I wish I were British...

[GRAHAM SG1]

Great video clip skitch it and very true !!

Perceptions of countries can be interesting, many brits view the USA as a very patriotic and god fearing country, these are possibly stereotypes of course, I like the song lyrics by Jello Biafra, they may not be to everyones taste but they do make you think and look up items that you never previously knew, song lyrics can be informative or a prompt for further reading on a subject, I have learnt many things about the USA that way and can see the same things happening in the UK .
One things is for sure, what happens in the USA usually makes its way to the UK .

 

[thefruitfarmer]

Many people in britain nowadays are only concerned with themselves and patriotism is dead !!

May I refer you to ukuncut.....

I had a great day out on 26th March.

 

[EdHunter]

I still love Britain!

He says from Switzerland...

 

[AntekStalich]

Yeah, this country is falling apart. And then the Gov. is wondering why so many people want to emigrate...

Mates, to keep it straight. The British population needs to be transferred as the whole to Poland to enjoy low-cost fuel, cheap alcohol and many other things for which I am so glad to return home; then, the whole Polish population makes their dream happen - that is - to live and work in the UK as they almost managed couple years ago. The plan assumes that current Govts remain in their posts, so the Polish Govt and Parliament will have to face fifty million English speakers and the UK Govt/Parliament will have to learn Polish.

This smart plant will certainly straighten out both economies, will allow electing the RIGHT people for the Govt/Parliament and everybody will be happy.

Are you in?

 

[thefruitfarmer]

Are you in?

Dobra......(sp)

 

[Fassa Albrecht]

Mates, to keep it straight. The British population needs to be transferred as the whole to Poland to enjoy low-cost fuel, cheap alcohol and many other things for which I am so glad to return home; then, the whole Polish population makes their dream happen - that is - to live and work in the UK as they almost managed couple years ago. The plan assumes that current Govts remain in their posts, so the Polish Govt and Parliament will have to face fifty million English speakers and the UK Govt/Parliament will have to learn Polish.

This smart plant will certainly straighten out both economies, will allow electing the RIGHT people for the Govt/Parliament and everybody will be happy.

Are you in?

*starts learning Polish*

 

[GRAHAM SG1]

Whats the weather like in Poland ??

The forthcoming referendum in May regarding changes to the UK voting system will be interesting, so we might get a better voting system but sadly we will have the same leaders to vote for, I am sorry but I have lost faith in our political system and each year that passes reinforces these feelings
Thankfully we have a royal wedding to look forward to when we can all wave our plastic union jacks and get p*ssed, I have got a gig that night so it should be a nice party atmosphere god save the queen

 

[AntekStalich]

thefruitfarmer has made a very good answer, although I'd say 99% of the Polish would use the "ok" as the affirmative FassaAlbrecht has made the first step, too

The weather here is quite unpredictable.
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A casual photo of my well-doing neighbour (owner of local bakery) now, at 7:00 a.m. It is +7 C now, I expect a pretty warm day. Last year was just crazy with raining the whole Spring and July, with extremely hot and dry August. Normally, I'd expect Winters like we've just had (-10 C on average and a lot of snow), lovely Springs (warm & sunny), hot & dry Summers, golden Autumns; but it is not like that every year.

Well, I copied some of Graham's and Fassa's opinions to my Facebook profile. Guess what. A Polish lady living in UK replied: "I was not so sure what country you were talking about until I read the bit on football - yes, it must be the UK!" She's only forgotten our national football team was just as pathetic

Now, my general comment was: "Since April 1st (not a joke!), you can own insignificant amount of marijuana here. Since the beginning of this year, you can drive 140 km/h on motorways (120 km/h on expressways), and the police will not notice if this is 160/140 km/h. Our roads are now built at breathtaking speed to meet the Euro 2012. Find some reasons to complain."

The answer has come again from a Polish living in the UK: "And the prices?" My reply was: "I've just been to Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary". The price of Premium Diesel (not Regular) was 1.55 - 1.60 Euro/litre there, while we pay 1.375 here in Poland. Oh, high prices, indeed...

Now, I look to other posts at FB to find out why the Polish are complaining:
1. While Pres. Kaczynski was alive, the public accused him and his twin brother (The Ducks) of ignorance, weird economic decisions, promoting religion, etc.
2. Now, Prime Minister Tusk is accused of increasing the VAT with 1%, high prices and less availability of sugar (the price could be 1.25 EUR/kg; the imported sugar is cheaper) and generally for high prices -- as if he were the one responsible for the consumer prices. Forgetting that the impact of economic crisis almost did not affect Poland.
3. Some people would like to see the Cross everywhere, while as many would expel religion from schools.
4. What is however hard to accept by many is:
a. Some man was suspected to throw his dog under the train. Whatever the truth was, the man should die in pain!
b. A video showing drill-trained little North Korean children playing full sized acoustic guitars makes the same people admire how skilled those poor babies are -- without a second of thinking what North Korea is;
c. Oh, atomic energy should be banned! Our coal-fired powerplants are certainly healthier;
d. Etc., etc.
5. However, Polish nobles were accusing King Jan Olbracht for high taxes, King Stefan Batory for militarism and King Jan III Sobieski for having French wife I'd say complaining has been generic feature of the Polish for ages.

Returning to UK:
I spoke with an African street-sweeper in UK. He said he was so happy with living in Britain. Contrary from Germany, he felt no racism in Britain. He had two jobs and he was doing well. I asked him where I could drop my cigarette stub. He said: "Drop it right here; I will sweep it; people drop things on the pavement in UK, thanks to it sweepers keep their jobs". He's convinced me, but I do not live in UK so I don't know.

Finally, a little song I wrote in the Autumn 2008 and made in May 2009 called "Crisis".
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Sorry for pidgin translation to English:
The Iceland banks are in mourning
The sun shines bright in my mornings
Crash, collapse, fear, nightmares
For me, higher price on guitars.
Crisis!
"Television's full of gays"?
But my friends are always nice
"Blacks, the Lefties, the Moderates"?
I admire my garden's grass
Crisis!
Bank collapse hits Honduras
But I enjoy playing my bass
UK has now the smoking ban
Come to me, enjoy, have fun!
What are you looking at, you cretin?
Television sucks and kills you
What are you looking at, you cretin?
This Internet's is just killing!
What are you looking at, you moron?
Your generation gets killed and gone!
Hah.


Mates, just enjoy life. Enjoy what you have got. It could be far worse.

 

[Rusty Chainsaw]

Anyone know the date Doctor Who is back on?

23rd April. A new episode set in the US, called "The Impossible Astronaut". It's going to be on BBC America the same day too, so no waiting!

 

[THand]

What about the "Sherlock" series on BBC? When are new episodes airing? BTW, the writers for "Doctor Who" also wrote "Sherlock".....brilliant!

 

[Relic]

23rd April. A new episode set in the US, called "The Impossible Astronaut". It's going to be on BBC America the same day too, so no waiting!

goddarn it! I had moved recently to a new area where we do not have the same cable TV provider available as we did in our old location. Now we do not get any of the channels that would carry Dr Who, so the result is that I have not seen a single new episode since last Fall...this sucks...
Rusty (if you're still in this great state)- which channel are you seeing these episodes on, only BBC America (not sci fi or anything of the sort)? Maybe I can add this to my current plan if I'm extremely lucky and they now offer it.

 

[Rusty Chainsaw]

As a Brit living away from home, it gives you a bit of an outside perspective. Basically, Brits love to complain, loudly, about anything and everything. It's only when you get away from it that you can ask yourself whether the complaints are justified.

In Britain, people complain about the cost of fuel - sure, it's bloody expensive. But there's a huge selection of 60mpg+ cars available, and it's not like Brits drive nearly as much as Americans, so it's entirely possible to spend about the same amount on driving as Americans. Plus, public transport is far, far better than in most other places.

They complain about the NHS - it's not perfect, but try dealing with the ins and outs of the US health insurance system and all the added stress that entails. The NHS is brilliant in comparison, and you'll never see a bill.

They complain about the weather - yes, it rains a lot, but the UK never has to deal with 100% humidity or ice storms.

They complain about the food - you see more good quality, healthy and organic food in UK supermarkets than almost anywhere else, and at reasonable prices. There's no GM foods, no high-fructose corn syrup and far less additives. And the variety in restaurants and take-away food is great. It's so hard to find a good Indian curry or a decent post-pub kebab in the US!

They complain about taxation - in terms of income taxes, the UK is actually quite reasonable in comparison to other countries. Plus, it's not really about how much tax you pay, it's what you get for what you pay, and whether you get good value. I probably pay about the same percentage of my wages in income tax in the US as I did in the UK, but in the UK we got the NHS, cheap(er) university education, a stronger social safety net, good public transport, etc. The 20% VAT is pretty high, but at least that's progressive (ie, the more stuff you buy, the more of it you pay), plus VAT can be offset along the supply chain, unlike US sales taxes. Also, there's a lot of areas in which the UK is remarkably cheap in terms of taxation - there's no direct property taxes (just council tax, which isn't quite the same thing - think property tax - without the risk of losing your home - combined with state taxes), inheritance taxes are low and business taxes are reasonable.

Plus there's lots of little things - you don't pay for incoming calls on your mobile phone, British TV is probably the best in the world, the place is far more socially cohesive and tolerant than bigger, more spaced-out countries, practically everyone has travelled outside the UK and experienced different cultures, everyone gets at least 20 vacation days a year, plus the UK has produced more great bands in the last 50 years than anywhere else.

I've given up complaining about the UK. It's a great place and I miss it a lot.

 

[Rusty Chainsaw]

goddarn it! I had moved recently to a new area where we do not have the same cable TV provider available as we did in our old location. Now we do not get any of the channels that would carry Dr Who, so the result is that I have not seen a single new episode since last Fall...this sucks...
Rusty (if you're still in this great state)- which channel are you seeing these episodes on, only BBC America (not sci fi or anything of the sort)? Maybe I can add this to my current plan if I'm extremely lucky and they now offer it.

I live in PA now, and the local cable company does carry BBC America, but I know Cablevision/Optimum didn't carry it in NJ. I never watch BBC America anyway - I'm a member of a UK TV-specific torrent site where I get all my shows.

 

[Fassa Albrecht]

As a Brit living away from home, it gives you a bit of an outside perspective. Basically, Brits love to complain, loudly, about anything and everything. It's only when you get away from it that you can ask yourself whether the complaints are justified.

I know I do a lot of complaining...

In Britain, people complain about the cost of fuel - sure, it's bloody expensive. But there's a huge selection of 60mpg+ cars available, and it's not like Brits drive nearly as much as Americans, so it's entirely possible to spend about the same amount on driving as Americans. Plus, public transport is far, far better than in most other places.

This is true, plus things like shops, schools and other facilities tend to be a lot closer to where people are living than in the US. I know people who've lived in countries where even getting a pint of milk means driving for miles, including some parts of the US.

They complain about the NHS - it's not perfect, but try dealing with the ins and outs of the US health insurance system and all the added stress that entails. The NHS is brilliant in comparison, and you'll never see a bill.

I personally love the NHS and have had not too bad an experience with my own treatment. Plus, prescription prices are fixed (in England anyway) so you're never charged extortionate prices for drugs, you can register with a doctor and a dentist pretty easily as most places accept NHS patients, people on low-income levels can get help towards costs, people with chronic and serious illness can get VAT exemptions and free equipment/supplies.

They complain about the weather - yes, it rains a lot, but the UK never has to deal with 100% humidity or ice storms.

British weather isn't THAT bad. We've actually got some of the most fertile and ideal plant growing conditions in the world, and some of the most diverse plant species as a result.

They complain about the food - you see more good quality, healthy and organic food in UK supermarkets than almost anywhere else, and at reasonable prices. There's no GM foods, no high-fructose corn syrup and far less additives. And the variety in restaurants and take-away food is great. It's so hard to find a good Indian curry or a decent post-pub kebab in the US!

Don't forget even different regions of the same county will have regional recipes which aren't found anywhere else. You'll also find some excellent local produce if you look- Whitby crabs, Whitley Bay fish and mussels and Northumbrian trout are some of my local favorites, along with ginger parkin loaf (from Yorkshire), lamb (from Yorkshire and Wales), rhubarb (grown only in a small area of Yorkshire).

They complain about taxation - in terms of income taxes, the UK is actually quite reasonable in comparison to other countries. Plus, it's not really about how much tax you pay, it's what you get for what you pay, and whether you get good value. I probably pay about the same percentage of my wages in income tax in the US as I did in the UK, but in the UK we got the NHS, cheap(er) university education, a stronger social safety net, good public transport, etc. The 20% VAT is pretty high, but at least that's progressive (ie, the more stuff you buy, the more of it you pay), plus VAT can be offset along the supply chain, unlike US sales taxes. Also, there's a lot of areas in which the UK is remarkably cheap in terms of taxation - there's no direct property taxes (just council tax, which isn't quite the same thing - think property tax - without the risk of losing your home - combined with state taxes), inheritance taxes are low and business taxes are reasonable.

I've been told this reliably by a Swedish ecomonics professor at my uni, who told me that if I wanted to see high taxation I should fly to Sweden where the tax rate is something like 20-25%.
Plus, we have a simpler tax system than a lot of other places. At the local level there's rates for utilities, council tax (which pays for the council to do things like empty your bins and keep street-lighting running) and then the state taxes- NI contributions and then the income tax and some others I've likely forgotten.

Plus there's lots of little things - you don't pay for incoming calls on your mobile phone, British TV is probably the best in the world, the place is far more socially cohesive and tolerant than bigger, more spaced-out countries, practically everyone has travelled outside the UK and experienced different cultures, everyone gets at least 20 vacation days a year, plus the UK has produced more great bands in the last 50 years than anywhere else.

I've given up complaining about the UK. It's a great place and I miss it a lot.

There's also a good social mix- it's not like the rich live in some isolated place whilst the poorest live in one area. The area I'm from has some VERY rich people living beside much poorer people without problem.

As to the different cultures, this is true even within the UK. I used to live in a place called Benwell, which was near the Tyne. I used to live alongside Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino, Pakistani and Indian people, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh or Buhddist. There were also festivals for all the major cultural and religious celebrations, to which anyone could join in. Everyone seemed to get on well.


Eh, the UK isn't that bad...

 

[Rusty Chainsaw]

What about the "Sherlock" series on BBC? When are new episodes airing? BTW, the writers for "Doctor Who" also wrote "Sherlock".....brilliant!

Apparently it's back again in the autumn for another three episodes (doesn't sound like much, but each episode is 1 1/2 hours long). Looking forward to it.

This new version was conceived by Steven Moffat (currently Doctor Who's lead writer and showrunner, and also responsible for the likes of Press Gang and Coupling) and Mark Gatiss (writer for Doctor Who, The League Of Gentlemen, etc) and has used some of the same production team from DW, including director Euros Lyn. A lot of people were tipping Benedict Cumberbatch (the new Sherlock) to become the Eleventh Doctor before Matt Smith was announced. I still think BC will show up in Who one way or another.

 

[AntekStalich]

Fassa, I've tried to tell you Your own conclusions are really good.

I think the Swedish taxes overall are far higher. I can only tell about Polish taxes, however.

Let's start with the salary budget of a Polish company. Over 50% of that is transferred to public insurance system (ZUS). Remaining, say, 45% is divided into salaries. Now, the income tax is 19-40% depending on income level, and the income tax grows rapidly when you earn some more than your neighbour. Then, everybody pays the 23% VAT. And people complain because of low salaries and high prices!

I must add I have not seen a public doctor for years and I do not remember when I did not need to pay the dentist...

I'm not sure how you do it in the UK but I assure you: It is not a bad country at all!

 

[Fassa Albrecht]

Fassa, I've tried to tell you Your own conclusions are really good.

I think the Swedish taxes overall are far higher. I can only tell about Polish taxes, however.

I'm certain that the Swedish rate of tax (the moms) is something like 25% or so, although there are VAT exemptions available to anything bought by a foreign national within a week of leaving Sweden (if they have a piece of paper called the moms-kvitto, which they can get in the shop), and some other people.

Let's start with the salary budget of a Polish company. Over 50% of that is transferred to public insurance system (ZUS). Remaining, say, 45% is divided into salaries. Now, the income tax is 19-40% depending on income level, and the income tax grows rapidly when you earn some more than your neighbour. Then, everybody pays the 23% VAT. And people complain because of low salaries and high prices!

Yowch. Over here it seems a lot simpler. You get a gross salary each month, from which the wages clerks will calculate a national insurance (NI) and income tax payment and then deduct the correct amounts before paying the rest into the bank account of the employee as their NET salary. Local taxation is the responsibilty of the person to deal with, although there's now ways of paying monthly and online.

I must add I have not seen a public doctor for years and I do not remember when I did not need to pay the dentist...

Well hopefully I've seen the last of the doctor for a LONG time!

I'm not sure how you do it in the UK but I assure you: It is not a bad country at all!

I'll second that!

 

[Skitch it!]

I won't get into this but what you see on paper, is far different from the reality as for the U.K, the NHS? I'm afraid you take your chances quite a bit these days, if it isn't MRSA it's overworked poorly paid inexperienced graduates, making bad mistakes.

 

[Rusty Chainsaw]

I've been told this reliably by a Swedish ecomonics professor at my uni, who told me that if I wanted to see high taxation I should fly to Sweden where the tax rate is something like 20-25%.
Plus, we have a simpler tax system than a lot of other places. At the local level there's rates for utilities, council tax (which pays for the council to do things like empty your bins and keep street-lighting running) and then the state taxes- NI contributions and then the income tax and some others I've likely forgotten.

Interesting point. Yes, they do get taxed a hell of a lot in Sweden by UK or US standards - in some cases, over 50% of total income, plus whatever you contribute via VAT. The difference is, the people of Sweden trust their government to spend it wisely, and consequently they have one of the highest standards of living in the world. Their average salaries are also somewhat higher than in most other countries. Norway, Finand, and, to a lesser extent, Denmark do the same - they call it the Nordic System.

They get fantastic healthcare (including stuff like paying for patients to take a holiday somewhere nice and hot when convalescing after an operation!), up to 40 days off a year, excellent schools, free university education, free childcare and lots more. They also have strong property rights, low crime, a very strong economy and very little in the way of poor or homeless people. And, if you ask most of the people who live there, they wouldn't change it, even if it meant paying less tax as they realise all these services improve life for everyone and contribute to a strong society and strong economy. This is the whole thing about getting value for money for what you pay in tax.

 

[Fassa Albrecht]

I won't get into this but what you see on paper, is far different from the reality as for the U.K, the NHS? I'm afraid you take your chances quite a bit these days, if it isn't MRSA it's overworked poorly paid inexperienced graduates, making bad mistakes.

At least I can go to hospital without worrying about a HUGE bill because I have no medical insurance (and I probably couldn't get it). And mistakes can be made in ANY medical system, not just the single-payer system we have here. Luckily they seem to be few and far between here.