Cerberus1 Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 It appears the recent wave of 'nn reasons to live/ not to live...' threads has spread beyond the shores of PIO with the International Business Times now getting in on the act. They have produced a list of '10 reasons not to live in the UK'. 1. It's Expensive House prices may be falling (August saw a 0.3 per cent drop in value) but rents – particularly in London – have never been higher. And with twice the number of people choosing to rent a home instead of buying property, not to mention the rising price of food, petrol and cigarettes, the cost of living in the UK is only getting higher. 2. It doesn't pay well It costs a lot to live here, but the returns are quite slim. According to uSwitch, the UK no longer has the highest net household income in Europe. UK homeowners now earn £38,547 after tax - less money than the Netherlands, Denmark and (worst of all) even Ireland. 3. Unemployment Those lucky enough not to be earning less money than Ireland are most likely unemployed. 2.51 million people in the UK are now out of work, as the UK economy continues to struggle. Meanwhile, overseas career opportunities are going strong, with 70 per cent of expat entrepreneurs feeling that they have “achieved more by working abroad”. Further news of Australia’s labour shortage, with 150,000 jobs going spare, doesn't make the UK figures any easier to swallow. 4. The weather The weather is lovely in the UK, for people who like rain. But for those who can accept the second lowest amount of sunshine in Europe per year, it’s still bad: London, according to a study this month, is one of the unhealthiest cities in Europe, with the poor air quality (and the UK's failed attempts to clean it up) earning the capital an F grade from SootFreeCities.eu. (Berlin, incidentally, has the best air in Europe.) 5. No-one gets any holiday 5.5 days. That’s how much more holiday the average European has than a Briton each year. Working hours are longer too, as Brits spend an average of 36.4 hours in the office every week, compared to 30.6 hours in the Netherlands. (Those reading this at work may want to get out a calculator.) 6. The children It may not be a surprise after the recent riots, but British expats who have escaped the UK are almost unanimous about the benefits for their children. 80 per cent told Moneycorp recently that moving abroad gave their kids a better quality of life. With education spending below the European average, isn’t it time that somebody thinks of the children? 7. Britain's "broken society" The country’s “broken society” is a major concern for 59 per cent of Britons, while spending cuts only add to everyone's worries about the NHS, public transport and, indeed, education. In addition, 47 per cent of the people uSwitch surveyed are anxious about crime and violence in the UK, as the government's popularity falls lower. 8. Death Life expectancy is just 80.4 years in the UK, a whole year below France, where the average person lives until they are 81.4. And having one of the highest retirement ages in Europe (63.1) means that Brits will be working right up to the final 17 years of their lives. 9. Unhappiness If people aren't working, worrying, spending money, or dead, they might well be tired of the UK and its cloudy weather and poor quality of life. Or they might be in the 5 per cent of the population that have said they are happy living here. 10. The bad news Hearing negative news stories about unemployment, crime and spending cuts can easily lead to frustration for UK residents, but the news that France is officially a better place to live than the UK (and has been for three years in a row) might well be the tipping point. Source: International Business Times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domestic goddess Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 It costs a lot to live here, but the returns are quite slim. According to uSwitch, the UK no longer has the highest net household income in Europe. UK homeowners now earn £38,547 after tax - less money than the Netherlands, Denmark and (worst of all) even Ireland. Now thats saying something if my homeland of Ireland is still doing better:wacko: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flag of convenience Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Watched a show on tv the other night that showed the extreme poverty in parts of Glasgow. People living there have the lowest life spans in modern Europe, are also amoung the most over weight with all the additional issues related to that. I Expect this has been an issue for a considerable period yet few have much awareness of the extremity of the problem. More a case of grossly unequal Britain than 'Broken Britain' as I doubt very much that this is a recent development. More a case of out of sight out of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 We're all doomed! Geez, I never realised things were so dire in the uk...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest57588 Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 It appears the recent wave of 'nn reasons to live/ not to live...' threads has spread beyond the shores of PIO with the International Business Times now getting in on the act. They have produced a list of '10 reasons not to live in the UK'. Very interesting. Has anyone got any data on living costs/ work-life balance etc in Aus in order to make a comparison? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin McAuley Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 haha, I agree with domestic godess. If it's going worse than Ireland then you's are in bad way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf N Turf Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Very interesting. Has anyone got any data on living costs/ work-life balance etc in Aus in order to make a comparison? Yes, I recently read a comparison of Beckenham (Kent ) and South Yarra (Melbourne) where the costs of living were very similar but the happiness index of residents in the latter was exponentially higher. Not sure how big the sample was though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2tigers Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 What a negative thread! Beware the world is such doom and gloom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Yes, I recently read a comparison of Beckenham (Kent ) and South Yarra (Melbourne) where the costs of living were very similar but the happiness index of residents in the latter was exponentially higher. Not sure how big the sample was though. G'day snt! Surely that would depend on which of the (2) people in the sample was questioned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf N Turf Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 G'day snt! Surely that would depend on which of the (2) people in the sample was questioned? Fair point. I think it came down to one female respondent in the end as the male participants responses were invalidated by his intake of mood altering substances. Hard to find reliable research really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Fair point. I think it came down to one female respondent in the end as the male participants responses were invalidated by his intake of mood altering substances. Hard to find reliable research really. I'm not sure donner kebabs and Stella Artois qualify as 'mood altering substances'... Bowel altering maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf N Turf Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 I'm not sure donner kebabs and Stella Artois qualify as 'mood altering substances'...Bowel altering maybe? Where this individual is concerned bowel-altering IS mood-altering. For those around him as well, I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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