wouldn't find another... would imagine it's the same for many of you...
Interesting only one person makes mention of David Rockafella.. Nathan Rothschild.. no mention of Goldman Sachs...
I don't think a lot of you see really what is happening right now or have much of a clue why it's happened...
Posted 1 year ago # -
I've definately got a dose of the SAD right now. Off the bike for a couple of weeks so no excercise to lift my spirits.
Britain is a great place, it's all relative. 2012 is going to be a proper horror story though.
Posted 1 year ago # -
We've just moved back to the UK after having 11 years in Spain.
All i see on the tv are people complaining all the time and very little of the positive things that are here in the UK.
My wifes used both the Spanish and UK NHS systems and its far better here in the UK.With the number of people it deals with there will always be complaints but i have far more confidence in it here.
Yes,tax here is high,but if the Spanish were made to pay all taxes that are due then prices would rise enormously.The amount of tax evasion compared to the UK is massive.
Younger Spanish that i speak to are quite happy being on the dole/sick as the payments seem quite generous,and you can always pick casual cash jobs up(no tax man on your back).
At the moment,and years to come,it is difficult here,but going on and on about the negatives just drags the country down.
For me theres just one thing.The weather.Can't change it so got to get on with it.Posted 1 year ago # -
Become?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Cold crisp frosty morning up here in Nortumberland. No it's not it's a beautiful country but if you listen to the media you'll get all depressed as they talk the worst this and this worst that.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I love the UK. It's where my family and friends mostly live. I love our weather (as long as I can afford a couple of trips to warm windy beaches each year) and we have proper seasons and good beer.
Mrs BigJohn and I cheered when we heard the mini budget this week. It said our income levels were going to be like in 2001. Yippee! We were quite well off then!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Let's just hope that the Left can reorganise themselves and help put the brakes on a bit, cos the Right are driving us towards the edge of the cliff...
Elf, a good post - I don't buy all of it, but I understand what you're saying. However, I have to take issue with the last line. I'm no friend of Cameron and his crew, but I really don't think that it's the Right, Left or Centrists who are pushing us off a cliff, it's more that we’re about to see a rerun of the 1920s.
Things are about to become significantly more difficult for many people, and although we've had recessions before, they've always been over in a few years (in the main - there are always parts of the country where the pain doesn't quite go away) and things get back to normal. Normal, in this context, meaning steady economic growth, share prices rising, and a general expectation that there will be close to full employment for those prepared to study and work hard.
But times have changed, and I think ‘normal’ will have to be redefined. Sadly, I now believe that there will be a total collapse of the Euro, which will affect us badly, and will make any economic misfortune we’ve seen so far seem like the summer and autumn of 1939, when everyone knew we were at war, but it didn’t really feel like it.
If the Euro goes down – and bear in mind that one of the key reasons it was created was to reduce factionalism within Europe – you’ll see the tectonic plates shift. OK, so I’m not saying that we’re seeing the fall of the Weimar republic and the rise of National Socialism, but there will be political consequences which make what we’ve seen so far seem trivial.
So whether you’re of the Left, and you follow a path of economic stimulus or of the Right, and look more to reducing the size of the state, the fact is that these measures are akin to deciding which way to paddle as you head off Victoria Falls. In the context of world politics and economics, these items just don’t make a difference. What will make a difference is for the politicians to get together and sort out what they’re going to do to restore confidence in the Euro. They’ve been dithering for several months, with one summit after another, and have produced nothing concrete. Action is needed now, which will be horribly brutal, but will be necessary. Greece needed to be thrown out of the Euro, in order to save Italy. It didn't happen. I can’t see that Italy can now be saved, unless the proposed fiscal union is extraordinarily tough and well enforced. Which will lead to civil unrest.
Batten down the hatches.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Even in my working life I have seen things change, mainly in working life, lack of job security and abusive management (abusive may be too strong a word)had a massive impact on my mental health before I left the UK, I was constantly worried about the future.
Now in Germany I have more security in employment, and unions and employment law creates a less hostile management culture, its amazing with just these things sorted how much happier I now am.
There are so many little things in the UK that makes you feel like you are just a disposable commodity, the system doesn't work for the majority of the population it just uses them.
Posted 1 year ago # -
As a nation we are apparently reasonably happy at the moment.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/dec/01/happiness-index-david-cameronPosted 1 year ago # -
It's called Great Britain for a reason!
It's still a great place to livePosted 1 year ago # -
It's called Great Britain for a reason!
Don't forget the United Kingdom, which isn't...
Posted 1 year ago # -
I love Britain. I always have and I always will. Sure, there's a great many fantastic places round the world and I've been to some of them, but this is my home. This is where I belong.
I read an article recently about the increasing numbers of people moving back here from Australia, their reasons being the lack if community and national identity there. And that's something I noticed in the short time I was there. They have very little history to speak of
This is something I love about Britain. It's a country founded very deeply on its history and immigration in particular. Right back to the Britons and the Celts, through the Romans, Anglo Saxons, the Nordic countries and even the French. More recently the Asians, Afro Carribeans, eastern Europeans and Nepaleese.
I'm proud that over so many centuries, so many different races have come here and made their homes. I love the diversity. If someone wants to come here and work and be part of it, that's fine in my book, but if all anyone wants to do is sponge off the state and/or moan about the country, they can sling their hook for all I care and leave Britain to those that want it.Posted 1 year ago # -
It's called Great Britain for a reason!
Don't forget the United Kingdom, which isn't...
What's in the United Kingdom but not Great Britain?Northern Ireland?
Posted 1 year ago # -
I've been to a lot of places in this world, and I've yet to find anywhere I'd rather live and raise a family. Biased by starting off here of course.
We've got a long way to fall before we're experiencing even 1/10 of what a lot of the world faces on a daily basis, and every day I'm thankful for my fluke of conception here.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Northern Ireland?
The UK is Great Britain plus Northern Ireland which I find a little ironic, don't you?Posted 1 year ago # -
Totally agree, I've had to travel to every corner of the world over the last few years and always love the feeling of flying in over Britain. It's still a beautiful place in its own way and is hard to top for safety and stability when you look at the world as a whole. The crap weather just means we really appreciate every good day we get, unless you're stuck in work - then it's depressing!
Posted 1 year ago # -
I'm telling you, after 3yrs sweating in Singapore I was damn glad to come home to 4 proper seasons. We had a chilly June and July but the rest of 2011 has been beautiful.
I'm off for a walk around Spitalfields in the sunshine. I could choose to live anywhere but I choose Britain.
Posted 1 year ago # -
To answer the OP, hell no.
We have good health, good infrastructure and lots of opportunity. Sure, there is the odd thing that could do with changing but overall I truly believe it is a great place to live.
That fact that the British love to moan is a different thing all together.
Posted 1 year ago # -
It's called Great Britain for a reason!
At the risk of being pedantic, the Great bit comes from the fact that the island that comprises Scotland, Wales and England is the biggest, in other words greatest, of all the British Isles.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Not really for me. I thought coming back here would be, as about a month ago I had to cut a working holiday in Canada short as I couldn't actually find any work there. Got myself into a pretty good job when I got back here and I'm pretty happy right now. Only problem is no decent local off road riding (was 5km away from Whistler bike park this time 2 months ago!) but its only riding and I can fill the void with road bikes and bmx.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I live/work in Canada, love it, very different general attitude towards life and work, very upbeat, infact given the -40 degree weather and terrible driving they're damn upbeat.
that said...I will always be british at heart, and would always relish an opportunity to work and live there as prosperously as I am able to in Canuck land.
media is alot smaller here in Canada, alot more to the point, and alot less 'opinion make you feel miserable bullshit' something I think the UK could benefit from hugely. by and large, canadians don't sweat the small stuff, they just get on with it, but then they will also ignore the extreme poverty on some of the reserves, adiswabiskat a prime example...
do i think the uk is depressing? no. can one easily be led into thinking it is? absolutely.
if more people turned off their tellies, realised what an incredible outdoors the uk has to offer - fingells cave on Staffa anyone? or hell, the moors? I think the population as a whole would be a damn slight cheerier, similarly if the media stopped giving so much TV time to the **** idiots in parliament spouting their horseshit, it'd do everyone a world of good, likewise if more people would stand independently as councillors and MP's and took more of a genuine interest in their immediate communities rather than secreting themselves away and never knowing ones neighbour etc.
we're not here for long, why on earth be here miserably, make do and smile, no-one needs sky plus...
p.s. as a general observation, camerons ideas on making peoples employment terms less secure is damn right disgusting.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I don't think it's depressing at all. I love coming back home - but then again I'm currently working in India...
Posted 1 year ago # -
Well said mrgibbons
Definitely agree with the upbeat outlook thing, I noticed when I got back a lot of people seemed quite negative over here!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Only if you let it get to you I think. If you didn't watch the news/read the paper would you know we were in the poo?
Posted 1 year ago # -
easygirl - Member
It's called Great Britain for a reason!
Aye, same reason they named it the Great War. But by all accounts it wasn't all that good either
Posted 1 year ago # -
And for all those that think Britain is rubbish you should take a trip around the world if you ever get the chance.
You'll very quickly realise it is actually a very nice place to live an be thankful you were born there...
Great? Maybe not. But very nice - oh yes!
Posted 1 year ago # -
We won't get out of the mess without a positive attitude and taking responsibility for it, instead of blaming other groups of people.
I love the UK but I'm not very impressed with the general, knee-jerk negativity that's becoming more pervasive by the day...
We're still amongst the richest people in the worldPosted 1 year ago # -
4 years in Germany and i can find some things here depressing, but only if i care to notice them and/or let them get to me.
the same can be said about the UK. there are things that piss me off about the place, but on the other hand there are things i love about it.
it depends on how and where you care to look at something...
maybe a little austerity will do the nation some good.
Posted 1 year ago # -
lifes what you make of it...
if your lifes dull, chances are, your dull.
In that case, your life must be a ****.
I mean, even by STW standards that is stupid
It's called Great Britain for a reason!
Isn't it so they didn't get it mixed up with Brittany?
you know like, Bretagne and Grand Bretagne?
Posted 1 year ago # -
I work in Iraq.
The UK is a frikkin awesome place to live.
Posted 1 year ago #
Topic Closed
This topic has been closed to new replies.
