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American living in the UK, great place to live, why have two million Brits left over last decade, mass immigration, expensive cost of living, violence and crime rates, congested
Didn't the Sex Pistols say it best, years ago? "There's no future for YOU!"
I lived in the UK (one of my dreams since I am an Anglophile) for about 9 months. My husband is a Brit (now a US citizen). We moved in with his dad. There was no way we'd ever afford a place on the money my husband made and I had a young baby at the time. The few jobs I applied for...well, I never got a reply. Not even for 'yard monitor' at a school. (I have a Masters Degree in Education).
My father in law's g/friend suggested we 'get counsel housing' which is similar to state run, rent reduced housing in the USA. There was a list a mile and a half long...
There were some wonderful things about living in England--I got to know my husband's sister much better, we went on several historical trips, had a week long cheap seaside holiday that would cost RIDICULOUS money in the USA, and enjoyed living in a different culture.
However, living in England was not what my husband wanted and we thought we 'could do better' back in the USA.
I did not witness any violence or any violent undertones. We lived in a small village about 20 minutes from Bournemouth. I did find a sort of grudging 'distrust' of Americans...which shocked me...However, one old guy (must have been in WW II and actually grateful to America) was very kind to me one day in a shop.
On a wider front people over here in the UK are finding price rises for food and fuel very worrying, even more worrying because unlike the situation in the past when it was perceived to be something that the Brits alone were experiencing, now it is becoming obvious that the food supply world wide is not keeping up with demand.
And we are an island.
Fuel problems could be partly caused by commercial greed but this may just be wishful thinking, it probably is going to get very short supply soon.
Diesel today was reported on the BBC to be £1.25 per litre or 9.3 dollars per US gallon.
Of course there are some very lovely places in the UK same as anywhere else, but successive governments have espoused the work ethic and with both parents out to work the family as an institution is beginning to crack up. Drinking alcohol is a great revenue earner for the government and although people in the US often write on this forum that it is socialist, take it from me that is just a name, everything they do is capitalist through and through, even the health service is being quite quickly privatised although its still "free" at the point of demand, Ha! Ha! Dental treatment on the NHS can cost serious money.
Politicians are held in disrepute, nobody believes a word they say, our soldiers when they come home from a disrespected war get treated to living in accommodation not fit for pigs.
Nobody is to blame for anything that goes wrong yet when things appear ok they want all the credit.
Great place for learning how to become cynical.
allot of this is true actually and thank god the NHS is leaning more private, that will help it work out its kinks. i don't think the labour gov (faster they are gone the better) has espoused a great work ethic at all...on the contrary our welfare state is bigger than ever. both parents working is more common nowadays simply because the price of everything is astronomical and two incomes are necessary.
the thing is the prices in the UK are high because there is so much tax on them...simple as that. 80% of petrol price is tax (petrol tax, petrol duty, VAT, and product) so in reality those prices could be MUCH lower if the government wanted them to be. VAT is 17.5% which is massive considering the equivalent in the U.S. (sales tax) is only 5-7%.
AND...income tax rates are INSANE...how do they expect the average family to get by with the price of everything these days when they take such a huge chunk of your paycheck. the top rate of 40% is paid after you earn about 35,000 pounds (which is enough to allow you to rent a box in London) while in the U.S. the top rate of 35% isn't paid until you earn 180,000 pounds! and it is more progressive...there are 2 bands in the UK 20% and 40% while the U.S. has six. trust me...people in the U.S. have nothing to complain about. granted we have state income tax as well but even with that included it no way evens out.
For my part, I relocated because I've always moved every two years and it was time for a change. Now I stay in the US because, altho I still love the UK, it's so freaking expensive! People say that salaries are commensurate with the cost of living but I just can't see it. Where my parents live is known as one of the most expensive cities in England after London and a first-time buyer has to find at least £300,000 (US $600,000) just to buy a house! Filling a small hatchback car costs £40, a one-way ticket on the London Tube is £4, visiting St Paul's Cathedral (the national cathedral mind you) is £9?! I dread to think how much the weekly shop in Sainsbury's must come to. How do people manage it, especially retirees?
I don't think there's anything wrong with the UK and I'd move back tomorrow if I could, I just can't afford to live there, unless I moved in with my parents .
I have to challenge some of these comparisons.
Housing in the UK is expensive but if you're going to compare city prices then you need to do it properly. What will $600K buy you in New York or LA?
No-one pays 4 quid on the tube as pretty much all the locals now have Oyster Cards that give much lower fares than the maximum Zone 1 cash fare you quoted. And St Pauls cathedral at 9 quid a go - that's just an expense for a tourist.
I popped home to London from the US for a few days a couple of weeks back and did a quick Waitrose and Sainsburys trip for some British goodies, but while there had a quick look at the cost of some food staples as I was interested in comparing costs. Milk was about the same, bread much cheaper, canned goods slightly more expensive, fresh fruit and veg about the same - not much in it really.
Finally the gas/petrol price comparison doesn't go that far either. Here in the US car engine sizes are much larger and consume far more fuel per mile, and also distances for commuting etc. tend to be much further so many of the Brits I've spoken to admit that their fuel spend is about the same as it would be back in the UK.
Yes the UK isn't cheap if you turn up with dollars, but if you live there and earn pounds then there's really not much difference. Taxes are higher, but include your healthcare and there aren't many "deductibles" to worry about. People don't have to work into their 70s simply to get health benefits. Vacation time is much higher, leading to less stress in the workplace and more time with family and loved ones, and more traveling.
Cities are more expensive than provincial towns or rural areas which is pretty much the case everywhere. Many of the UK/US comparisons that have taken place on the site over the last few days are simply comparing apples with oranges. Each country has plenty of good and bad points but some of the ill-informed and sweeping generalizations of late (and all quoted as if they are fact) do no one any favo(u)rs.
allot of this is true actually and thank god the NHS is leaning more private, that will help it work out its kinks. i don't think the labour gov (faster they are gone the better) has espoused a great work ethic at all...on the contrary our welfare state is bigger than ever. both parents working is more common nowadays simply because the price of everything is astronomical and two incomes are necessary.
the thing is the prices in the UK are high because there is so much tax on them...simple as that. 80% of petrol price is tax (petrol tax, petrol duty, VAT, and product) so in reality those prices could be MUCH lower if the government wanted them to be. VAT is 17.5% which is massive considering the equivalent in the U.S. (sales tax) is only 5-7%.
AND...income tax rates are ABSOLUTELY INSANE...how do they expect the average family to get by with the price of everything these days when they take such a huge chunk of your paycheck and trust me...you don't see much in return in terms of public services my friends dad had a hernia and they made him wait 6 months for an operation, by the end he could barely stand up straight and it ended up getting infected and they still made him wait! yet any A&E in London on a friday night is full of pissed people who got in fights and need stitching up...the system is ludicrous.
the top rate of 40% is paid after you earn about 35,000 pounds (which is barely enough to allow you to rent a box in some ghetto in London) while in the U.S. the top rate of only 35% isn't paid until you earn 180,000 pounds! and it is more progressive...there are only two bands in the UK, 20% and 40%, while the U.S. has six. trust me...people in the U.S. have nothing to complain about. granted we have state income tax as well but even with that included it no way evens out by a long shot
the only way your tax situation in the UK is favorable (direct tax anyway) is if you live in NYC and have very high earnings. there you will pay state, city, and national income tax which would push the upper rate well over 40% but this in fact applies to very few people. this is also one of the many reasons that finance is bigger in London b/c the salaries paid in the industry would push you into the bracket where the UK tax system is favorable. but again...this applies to very few people.
it is also favorable for the very poor b/c you don't pay tax at all in the UK unless you earn over 6000 (give or take) pounds...it is called a tax allowance which is something the states doesn't have. alas this sums up who the UK caters to...the mega-rich and the poor...no wonder the middle class are moving!
the rich in the UK pay little in tax (many of them...and i must admit myself included and i am by no means mega rich...know perfectly legal ways of getting around it). the tax i do pay i'm sure covers the public services i do utilize (police etc.) though.
Although Brits complain about the NHS, it certainly has some good points. I went to see my physician here in Chicago and needed a prescription for a steroid. We have good insurance coverage here and yet I was charged $116 for a week's supply. Apparently I had saved $40 because of my insurance. There was no generic form of my steroid. I am still in shock! I don't know how much prescription services differ around the US but you can imagine that people put off from seeing their doctor. And I had to pay $30 for the doctor visit.
where to begin? Weather sucks, ridiculously expensive prices for food, gas, housing, cold and unfriendly people, non existent customer service, basically the UK is a third world country disguised as first world...a bit harsh I know
the biggest problem in the UK is overcrowding. the U.S. is one of the most under-inhabited countries in the world and there is way more space to handle all the immigration. the UK cannot handle it and it is putting a massive strain on the state/healthcare/housing/transport.
remember...there are about 300 million in the U.S. and about 60 million in the UK and the UK is only the size of Oregon! the first time i heard that comparison my jaw hit the floor!
I think immigration is a huge factor! I'm at college, in a clas of 22 and 13 of them aren't English which is more than half! They are all great people but they all have some sort of benefits from our government. We are paying taxes to keep them here basically. Then because our currency is so strong compare to theirs, such as Poland, they take our money and then use it in their country which gives them even more money. I'm not being offensive to them but it is unfair to us British citizens, especially when our health care systems are suffering from them (overcrowding)
No, it is actually America that is the 3rd world country in terms of Health care (19th in WHL table, France is 1st, UK 7th) and as for education...don't get me started! When we were thinking of moving to US, we found that things our son had covered when he was 13, were on the syllabus for kids of 16 in US high schools!
Although Brits complain about the NHS, it certainly has some good points. I went to see my physician here in Chicago and needed a prescription for a steroid. We have good insurance coverage here and yet I was charged $116 for a week's supply. Apparently I had saved $40 because of my insurance. There was no generic form of my steroid. I am still in shock! I don't know how much prescription services differ around the US but you can imagine that people put off from seeing their doctor. And I had to pay $30 for the doctor visit.
When I was in the UK, I got pneumonia. My husbands doctor saw me for free as a visitor. I paid like 5 pounds for my medication which I had to refill once so it was ALOT cheaper for me.
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And I'll save the UK for vacations.
my friends dad had a hernia and they made him wait 6 months for an operation, by the end he could barely stand up straight and it ended up getting infected and they still made him wait! yet any A&E in London on a friday night is full of pissed people who got in fights and need stitching up...the system is ludicrous.
