Living in England

[Herr Tubthumper]

British fashion is the tops as well. I'd never buy a British made car or washing machine as you know it will fall apart the minute you get it home (although the Brit classic mini seems to have improved recently) but a lot of my dressing up clothes are British designed.

 

[Gwylan]

Best:
The weather. We're very lucky in this country - look at Australia with temperatures touching 50 deg, or China, where it's been hitting - 40 lately. We have four distinct seasons and know that it's never going to go above 40 deg and never below -30. We have one of the best climates in the world).
The BBC. You don't need to travel much to start missing the BBC. I'm amazed at the number of Americans I meet who say they read the BBC website in preference to their own broadcasters'.
Tolerance: Notwithstanding the Daily Mail brigade, we're generally free of bigotry and prejudice.
Sense of humour: I love the way we use irony, sarcasm and understatement for comic effect. It helps that we have a pretty rich language.
Food: We can eat any cuisine under the sun - and it's the best country in Europe for vegetarians.

Worst:
Transport: An infrastructure that's far too dominated by the car. Many European cities are being reinvented as places to walk or cycle around, we just want to encourage more car use.
Big Brother: Not the TV programme but the encroaching state interference in how we run our lives.
Football: Not the game itself but the ever-increasing prices are not good for fans and the dominance of two or three teams is going to kill the game eventually

 

[BadFish]

Agree with first point England is the best for traditions. Love our History too.

Labour had wrecked it already. Coalition government just continuing the trend and Labour will destroy it even more if they get back in.

Keep bickering about left v right people that way they will BOTH keep on ruining the country. All the while using the old divide and conquer technique to keep them both in the game.

And doesn't it work perfectly for them?

 

[BadFish]

Best - The Countryside, the optimistic manner of the people who don't phone in to Radio 5 or read the daily mail and those that don't blame all our woes on the unemployed, immigrants and cyclists.

Worst - The South East and the complete and utter reliance of many people on their car. It's the greatest reflection of our total and complete loss of any focus on the society as a whole and a wholesale acceptance of thatcherite individualism.

couldn't have put it better myself

But don't forget the bacon!

 

[Racek]

Best:
The weather. We're very lucky in this country - look at Australia with temperatures touching 50 deg, or China, where it's been hitting - 40 lately. We have four distinct seasons and know that it's never going to go above 40 deg and never below -30. We have one of the best climates in the world).
The BBC. You don't need to travel much to start missing the BBC. I'm amazed at the number of Americans I meet who say they read the BBC website in preference to their own broadcasters'.
Tolerance: Notwithstanding the Daily Mail brigade, we're generally free of bigotry and prejudice.
Sense of humour: I love the way we use irony, sarcasm and understatement for comic effect. It helps that we have a pretty rich language.
Food: We can eat any cuisine under the sun - and it's the best country in Europe for vegetarians.

Worst:
Transport: An infrastructure that's far too dominated by the car. Many European cities are being reinvented as places to walk or cycle around, we just want to encourage more car use.
Big Brother: Not the TV programme but the encroaching state interference in how we run our lives.
Football: Not the game itself but the ever-increasing prices are not good for fans and the dominance of two or three teams is going to kill the game eventually

Well said

 

[Phat Baz 68]

Ummm well lets start with we are free to more or less do and say what we want !!
No one os gonna chop your head off if you disagree with the government !

Bad things !! Croydon, Crystal Palarse FC, Tax, wanky pensions

 

[dreaming spires]

Best - everything southern
Worst - everything northern

 

[Notters]

Best - everything southern
Worst - everything northern

Says the northerner.

 

[ryeseagull]

I grew up in England and left when I was 21. I have spent the last eleven years abroad, so I will answer this by what I miss and don't miss:

I miss the tradition/history/sense of place.

I do not miss the cramped space in which people tend to live.

 

[Woodchip]

I grew up in England and left when I was 21. I have spent the last eleven years abroad, so I will answer this by what I miss and don't miss:

I miss the tradition/history/sense of place.

I do not miss the cramped space in which people tend to live.

This!

 

[Willy Dangle]

Ummm well lets start with we are free to more or less do and say what we want !!
No one os gonna chop your head off if you disagree with the government !

Bad things !! Croydon, Crystal Palarse FC, Tax, wanky pensions

Croydons not in England it is just a blob that fell from the sky and no one has swept it up yet.

 

[Seagull on the wing]

Best - Traditions and Countryside
Worst- we are letting the Tories destroy this country again.

As opposed to Labour who bankrupted the country again......

 

[HastingsSeagull]

Disagree with negative comments about football in this country. Sure the Prem has gone all global but if you take the Championship and below as English football I think it would still be the most even, exciting, competitive league and greatest pyramid in the world. Minus the Champions League teams and I can't think of a single country who's top flight would be better all round than the Championship ability wise either. Maybe there would be one or two teams in Spain / Germany / Italy who'd push for automatic but wouldn't walk it by any means and the average teams would be lower half at best in Champ I think.

Also can't think of any country with as good a lower league pyramid. Prices aren't that high outside the Prem, we are probably the most expensive club! (and best though)

Whilst the Prem is a global, near foreign land and not 'real football' anymore...... any club in the world including Barca and RM would KILL to be able to get into it FACT but only English teams can.............................. well and a couple of Welsh infiltrators

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

I grew up in England and left when I was 21. I have spent the last eleven years abroad, so I will answer this by what I miss and don't miss:

I miss the tradition/history/sense of place.

I do not miss the cramped space in which people tend to live.

Agreed.

Like others I also miss the BBC, the great variety of sport, the NHS (America just doesn’t get this concept), the beer and our legendary sense of humour.

It always good to return but, with the way the government (both the Tories and Labour) have f***ed over (and continue to f*** over) this once great country it’s also good to get back on a plane after a week or so.