Britain my Britain

I like the accents and the lingo... but of course I'm not fom there!

Why are you trying to put her off? I think this country is a great place to live. I'm Scottish and I tend to think of myself as Scottish first and British second but overall I don't mind being called British - its when people call it England instead of Britain that it does my head in. I've read all the other responses and your comments and yes, of course there are downsides to Britain. No country is absolutely perfect but for me the good far outweighs the bad. I've been to quite a few other countries and I've really liked some of them but I still wouldn't want to live anywhere else. We have beautiful scenery, a long and proud history, free healthcare, eccentric people, what more could you want? Well - good weather would be nice I suppose but we can't have everything lol. Your friend could do a lot worse than relocate here. Just as long as she doesn't really think it's all toffs and cream teas. Boy is she in for a shock if she does!

Hmmm, have you got them to watch a couple of episodes of 'Little Britain'? That just might put them off. :) Well, we have a rather changable climate, that I think is a good thing as if you don't like the weather at the moment, just wait, then it'll be something completely different. I drink lots of tea, therefore I am a typical Englishfishy or should that say Engfish? I love cream teas and I like going to museums and art galleries. England (and the rest of Britain) is steeped in culture and history, something the Americans don't seem to have much of with it being a young country compared to here. On the other hand, have you told your friend about the muggings/stabbings/shootings that happen here? That's a large downside to coming to Britain. There's also the chance of being robbed by a 'hoodie' or having tyres slashed or having their home graffitied. I wonder if telling them that might put them off?

I am surprised people still see us that way, considering all the anti-social publicity recently. There are many sides to us, as I am sure there are in any other place in the world. Some good people, some not so good. I'd like to think of myself more like your description well, not quite but closer to that scale than ASBO-land. However, your friend would have to choose very carefully exactly where she wanted to move to. Where I live, for example, looks nice in places and it's in a very good location to get about because of being close to motorways and 2 major cities. However, in the same place, people are throwing a handkerchief down and building 75 houses on it. There are less people here than there used to be because so many have been put in prison, there is a serious unemployment problem and there are a lot of unambitious people who think getting drunk is the only form of entertainment there is. I would guess this is the situation in many places and I wouldn't want your friend to risk ending up in such circumstances. Now, if she has a good job to come to then it may be worth it but there is also the rising cost of living. I knowit's the same in the US but it may be "out of the frying pand and into the fire" as they say.

Yeah and Scotland is all bagpipes, kilts and haggis! lol I think that Great Britain has a lot to offer , no matter what part of it you are in! Yes there is a darker side, there are racists, bigots, homophobes there is crime and violence but for every person like that there are a hundred good people and communities who are welcoming and supportive! For all the darker side it doesn't make us a bad country - it makes us the same as any other! xxx

I could never relocate to Great Britain. Well I could but only if I were deaf. Otherwise I would need to change my panties every time a man spoke to me in that oh so sexy accent of yours. I don't really know too much about your country. From what I understand it rains a lot and the weather is usually cooler than I like it. I would love to visit but never would consider relocating there.

P1ke, i'm not very worldly.. i imagine you people are a lot like us people just with different accents and different ways of doing some of the things that we all do. . like you drive your cars on the wrong side of the street. LOL. or maybe its the right side.. who knows!

I live in Great Britain and so I know quite a lot about living there. London is a huge city and it has interesting sites like Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye and Big Ben. It is a busy place with crowds all over the place. It is popular with foreign tourists. Accommodation, food and transport can be quite pricey. There are rural areas that are nice to see like The Lake District. There are some lovely cities to go to like York, Chester, Canterbury and Bath. The population is about 58 million and Queen Elizabeth lives at Buckingham Palace. Great Britain has a rich history and some very attractive architecture. It is often a great experience to live in a foreign country for a while and it helps to read about going to that country first. If your friend goes to the UK I hope that she will get a lot from this experience.

I dont know much about Great Britain. What i do know i heard from a documantry, i dont know which one Anyways it was talking about the cameras on the street corners, along with police. I dont think i would like that to much. I also remember one lady that they reviewed and she said that we have to give up our libertys to get freedom. I dont know if she doesnt realize they are two seperate things that mean the same thing. I dont know exactly whats going on over there, because i havent talked to someone from Great Britain, and i know that documentrys are choosy to the side they are trying to prove (this one was trying to prove that yall are a police state, adn that the Great Britain government are the ones doing the bombings yall are having over there to put fear in the people so that they could have control over yall ) so I would perfer someone that lives there veiws than someone only showing one side. My fiance told me to put in here that there is also the fact that tax payers dollars are paying for the Queens million dollar yacht

There is a very dark side to Britain. I have a brother in London. I am from Ireland. History is history. However there are nice "blokes" like you that make the world of Great Britain great. Ainge

HOW did I miss this discussion? Doesn't matter really. I refuse to read it. I don't want to know. Britain my Britain has no dark side. Britain is perfect. The whole world has been the beneficiary of it's legacy and I refuse - refuse!, to read anything negative about it. I speak English, drink tea (warm the pot first!), love lavender, look great in a mini skirt, and plant my garden by throwing seeds into the wind, all because of England. So dis my England, dis me - at you're peril!

I have no idea what role Great Britain is playing in the world even at the best of times. Maybe your friend just feels the need for change. I'm sure moving to another country would fit the bill. She must think the change will do some good in her life. The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence in her view. Being that I am also here in the U.S. I could understand her wanting to give something new a try. All I have to do though is go about 70 miles from my current location and I tend to feel relief from stress of life as soon as I get off the highway. Sometimes you don't have to travel far to make changes and somtimes you do. Mamablaze!!

Oh heck Piky..ive slung the biscuits and am now sat with a huge brandy.. Well im not too sure what to think of this question...Britain..yes..Great Britain..sadly very possibly no longer..though it pains me to say. On one hand we have things to be incredibly proud of as Brits..our heritage,the Royal family...and some may well want to shooot me for saying that...but..our Queen has been a wonderful ambassador for our country.There are things that we as Brits do well!!!! Of course there is a darker side to us..as there is with all nations...There is good and bad everywhere.. There are things that make me feel incredibly sad,losing our industry to overseas competitors,crime rates,to name but a few. Yes,the deterrents in this country should be tougher!!!... But we cannot look through rose coloured spectacles at the possibility of things being so very different in any other country!!!... So..to sum up..yes things could be better..but on the other hand things could be a lot worse...... I will now return to my brandy...roger over and out...

what i feel of great britain based on the reviews i got from friend who's gone there to study media is that it's an extremely cold country.when we have summers out here they still are experiencing cold weather there.my impression of great britain is stiff lip accent and a very sarcastic tongue.english just tend to drop in caustic comments when you're expecting it the least.

I am from Scotland originally and moved away when I was 19. Britain, like most every other country in the world, has places of great beauty with touches of squallor mixed in for good measure. It should also be noted that I cringe when called British as people usually associate British as English. Now, I have nothing....much....against the English, but I am 100% Scottish and don't care to be called anything else. I'd move back in a heartbeat. There are no better people in the world in my opinion and I always just feel very comfortable when I visit.

I was born and raised in Sheffield England and moved to the USA to join my American serviceman husband when I was 22. I sailed from Liverpool to New York with my then 8 month old daughter. When I arrived i New York and saw the roads and traffic I wanted to get back on the ship and go home. I lived in Pennsylvania for a year and then moved to a small farming town in Central Illinois where I still have a home. Since 1997 I have made numerous trips back to the UK for extended visits and I am there now - back in Sheffield. The changes are horrendous. I do not go out alone after dark. Crime here is unbelievable and getting worse by the day. When we are in the house we sit behind locked doors - my doors are never locked in the USA. Here in Sheffield I was robbed in the house at 2 in the afternoon. Every night you pick up the paper and read about a shooting or a stabbing. They get a slap on the hand and are back on the streets in no time to do it again. My advice to anyone thinking of swapping the USA to make the UK their permanent home would be DON'T DO IT. Not only is it the crime - the cost of living here in the UK is higher - the food it poor compared to USA quality of food and the government here seems to have forgotten the working man. I will be going home in a few weeks and to be honest with you - I can't wait. My friend that I am with is seriously thinking about giving up on the UK and moving to the USA with me permanently.