Everything - well nearly everything - is right in this country

I’m with you. There is so much to be thankful for. Personally I love our spring, I love gentle rain after a period of dry, I love living rurally and I love my friends and family. I enjoy meeting new people that appreciate most everything in their lives. But I am sucked dry by those pressing their beliefs and issues onto you, criticising, arguing, not contributing, grasping, all in a rude and dominating manner. I love sausages and mash too, something only right when you eat it here.

Another one grateful for this thread.And heartened.I'm absolutely fed up with the relentless negativity by some people -some members of our extended family included.There is so much to be grateful for.Least of all our NHS which recently saved our daughters life.Yes it's not perfect -how can it be with a much larger population and huge increase in what's expected treatment wise.
And I still believe most of us are tolerant,kind,positive and proud to be living here.

I'm like you Hetty . 1 of ours is in NZ. I love NZ but it is too far away.

Here in Scotland we still have some wild places. German visitors are thrilled with it - that you can walk for miles on uncultivated landscape.

Free museums and galleries. Quirky people. Tolerant and friendly people.
Yes there is plenty to be grateful for Opal

All I can say is what a wonderful thread. I love our great country and no matter how many times I go abroad on holiday I am always pleased to come home. Of course the grass is always greener when you are somewhere else for a short time and you do not see the true country, or have to live there day to day.

But having lived abroad for three extended periods I can say we were thoroughly glad to be going back home, and really longing to be on the plane on our way back. It was a wonderful experience to live in a different culture for an extended period, and for our children too, and we really tried to fit in, but as the saying goes, there is no place like home. (Although I think our two DC, given half a chance, would have opted to stay in Australia. But they were both very young and could not remember much about life in the UK.)

And I agree about the sausages, the ones in Oz were dreadful! Neither can they make a proper pork pie, and don't even mention Vegemite! And chilled red wine.....

Ooh yes BlueSapphire, you're right about always being glad to be back home. I always enjoy our holidays but by the time I get back after a couple of weeks, it's always good to be home.

And Sunday Roasts! You can only get a really good Sunday Roast in the UK! My mum's were the best ever. She sadly passed away a few years ago, I miss her so much, but blimey could that lady cook a tasty roast! And her spuds and yorkshire puds were supreme. Happy memories.

Thank you to all who provided thread contributions.

I have not found all the negative political campaigners from environmental to political parties - good for the mental health.

What a wonderfully refreshing thread. It's so good not to click in and find the usual spite/vitriol/negativity that accompanies many of the political threads, and is usually down to a handful of posters. Yes, I can decide not to read them but now and again a thread heading catches my eye and I click on to have a look - sad to say I'm nearly always faced with much of the same.

My thanks to all who have contributed so far on this thread and especially to Opal for starting it.

All of the above. And all the people who volunteer, in whatever capacity, to help others. And the squirrel (we only have reds in this part of Scotland) who occasionally visits our garden. Hares. Our wonderful dentist! Shepherd’s Pie. Eccentricity!

As most of you know, I live in New Zealand but I am immensely proud of being English. Yesterday when I had to give my cultural status on a form, I said, 'English Kiwi' as I'm a citizen here. That does not devalue my Englishness at all, or my pride in my country of origin.

There is no such thing as the perfect country but the way I look at things is this:

For every disaffected young British person, there are many working voluntarily at home and overseas for those less fortunate.

For every young British person affected by drugs, there are 1000+ who've never touched them.

For every fault to be found in the NHS, it is still a fact that you would not be turned away from a British hospital because you can't pay (you should hear my US friends on this subject).

For every educational drop out - there are many more who go on to college, university and work.

In fact, whatever you choose to moan about in England, or any country, there is always, always, the other side of the coin with people generously helping, giving, loving and saving lives.

Volunteer rural fire brigades; lifeboat staff; willing workers on organic farms (WWOOF's); hundred and thousands of people who give time and energy to run Charity Shops (at a time in life when they could be putting their feet up); Chrisis at Christmas and the many regional Christmas Dinners and food boxes supplied to the needy and/or homeless all through the year.

Yhe churches, Buddhist Temples, Synagogues, mosques and Hare Krishna centres where people are fed, for free every week by volunteers - who have also given the food.

The non-religious centres, also run by unpaid staff, who have wide-reaching, caring services for those in need.

For every griping, miserable doomsayer, there are, thank goodness, many more Gransnetters and people of similar ilk who can see how damned lucky we are to live in a society where we are not oppressed by the State.

Where we do not have to wonder if our neighbour will betray us to the Secret Police; where in the main we will not be shot in our offices, streets and schools by disturbed persons who have free access to firearms.

We have access to a marvellous range of multi-cultural experiences, foods, festivals and arts if we choose to value them.

We have a long, long heritage which is shown in our castles and museums, spectacularly beautiful cathedrals and National Trust/Heritage properties and gardens.

ALL this is BRITAIN and whilst it is true we should always work towards improvements (rather than just sit on our bums constantly moan about what we don't have) we should thank our lucky stars we have the right to live in peace here.

And no apologies this time for a long post - I could have written three times as much.

Be grateful for that too!

I think most people in the WORLD are kind and helpful and want the best for their families. There are loads of beautiful places all over the WORLD. Ok we like the ones we are most familiar with.

“Everything “ is not right or wrong in this country - it’s all relative surely? If you’ve a decent income, comfortable home, live in a nice area, great. If you struggle with poor health, disability, low income, live in a run down high crime area, not so great. I’ve lived in several countries and they all have some lovely people, some beautiful cities, coastline and countryside, also many not so desirable areas. I live in the U.K. and am fortunate in many ways but you can’t pretend it has no problems, many historical and political like most places. Nowhere is perfect and we shouldn’t feel smug or superior just by accident of birth. Neither should we be complacent and use our personal good fortune to not strive for better services, or give more help to those less fortunate etc.

crystaltipps - you've missed the point about this thread haven't you?

I don't think people would disagree with you, crystaltips but the op was asking us to list what we think is great about this country and that is what posters, by and large have done. Yes, there are many things to be dissatisfied with, and some things mentioned don't apply to everyone, sadly, and there are many threads highlighting these things, but here, it is an opportunity to say what we think is good.

Here are some of my thoughts (which probably echo what others have said).

The freedom to come and go as I please,
to wear what I please
to drive a car if I choose
to embrace further education if I choose to
to be able to vote
to be able argue a point without fear of being locked up
to be able post on an open forum
to be able to use the internet
to see so many beautiful places within relatively easy reach
to have water at the turn of a tap
to have a roof over my head
to have access to a wide choice of food and clothing from shops without restrictions
The NHS and other public services
Our beautiful countryside
Our seasons
The generosity of strangers
I could go on, but will stop there. ?

From BBC news website today:

Political refugee Ali Elmubarak became a British citizen in June 2018 after fleeing Sudan in 2008. He now lives in Bristol with his wife, Misaa Osman, and three children.
He will be voting. Not just his first in the UK, but anywhere.

"It's my first vote in my life because my country was dominated by a dictator and I was young when they ruled the country - so this is the first time in my life ever," he said.
"I think it's fair because most things are chosen by the people, add to that they've got their freedom.

"In Africa there are military surrounding the voting box so no-one can cheat, but here you
have privacy."
"In the UK you don't have to feel scared about voting as the stronger party doesn't push you with weapons to vote for them," he added.
"Also here there are many parties and you're free to vote - we had one party and our vote was every 30 years.

Yes, we have much to be thankful for.

Nothing too wrong with our country at all! Well the weather! maybe? ha ha.

So I’m a member of a destitute family. I have £140 to feed, cloth, house my children and myself.

There are 4000000 like me.

I’m struggling to find what is good about my life and the country I live in.

We are very lucky to live in England’s green and pleasant land where most of us have a comfortable life, the less fortunate have good support in most cases but that does not mean it’s perfect.
There will always be more to do, a great deal of poverty is caused by relationship breakdown and mental illness, how we tackle that I have no idea.

No I haven’t missed the point - there are good and bad things about most places so “everything” is not right with “anywhere” surely? There are lots of countries where you have the right to vote and drive have electricity and tap water and walk about where you like it’s not just the U.K. - so why the smug superiority?

There are 4000000 like me.

I asked on your other thread where you obtained that data from WhiteWave. YouGov last issued stats in June 2018 quoting 1.5 million, not 4 million. And, whilst that's 1.5 million too many, I'd be interested to know where you obtained the other 2.5 from. Source please?

The Guardian editorial.

davidh yes absolutely extraordinary that there has been so much mental breakdown and family crises since 2012 isn’t it?

Ah! So YouGov are wrong and the Graunian is right? Ok then.

Why post that on an optimistic thread, whitewafe? There are more than enough pessimistic threads where you could post it.

I notice most posters have listed everything that is good about this country and the generosity of the people in giving their money, their services and even their lives for the good of others.
I found your earlier post concentrated just on yourself - I and me and not on the goodness of others.

whitewave
Apologies

chewbacca OK lets go with your figure then.

There are 1500000 people destitute in the UK.

Which means that families have to live on £140 per week.

This has happened since 2012.

How can I as a member of that family answer the question posed in the OP?