The UK seems to get knocked all the time (see last post!), usually by the very people that inhabit this small Island, but I am going to tell you nine reasons to live in the UK. You might not agree with them all, but that’s your problem ;o)
1. THE PEOPLE
It’s not easy to generalise about the population of the UK as we are a very diverse nation, but I am going to have a go anyway. British people often have a wonderful sense of humour, they are modest, free to express their own opinions, friendly and usually very tolerant.
2. CLIMATE & SEASONS
OK, ok, I know I mentioned the weather as something I hate about living in Blighty but climate is different to weather.
The UK climate is very moderate, especially for a country at this latitude. For instance London and Moscow are at similar latitudes yet London has a much less extreme climate. Days of high humidity or weeks of freezing temperates are as rare as a long sunny summer.
If you are to believe climate change then the UK is well placed to take advantage of raising temperatures while other countries, such as Australia and Spain, will fry even more and be drier causing droughts and heaven knows what else.
The fact the UK has four distinct seasons is another big plus. Try living in the tropics and see how bored you become with another hot, wet day! Britain rarely suffers from natural disasters too (touching wood).
3. GREAT OUTDOORS
If you love the outdoors then you will love what the UK has to offer. Few countries pack in so much diversity in such a small area. Mountains, ancient forests, moorland, rolling hills, stunning beaches & coastline and an excellent National Parks system.
Outdoor activities are simply endless and because of the relatively mild climate much of this can be year round.
4. HEALTH CARE
If like me you have ever been stranded in a Southeast Asian country and in need of medical treatment or looking for a GP in Australia / NZ, then you will truly appreciate the NHS (National Health Service) which pretty much offers free medical care to all.
When you have seen the inside of a Indonesian public hospital or the bill from a private one you’ll never whinge again about having to wait a bit to see a specialist.
5. LOCATION LOCATION
If you enjoy travel and visiting exciting new places then can there be anywhere better placed than the UK for taking short trips overseas? Within a couple of hours you can get chased down the street by faux guides in Morocco, be questioned for no reason whatsoever by the police in Moscow or be scoffing your favourite variety of kebab in Istanbul.
Having lived in a remote corner of the world where the main overseas short trip was to a bigger, hotter version of itself, I really appreciate being able to hop a budget flight to somewhere very different from the UK.
6. COSTS & CONSUMER CHOICE
The UK is no longer as expensive as you might imagine. Popular places such as Australia, Spain, Canada have shot up in terms of cost of living, where the UK has remained fairly stagnant, in my honest, well travelled opinion.
We are simply spoiled for choice in the UK when it comes to shopping. One of the many gripes of expats who have gone abroad is that there is simply not the same choice.
7. MEDIA AND TV
Ask anyone who has lived in Australia or New Zealand about the TV there and you will soon come to the conclusion that the TV in the UK is pretty darn good. This is further backed up by the sheer quantity of TV that is exported worldwide from Britain.
I cannot deny the quality, depth, impartiality (sometimes) and variety of the written media in the UK compared to many other countries, even if a lot of it contains bad news!
8. HISTORY & CULTURE
The UK is packed to the gills with the the sort of history and culture that is the envy of the English speaking world. A house in Australia only needs to be 95 years old to be considered historic, according to the Melbourne Age.
9. EVENTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Britain is blessed with a huge array of annual world class sporting events with the London Olympics being the most recent prize. It is also very much a centre for popular music, festivals, comedy, arts etc (and that’s just in London!).
So that’s it, and I never even got to mention the pubs, the widely respected education system, the English language, proper marmite, warm beer, cricket on the village green, small boys in the park playing football, using jumpers for goalposts….