Top 5 'I won't miss' things about the UK

[Guest guest32776]

Even to Oz cynics such as myself there are several things I really do not miss about the UK... In an absolutely non-political, non-side taking fashion what are everyone's top 5 parts of UK life they are pleased to have left behind???

 

1. Chavs (just watched Harry Brown - excellent film and really quite representative of my walk home in Islington when I had to run the 'chav gauntlet' every day)

2. Hanging on for hours on end to try and get through to call centres - stress levels at breaking point in frustration (Oz call centres generally have a far better ratio of callers to staff - with the exception of Telstra - who are utter shiite.)

3. The Jeremy Kyle show - despite being aware of how utterly wrong it was to laugh at these 'losers' it sucked me in like a dyson.

4. Road rage and being stuck in endless traffic jams - it once took me four hours to get from Waitrose in Holloway back to Islington (about 2 miles)

5. The assumption most utilities companies make that you OWE them money, the threatening letters, hanging on to speak to a grouchy 'customer service' operative.... The onus of proof that you don't owe money is entirely on you. It is even more irritating when they sell that debt on to a debt collector who will threaten you in every way possible to obtain money you never owed.

[Guest sh7t man no way]

Even to Oz cynics such as myself there are several things I really do not miss about the UK... In an absolutely non-political, non-side taking fashion what are everyone's top 5 parts of UK life they are pleased to have left behind???

 

1. Chavs (just watched Harry Brown - excellent film and really quite representative of my walk home in Islington when I had to run the 'chav gauntlet' every day)

2. Hanging on for hours on end to try and get through to call centres - stress levels at breaking point in frustration (Oz call centres generally have a far better ratio of callers to staff - with the exception of Telstra - who are utter shiite.)

3. The Jeremy Kyle show - despite being aware of how utterly wrong it was to laugh at these 'losers' it sucked me in like a dyson.

4. Road rage and being stuck in endless traffic jams - it once took me four hours to get from Waitrose in Holloway back to Islington (about 2 miles)

5. The assumption most utilities companies make that you OWE them money, the threatening letters, hanging on to speak to a grouchy 'customer service' operative.... The onus of proof that you don't owe money is entirely on you. It is even more irritating when they sell that debt on to a debt collector who will threaten you in every way possible to obtain money you never owed.

they have all those things in australia charlie--so i guess you wont miss them all that much mate:wubclub:

[Guest guest32776]

I should change it to 'things I don't miss' as I have been year for 3 years....

[TheOptimist]

I won't miss:

 

1) Short days. Getting light at 8am and dark again at 3:30 in winter. Yuk.

2) Never ending drizzle and grey skies. The light pigmentation seems brighter in Oz.

3) Rush hour in London. I understand other places have rush hours but I'm prepared to bet that London is one of the worst places in the world for traffic congestion/travel delays/tube break downs etc.

4) Endless stories about how ripped off UK residents are, and how we seem to lie down and take it without action. Fuel prices, house prices, bankers bonuses etc.

5) The racial tensions in a lot of the larger cities. It feels like its getting worse to me.

 

These are my opinions, so do me a favor and before someone shoots be down please bear in mind that the question from the OP was 'what things won't you miss' and I have listed my views, I am not stating as fact! :cool:

[Guest The Ropey HOFF]

I've got 500 things and have no energy to print them, too much Asti Spumanti.

[starlight7]

Things we have never missed in all the 36 years

 

The weather

The crowds

The litter ( don't know whether that has improved these days)

Smell of BO on the London underground ( again, don't know if this has improved)

The food ( though I think this has definitely on the improve now)

[tonyman]

I won't miss:

 

1) Short days. Getting light at 8am and dark again at 3:30 in winter. Yuk.

2) Never ending drizzle and grey skies. The light pigmentation seems brighter in Oz.

3) Rush hour in London. I understand other places have rush hours but I'm prepared to bet that London is one of the worst places in the world for traffic congestion/travel delays/tube break downs etc.

4) Endless stories about how ripped off UK residents are, and how we seem to lie down and take it without action. Fuel prices, house prices, bankers bonuses etc.

5) The racial tensions in a lot of the larger cities. It feels like its getting worse to me.

 

These are my opinions, so do me a favor and before someone shoots be down please bear in mind that the question from the OP was 'what things won't you miss' and I have listed my views, I am not stating as fact! :cool:

 

just to let you know the racial tension IS getting worse and will come to a head soon ...............it cannot carry on the way it is and nothing happen .......i lived in a village where there was no asians , now they have 2 newsagents on the same row compeating with each other , a curry house a chinese pizza place , and all this is in a small very up market area and is/was accross the road from me and my parents as we lived next door to each other ..............and for my 60 odd yr old mum to complain then things are getting bad .......my 91 yr old Grandma cant believe what has happened to the Great UK ...............another 30 yrs and the uk will be finnished.........it will be Asian with many riots :policeman:pc Abdul wont be there to help ..:no:..........such a shame .......

[Fox]

We're not there yet but we're working on it.

 

Our list includes, but is not limited to:

1) The rain.

2) Stealth taxes.

3) My primary school aged children being set homework and getting stressed out by it, as well as the declining education system in general.

4) The traffic, crowds and overcrowding in general.

5) Those who indulge in keeping up with the Jones'.

[TheOptimist]

We're not there yet but we're working on it.

 

Our list includes, but is not limited to:

1) The rain.

2) Stealth taxes.

3) My primary school aged children being set homework and getting stressed out by it, as well as the declining education system in general.

4) The traffic, crowds and overcrowding in general.

5) Those who indulge in keeping up with the Jones'.

 

:yes:

[Guest chris955]

Yes it's funny, most of the things people have mentioned are also here so it should feel just like home. LOL.

 

they have all those things in australia charlie--so i guess you wont miss them all that much mate:wubclub:

[Guest Andy]

I won't miss:

 

1) Short days. Getting light at 8am and dark again at 3:30 in winter. Yuk.

2) Never ending drizzle and grey skies. The light pigmentation seems brighter in Oz.

3) Rush hour in London. I understand other places have rush hours but I'm prepared to bet that London is one of the worst places in the world for traffic congestion/travel delays/tube break downs etc.

4) Endless stories about how ripped off UK residents are, and how we seem to lie down and take it without action. Fuel prices, house prices, bankers bonuses etc.

5) The racial tensions in a lot of the larger cities. It feels like its getting worse to me.

 

These are my opinions, so do me a favor and before someone shoots be down please bear in mind that the question from the OP was 'what things won't you miss' and I have listed my views, I am not stating as fact! :cool:

Hi kat,

 

Have you experienced number 5, i only ask as this is one of the things that bothers me.

[Guest chris955]

I can't speak for Kat but I can't say I have experienced when I lived there or heard about it when there recently but I wasn't really in the main cities. Like here that sort of thing would be quite prevalent in certain areas I guess.

[Guest guest32776]

Personally I never experienced any issues of race in my years in London. Crime and tensions seemed to be far more socio economic rather than race driven - although of course history tells us in times of scarcity 'nationalism/racism' rears its ugly head. I was certainly burgled several times - once by an Algerian and three times by local 'hoodies' under the age of 16. Race is more of an issue here in my incredibly humble opinion but I am interested to know more...??

[Guest chris955]

I agree, it is definitely more to do with economics than race. One of my good friends here is a cop and is moving away from the Logan/Brisbane area because of the rise in crime in recent times and doesn't want his kids exposed to it. I'm not sure if the race of the perpetrators has any bearing on the rise ?

[Guest Bobby]

just to let you know the racial tension IS getting worse and will come to a head soon ...............it cannot carry on the way it is and nothing happen .......i lived in a village where there was no asians , now they have 2 newsagents on the same row compeating with each other , a curry house a chinese pizza place , and all this is in a small very up market area and is/was accross the road from me and my parents as we lived next door to each other ..............and for my 60 odd yr old mum to complain then things are getting bad .......my 91 yr old Grandma cant believe what has happened to the Great UK ...............another 30 yrs and the uk will be finnished.........it will be Asian with many riots :policeman:pc Abdul wont be there to help ..:no:..........such a shame .......

Are you talking about Oz or the UK>....because to be honest your post is just not true no matter if you meant Oz or the UK.:eek:

[Guest chris955]

:laugh: It certainly doesn't describe any country I am familiar with.

 

Are you talking about Oz or the UK>....because to be honest your post is just not true no matter if you meant Oz or the UK.:eek:

[Guest famousfive]

Five things I don't miss about Ireland-

1.I don't miss the winter wind gusting in off the Atlantic and nearly lifting you off your feet on a winters day.

2.I don't miss the idiots,aka ferry crew,who would watch you struggle onto the ferry with all your bags and then offer to help when you were all done.

3.I don't miss all the American tourists with their mantra of 'but in the states we have........'.

4.I don't miss wearing a big heavy[yet stylish]jacket a lot of the time.

5.I don't miss having to clean out the ash from the fire every day,but I do miss the cosy feeling you get from sitting in front of an open fire.

[Guest famousfive]

just to let you know the racial tension IS getting worse and will come to a head soon ...............it cannot carry on the way it is and nothing happen .......i lived in a village where there was no asians , now they have 2 newsagents on the same row compeating with each other , a curry house a chinese pizza place , and all this is in a small very up market area and is/was accross the road from me and my parents as we lived next door to each other ..............and for my 60 odd yr old mum to complain then things are getting bad .......my 91 yr old Grandma cant believe what has happened to the Great UK ...............another 30 yrs and the uk will be finnished.........it will be Asian with many riots :policeman:pc Abdul wont be there to help ..:no:..........such a shame .......

I may have read your post wrong but to me this does not read as a description of racial tension,it reads more like a description of people not liking the fact that other nationalities have moved into what once was 'their' upmarket well to do area.It sounds as if you are saying the standard in the area has now dropped because of these people moving in and working there.Maybe these are the exact same sentiments that fuel racial tension in the first place?Could it be that the new nationalities are not the only ones to blame?

[Guest chris955]

To me it is what makes a truly multicultural country, I love seeing the mix of nationalities and can't understand how having Asians living near by can be seen as an issue.

All in all when you look at the comments it was an extremely racist post.

 

I may have read your post wrong but to me this does not read as a description of racial tension,it reads more like a description of people not liking the fact that other nationalities have moved into what once was 'their' upmarket well to do area.It sounds as if you are saying the standard in the area has now dropped because of these people moving in and working there.Maybe these are the exact same sentiments that fuel racial tension in the first place?Could it be that the new nationalities are not the only ones to blame?

[TheOptimist]

just to let you know the racial tension IS getting worse and will come to a head soon ...............it cannot carry on the way it is and nothing happen .......i lived in a village where there was no asians , now they have 2 newsagents on the same row compeating with each other , a curry house a chinese pizza place , and all this is in a small very up market area and is/was accross the road from me and my parents as we lived next door to each other ..............and for my 60 odd yr old mum to complain then things are getting bad .......my 91 yr old Grandma cant believe what has happened to the Great UK ...............another 30 yrs and the uk will be finnished.........it will be Asian with many riots :policeman:pc Abdul wont be there to help ..:no:..........such a shame .......

 

Hi Nick. I think that this country is richer for having a diverse mix of cultures. I couldn't be without the local Thai takeaway in my town, or the friendly asian corner shop and don't see that as a problem, rather an asset. My issue is really about the sadness I feel that the country is becoming more and more segregated and since 9/11 and 7/7 there feels like there is more suspicion amongst differing cultures and that things are going backwards, not forward. That is what I meant by my comment.

[TheOptimist]

I can't speak for Kat but I can't say I have experienced when I lived there or heard about it when there recently but I wasn't really in the main cities. Like here that sort of thing would be quite prevalent in certain areas I guess.

 

I am glad to hear this. My experiences are subtle. For example, witnessing young, drunk kids queuing for a taxi after a night out making racist comments about the nationality of the taxi driver: "I hope we don't get a paki' etc. It makes me cringe. Sure they mean no harm and its as a result of their ignornance as opposed to knowingly being offensive/racist, but even so it makes me feel uneasy and a little ashamed.

[TheOptimist]

Hi kat,

 

Have you experienced number 5, i only ask as this is one of the things that bothers me.

 

I grew up in Luton, and it was an unpleasant place mainly because the raicial tension there was so prevalent. I found it stifling. I have been on the receiving end of racism as a kid growing up there, however nothing compared with the asian kids at my school who were reguarly hounded and bullied by the 'white kids'. Makes me shudder remembering how some of those kids were spoken to and treated by some of the other kids.

[Guest guest32776]

Hi Nick. I think that this country is richer for having a diverse mix of cultures. I couldn't be without the local Thai takeaway in my town, or the friendly asian corner shop and don't see that as a problem, rather an asset. My issue is really about the sadness I feel that the country is becoming more and more segregated and since 9/11 and 7/7 there feels like there is more suspicion amongst differing cultures and that things are going backwards, not forward. That is what I meant by my comment.

 

There certainly was an instant assumption made by the more intellectually challenged members of society that all muslims are terrorists and should be hounded out of their neighbourhoods and attacked. I don't think the rather ridiculous responses by the UK and the US helped especially now the war on Iraq has been shown to be an absolute travesty - based on no evidence of WMDs and in all likelihood purely just to secure cheap oil. Afghanistan is pretty much unconquerable and is just a waste of people's lives and resources. The biggest amount of headway to easing tension between the West and Islamic activists would be surely be to take meaningful action on Israel and its relentless bullying of the Palestinians... Yet, again and again the encumbent US president finds his hands tied by internal lobbyists. It is a tough one - especially as some fools still read that poisonous rag, The Daily Mail - and believe that every single Muslim is out to kill your kids and steal the shirt off your back. Strangely enough, the Aussie press like to pick up these little snippets of racial tension from the UK media as well.

[TheOptimist]

There certainly was an instant assumption made by the more intellectually challenged members of society that all muslims are terrorists and should be hounded out of their neighbourhoods and attacked. I don't think the rather ridiculous responses by the UK and the US helped especially now the war on Iraq has been shown to be an absolute travesty - based on no evidence of WMDs and in all likelihood purely just to secure cheap oil. Afghanistan is pretty much unconquerable and is just a waste of people's lives and resources. The biggest amount of headway to easing tension between the West and Islamic activists would be surely be to take meaningful action on Israel and its relentless bullying of the Palestinians... Yet, again and again the encumbent US president finds his hands tied by internal lobbyists. It is a tough one - especially as some fools still read that poisonous rag, The Daily Mail - and believe that every single Muslim is out to kill your kids and steal the shirt off your back. Strangely enough, the Aussie press like to pick up these little snippets of racial tension from the UK media as well.

 

I completely agree. And actually, your points all sum up what I meant by my earlier comment in my original post (point 5). Particularly your point about certain tabloid newspapers scaremongering. Well said.

[Afro Developer]

Five things I wont miss from the UK....

 

1) Go Compare Advert - Who thought annoying the s*** out of people would make them buy/use your product

2) The weather - I know it's such a common complaint but try being solar powered like me in the UK. I don't function in winter.

3) Sky TV - I pay you for what exactly? So you can pipe even more rubbish into my living room.

4) CCTV - It's made me so vain. I know I'm gonna be caught on camera a gazillion times a day so I try to look my best for the cameras.

5) Supermarkets - I don't trust your green tomatoes, yellow bananas, battery farmed steroid chickens, and all the other plastic looking fruit and veg you have on your shelves.