Living In A Hell Hole. Sorry, But That Is Not The Uk.

[iamnumerate]

The rank and file may not be corrupt but the system itself is. This is shown by the way some of the contracts are written, look at A4E, did they pay back the money they were paid. Look at any of the failed IT contracts.

I know people who worked on some of them and I think the contractors would have a good case for blaming the client for some failing.

[Kurt Barlow]

Britain is much more similar to Andorra than Somalia. Why isn't it a much better comparison?

Does anyone really think that Britain would be a better place if only there was more, bigger, and more expensive government? Honestly? You think the problem with Britain is that there's NOT ENOUGH government interference in the economy?

Genius - lets follow Andorra's example. A sure fire way to economic success. Most of their income is based on Tourism, indeed 118 tourist visitors per annum per head of population.

Now if the UK can do the same by getting everyone on the planet (roughly 118 x the UK population) to visit the UK for an annual holiday every year we too can have a low tax economy like Andorra.

Absolute genius - you should write to Vince Cable and ask for a job.

[StainlessSteelCat]

Preppers gotta prep.

[chronyx]

I get that...two options for a quiet life, be a council dweller on an established council development and an older quiet demographic goes with the territory; otherwise you need to escape to the country to a house all on its own here or abroad......as per campervanman. Meanwhile I'm stuck in the noisy suburbs with large gardens which equals BBQs, improvised football pitches, bouncy castles and trampolines etc. etc,

And dogs. Don't forget dogs. Lots and lots of dogs. My road sounds like a ******ing kennel. Howls, yaps, barks...from all directions, front back and sides.

I genuinely believe dog owners are amongst the most inconsiderate people out there.

[Mrs Bear]

No laughing matter. We had a lovely dog when we were living in Oman - inherited him from a family who had to leave in a hurry. One day he shot off - I suspect in search of a lady friend since there was a pack of semi-feral dogs living near the beach about a mile away. He had taken himself off before, but had always come back. This time he didn't. We looked everywhere and offered a hefty reward, but we never found him.

We lived on a big construction camp where most of the labour was Indian, but there was a small cohort of Filipino workers. It was only sometime later that we were told that these Filipinos had had their eye on him. He was black and apparently black dog is a particular delicacy. :-(

He was called Bonkers, RIP.

[Rave]

Albeit far less so than many others here, I've been to a third world country and been appalled by the level of endemic graft and utter government incompetence. So I do realize that I'm lucky to be born a middle class white male in a prosperous country.

What makes me angry is not that I'm poor per se, but that as a Briton I could be, by the standards of the world as a whole, extraordinarily wealthy, were it not for the fact that our government is incompetent and corrupt, and our markets, particularly of course the housing market, spectacularly rigged.

I am not a greedy person, and if that situation were resolved to my satisfaction I like to think that I'd spend at least some of my copious spare cash directly into improving schooling etc. in sub-Saharan Africa, because I've seen first hand what a small amount of hard currency and a bit of work can achieve once you bypass the dysfunctional state apparatus. My mum spent two years volunteering in Africa, working in a school and channelling a few tens of thousands of pounds of well wishers' cash directly to it- to quite amazing effect.

[MarkG]

Genius - lets follow Andorra's example. A sure fire way to economic success. Most of their income is based on Tourism, indeed 118 tourist visitors per annum per head of population.

Whereas Somalia's economy is based on... uh.... piracy.

Hey, you're right. Britain would probably be pretty good at that.

[stuckmojo]

Yep. Had an Itailian GF who was an architect. Said the same.

The clothes thing is true. Its a signal to indicate if you are backed up by money i.e. parents or a connection.

Italy needs a huge cking shake out and bonfire.

Case in point, I left (North) Italy before entering the job market (I am now a British citizen, although residing in Singapore) as I knew there would have been no chance for me without connections and not coming from money.

Most of the graduates I know have left Italy and either spend their time on Facebook moaning about the weather/lack of mamma's lasagne/life abroad or have totally embraced it and are successful at what they do.

The anecdote about the importance of clothing paints a true picture. A guy/girl in expensive gear will take that no-pay internship/stage/rip off contract to enhance their CV without asking too many questions because their parents can fund their lifestyle and don't need to be paid. IF they are lucky some old **** in management will retire before they are 40 and a slot in the career ladder may vacate at a junior position.