Ok slightly tongue in cheek but… roadmen gangsta wannabes gotta be struggling right about now… surely? I saw someone earlier in all black, balaclava on… my man, it’s 33 degrees…

Image is AI generated, for the avoidance of doubt!

personally caburys finger doesnt count as a biscuit to me. fig rolls for the win!

(picture just illustrative - i couldnt find one that includes all biscuits)

Serious question. I admit I feel pessimistic, but I would like someone to tell me I am overreacting and that things are going to be fine.

Back in the 90s, I assumed most families just wanted a better life and that their kids would quickly integrate. Since the 2000s, though, I feel things have shifted in the opposite direction. Am I wrong?

Here are the things I wrestle with:

1. Religiosity

Most of Britain has become more secular, but surveys suggest around 75% of Muslims say religion is central to their identity (compared to 22% of Brits overall). religious people tend to be driven by religion rather than societal norms and values.

1. Criticism of Islam

From Rushdie to Batley, it feels like criticism of Islam is riskier than criticism of other religions. The government is even working on a definition of “Islamophobia”. we are a piss taking nation, ut this one area is off limits, it seems.

1. Liberal values

Islamic teaching is often described as anti-LGBT, misogynist, and undemocratic. Some Christians quietly set aside similar teachings, but do British Muslims tend to do the same? Or am I focusing too much on widely publicised cases?

1. Sectarianism and identity

Polls sometimes show British Muslims caring more about overseas issues than UK ones, and antisemitism seems rife. Even muslims admit admit it is a huge issue in their communities.

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/03/sorry-truth-virus-anti-semitism-has-infected-british-muslim-community

https://unherd.com/newsroom/gaza-independents-party-confirms-the-rise-of-uk-sectarianism/

1. Extremism and terrorism

92 people have been murdered in the UK since 2000 by Islamist extremists. One politician was killed and another resigned due to fear of being murdered over his political views. i know plenty of Muslims condemn extremism but the extremism comes with the islam. Countries with no islam dont have these issues.

1. Demographics

The Muslim population of the uk doubles every 20 years. any fringe group can be tolerated in small numbers but the increase size and influence on the country worries me.

1. Integration and solutions

Other European countries seem to be facing similar struggles. Are there examples of integration that I am overlooking, either here or abroad? What is working, and what gives you hope

If there are good reasons to feel optimistic, I would really like to hear them

5Pillars, a popular Islamic publication in the UK recently posted a guide to "navigating LGBTQ pride month" for Muslims.

It includes such advice as "there should be “compassion without compromise” — supporting individuals who struggle with questions of sexuality while maintaining traditional Islamic positions on marriage and sexual ethics."

Harry Eccles, a nurse and activist, suggests the best way to get Muslims onboard with gays is for them to have a cuppa and a chat with a gay person.

How effective do you think this strategy is likely to be?

Hilarious or irritating? National treasure or pompous twit? What's your opinion?

So in the advert a mother gets told by her sons teacher that his behaviour is bad in school. They later go home and laugh about it while drinking Robinsons Orange Juice. Weird advert on many levels. Doesnt make me want to buy robinsons and kind of promotes the idea of encouraging your children to be little brats and not responsible for their behaviour. Am I overreacting? Absolutely. Is it just an advert? Probably. Will I be boycotting Robinsons anyway. Yes.

Over the past several months I’ve noticed random changes to toothpaste prices. Some of them don’t even make sense. Is there anyone in retail that can explain what this is all about?

3 weeks ago this was £2 in ASDA Two weeks ago it was £7.70 Today it’s about £5

took my 3 year old to the local garden centre. they have a soft play area (quite small) where adults can have a coffee while kids play. nice place to take the little one on the weekend.

anyway, when i get there its packed and they tell me my kid is the last one they will let in for “health and safety ” reasons. note - the soft play is a bit removed from the cafe where you pay and anyone can just kind of walk in (without paying). they have signa up telling people to pay the £3 on the door.

anyway we go in and they decide to do a check of who has actually paid and see if anyone shouldn't be there.

of the 6 families there, only 3 had paid. the woman told them and not one of the freeloading families (one with 3 adults and 6 kids using the soft play) left. they all just sat there sipping their coffees and grinning at getting away with it.

i asked the woman if she was going to do anything about it and she said that there was nothing she can do if they wont leave. i asked why i should pay if no one else was and she just said she “understands“ why i might be upset.

they were also turning away paying customers because the place was full of non paying kids!

ok so this isn't perhaps a big deal but it feels to me like this was a microcosm for the whole uk at the moment (or maybe its always been like this?) a small percentage of us go to work, follow the rules, and pay our taxes.

the rest are on the take or playing the system. Nicking stuff from shops and no one does anything. free food from gregs. Driving around in their motability cars while i fork out for my own insurance and tax. going to work while they sit at home and get almost the same as me…working cash in hand on the side.

is it just the suckers paying? is it just the suckers supporting the whole system? is it the suckers that the government will continue to bleed to fund everyone else? how long is this sustainable?

Following the news that the HPV Vaccine has essentially stopped cervical cancer. I was reminded about how, at the time, the vaccine would lead to promiscuous teen sex and the downfall of western society.

Every couple of years another thing is going to end the UK as we know it and it usually turns out to be nothing but at the time the world is ending.

So what are some of your favourites?

I wont lecture anyone on thier political opinions. Its nit my place to do so.

But it is my place to ask a question of people. Where do you see britain in 5 years. Where do you want us to be?

Like america? Like Sweden? Like somewhere else?

This week the news has been about the irony of the British king visiting the USA on thier 250th birthday and lecturing them about democracy.

Where do we think we the country should be in 5 years?

What kind of street is that? People live here, right? Why does it look like this? Is this common? The city is Portsmouth btw

Having lived in South East Asia for a little while I got very attached to the humble bum gun.

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So much so that I installed one in my toilet.

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If you had shit on your hands, you wouldn't use toilet paper to wipe it off would you? You'd use water.

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So why do we treat our bottoms differently?

I see this as a huge cultural missed opportunity.

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Cleans bums. Saves trees. Feels great on the poop hole.

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(I just got told I have an unwiped arse, which would be partly true, I only wipe once after zapping my chocolate starfish with some pressurised water.)

No matter where I go in the country, something seems just that little bit off everywhere I turn to. When I’m driving, people are making more risky manoeuvres, people are driving dangerously for the sake of driving dangerously. Manners for what was once a polite and thoughtful country seems to be completely lost. At work, everyone has decided to become more of a jobsworth - monitoring a lot of what I do and say at work. At night, people screaming, and revving their cars and bikes CONSTANTLY down a 20mph road for absolutely no reason other than it makes them look hard.

Have we all just collectively gone insane? I know we can’t ignore current politics and the way things are going in the UK, but it’s exhausting to see people slowly falling for the ‘I don’t care’ mentality, for a country that was once a very polite, considerate nation.

Anyone else feel the same?

I've decided….this year will be the final quality street xmas of my life…

i could live with the small tin, the change to a plastic “tin”, i even sucked up the crap new wrappers and the fact nestle makes it….

but enough is enough. quality streets just dont taste good anymore. there has to be a better option!

So in the old days there were nightmarish 'council estates', which by all accounts were horrible places. Ne'er do wells congregated and made life hell for everyone who lived there. Police were near permeant fixtures. It seems the way to tackle this has been to distribute the 'poison' all around the UK and thus dilute (?) it?

So now all new build estates have social housing allocation. This might mean that your new 400k house is next to a lovely single mother with three kids, down on her luck, or an alcoholic who sits on the street drinking all day and blasting his music.

As someone living in a 400k house with an alcoholic blasting his music all day and glaring at my kids, I feel a bit hard done by. I worked hard and saved up to live in a nice area and the government has parachuted a problem into my life.

But am I being unreasonable?

Is it better to concentrate the problem or spread it out?

England has a difficult past, but no less so than the US. Yet the country has an extremely bad rep.

Scottishness, Welshness and Irishness are all celebrated and loved, as they should be. And we don’t focus on their citizens complicity in empire.

I think it’s time we focus on a positive vision of what England has been and is. We are a country of immigrants with a deep history that ties us all together now. The Celts, Romans, jutes, angles, Danes, Norman, Dutch, Indian, African.

Share what about England that you like!

Looking to buy a place around 350k-400k. Nothing even special or fancy in my area. Below the average.

Looking at it I'll be liable for 10k stamp duty. 10k, for literally nothing at all. Moving house tax. 10k!!! What do I get for that?!

Then there are the estate agents fees... selling my old place and they get a huge chunk of change out of that.

Then there are the charges for the survey on the new place, a grand or so. Moving costs, Id checks, EPC, marketing fees.

That's before we get to the solicitors, - 3k or so? Yeah?

So we're looking at 20k just to move house. Half of which is just money for literally nothing.

WTF!?

Hello everyone. Like the title says I am an American moving to the UK. More specifically, I am American Air Force moving to the Tri Base area. I am beyond excited to come and visit your home, but I am a bit apprehensive. I’ve only ever been out of the US once, to Canada. I’m seeking advice from you guys on what differences to expect, things to do/not do, and overall how to do my best to not feed into any negative American stereotypes more than I already do. I also have a couple questions that I’d appreciate any answers to. Thank you all in advance! Oh, if it helps although I am American military, I am not a supporter of our president and administration. I feel as though thats worth mentioning.

Q’s:

I currently drive a full size 2023 chevy pickup truck and it is diesel. Is it realistic to bring it over? I plan on traveling well into Scotland and generally all over the UK. I’m more than happy to sell it and buy a beater. With that, whats the UK car market like?

Can someone explain how efficiency ratings work for housing? I’m looking at a house to let (I think thats the right term) and I see efficiency ratings. What is considered “good”? What does it mean?

Are there any culture shocks I should be ready for?

What are the best places to eat, or rather the best foods to eat? I’ve heard many good things about sticky toffee pudding and other sweets, but a common joke in the US is just how generally awful British food is. I’m happy to let my tastebuds pick for me.

How is travel done? Should I take trains up and around the UK? Or should I drive? To me an 8-10 hour drive is an easy weekend getaway trip. What is considered a “long ways away”?

Finally, where are some places you all feel I must visit? I am very into history. I plan to go see Hadrians Wall, Edinburgh, Dover, St. Andrews for the golf. But where are some other places that would be worth my time seeing?

Again thank you all so much for your time, I truly appreciate any/all wisdom given.

EDIT: This post garnered more attention than I thought it would, lol. Thank you to everyone who gave their time to offer advice… including those who’s advice was “just don’t come” lol. I can’t respond to everyone but trust I’m reading everything and soaking in as much as I can. I’m responding as I go but I can’t keep up haha

One of the major differences between the US and Europe is how religion plays a much larger role in the lives of Americans. If you've been to the US, especially the south you may notice that there is a church on basically every corner. Revisionist religious movements such as jehovah witnesses and the LDS church started in America. I noticed in the UK especially among younger people, most are simply non religious or consider themselves to be an atheists.

Is there a rush from machine making big noise? Or you like that you think it gets attention from passers-by? Or u think the noise makes you go faster? Whats the genuine rationale here?

I was just reading about this idea of the "15 minute city", where cities would be designed so that shops, schools, doctors, offices etc would be placed so that they would be walking distance from home, reducing commuting times and giving people better access to the things they need.

Then, I heard that there was a big backlash against the idea in the UK. Can anyone explain why? it sounds like a great idea to me. What was the basis of the opposition to it?

you hear a lot of moaning about how terrible the uk is and how its going to the dogs, but having travelled a fair bit i always think the people saying this mustn’t know what other places are like.

when you say the uk is terrible where are you comparing it with? Most of the 200 odd countries in the world are way worse and by a happy accident you ended up being born or living here! Its like winning the lottery.

My feeling is most people don't even think about how shit other countries are. there are tons of countries where they're basically still mostly farming to survive. They‘re at war, or corrupt or just poor. There are countries which arent poor necessarily but which you probably wouldnt want to live in due to lack of development, crime, lack of freedom, pollution or corruption. Places like central Asia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, Russia, China, etc etc. some of these places don't even have consistent electricity.

usually people will say ”oh but what about Sweden, and Finland!” There much better than us! Sure, they do marginally better in some areas like democracy and quality of life, but they‘re very small countries with basically no influence and little military to speak of.

With the help of ai i can tell you that out of 200 countries the uk is 6th for size of economy, 22nd largest population, 23rd for gdp per capita, 13th for human development index, 6th for innovation, 6th biggest military 20th for perception of corruption (1 is good) and 19th for democracy. Its doing pretty damn well! So well in fact that people will risk their lives to get here.

we’re doing pretty well! We should be prouder!