whats ur biggest gripe about the uk?

It's not so bad, not when compared to a lot of other places in the world.

Sure we've got chavs, workshy benefits parasites and crappy weather, but I'd rather live here than some war torn hellhole.

No wait... I live in Slough....

well, since i now live in washington, d.c. to the ranter who complained about immigrants, tax and the health service, just try living in the united states, mate...the weather in d.c is a lot better (except august when it's a sauna) but as for going to a doctor or a hospital, i promise you, the UK is a thousand times better.

but there are some great roads out here if you can avoid the idiot drivers and their huge SUV's and pick-up trucks.

The lack of any sense of personal responsibility.

When was the last time you saw a politician hold their hands up and say "Mea culpa, I made a mistake"?

oh... and the London Assembly/mayor whatever - how much does that all cost?....

What is it about politicians - give them a bit power and they all seem to develop God complexes.

Sounds like I'm bashing Politicians but it's just the whole "It's not my fault" thing.

Grrrr.

[tigersaw]

Originally Posted by nutty

but as for going to a doctor or a hospital, i promise you, the UK is a thousand times better.

So its not like House MD then?

I am amazed at the amount of reteric in the thread which appears to be a direct repeat of many a red top. If you actually dig deep into the figures of monies spent in this country, the figures spent on immagration and dealing with the same are really miniscule. What do we think that the government do with the tax? With any large organisation there will always be wastage and **** ups and apparent money pits, but every country in the world struggles with this conumdrum.

We have a basic choice in the this country; Tories equals less tax but slowly reduced service higher rates of privatisation but less bureaucracy. Labour equals more tax increased service but increased bureaucracy. To much of either of these models will hurt us in the end.

Our actually tax burden, is comparable with many modern western countries if you dig deep enough.

I love the UK and it deeply saddens me to see the red top reteric being regurgitated in this way trying to blame all of the countries' apparent ills on one section of society. All societies have there layabouts and scumbags, but they are across all sections of soceity and do not rest all in one place. Is'nt the ?100,000 a year worker dodging taxes through loopholes and a good accountant, just as bad as the chav who trys it on with the benefit system? they are both effectively stealing off the majority, but hey, thats human beings for you.


By the way I have recently moved to a small bunker on Mars. (for tax reasons obviously)

Originally Posted by Sosha

What is it about politicians - give them a bit power and they all seem to develop God complexes.

Sounds like I'm bashing Politicians but it's just the whole "It's not my fault" thing.

Grrrr.

Anyone who wants to be a politician already has a God complex

Originally Posted by Rog

Our actually tax burden, is comparable with many modern western countries if you dig deep enough.

I'm pretty sure that's not the case anymore. I believe we're now into the relms of officially having a high tax economy.

Originally Posted by Rog

Is'nt the ?100,000 a year worker dodging taxes through loopholes and a good accountant, just as bad as the chav who trys it on with the benefit system? they are both effectively stealing off the majority, but hey, thats human beings for you.

Absolutely not. Someone who earns a lot of money is obviously economically produtive - they generate wealth through the company they work for which in turn pays taxes. They will pay tax in their income even if at a reduced rate through dodges, and will be taxed again when they spend it. I can't remember the figure but I believe the top 20% of earners make up 80% of income tax. Something like that anyway. For working the hardest they're penalised the most, so trying to minimise how much the tax man robs them is perfectly understandable.

The chav on benefits contributes nothing. They're economic parasites, and the only people who benefit from them are those who work for the gigantic beaurocrasy required to look after them, who are scarcely any better than the chavs themselves.

Originally Posted by Messie

People who constantly moan about the UK

It's not perfect but it's pretty good really. I love it and wouldn't live anywhere else

Originally Posted by WestleyTDPR

People who are happy to spend their lives whinging but won't actually make a complaint

^^^^^^^

Damn right!

Originally Posted by Davi1033

I find this thread very interesting. I'm an outsider for this group...I'm in the US. Your complaints are the same that we have here.

My French relatives say the same, but it's all about perspective. They don't have the social issues we have with youngsters, but they think they have, they just have it on a much smaller scale and only really in deprived areas.

As for economics, fuel as a particularly sore point here and so easy to quote as an example, but the principal remains valid with other things such as alcohol and cigarettes, if not to the same extent. Diesel is about 112 pence per litre = 509 pence per gallon = 10.18 USD per Gallon. Petrol is 9.46 USD/Gal 2/3 of that is Tax.

Tell that to folk in the US who are shocked that it has just hit 3.26 and 4.06 USD/Gal respectively.

In the UK you can't directly compare visible taxes such as income tax or VAT, we have so many other so called "stealth" taxes that actually double our tax bills. Perhaps you guys do in the US as well, but you pay nothing like what we pay for major purchases such as houses, cars, etc.

I sat down with my father-in-law one afternoon and did the maths, he was shocked and soon conceeded that the UK was much more expensive than France.

Originally Posted by Flamin_Squirrel

Not so. Governments get increasingly tyrannical every subsequent term they win.

Fact of the matter is, despite the gigantic cataloges of government cockups, lying, and generally ignoring the electorate on matters such as ID cards and Europe, we keep voting them in. We only have our selves to blame.

So lets just completely destablise the country by changing the government every 4 years for some other bunch of tyrannical dishonest incompetents who don't have a realistic agenda, nor any idea of how they will pay for what they promise, nor politicians with any practical experience of running a country. All this just so we never have to put up with any more than 4 years of tyrannical ego development?

Voting for me is always a case of choosing the lesser of the available evils.

[tigersaw]

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

Tell that to folk in the US who are shocked that it has just hit 3.26 and 4.06 USD/Gal respectively.

Although, relatively, their prices have risen staggeringly compared to ours. It still may seem laughably cheap to us, but it has doubled in price over there in just a few years