02 March, 2009

Expat Britain Haters

I don't get this. Why on earth do some people get a perverse thrill from slagging off the country of their birth? They come up with reasons - I think they're excuses - as to their hatred of Britain.
It's too cold, it's too expensive, people are so miserable, it rains all the time, it's all so built up, it's all ugly, there is nowhere beautiful, the food is dreadful and so on and so forth. France is wonderful, France is this, that and the bloody other - get over yourselves! Why do you feel the need to do this? Does it make you feel big and clever to do nothing but criticise the country from whence you came? Does it give you pleasure?

It drives me mad!

OK, I live in France. But that does not mean that I hate Britain. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I love it, particularly Scotland. The only reason I don't live there is that I can't afford childcare. As a single parent, it's a lot easier for me to stay here looking for work with built in child care (ie. my parents) than pay for it there.
OK, the weather in Britain isn't that great. But it's not constantly bad. On a sunny day there is no place more beautiful than, for example, Somerset or the Highlands, or Devon. The autumn in Scotland is the most beautiful season - the colours are incredible. In France the summers are hot, the winters are cold. Simple. The countryside is not as green as in Britain, and this is due to less rain. So, either more rain and beautiful, lush green grass, or less rain and brown dull fields.

Too expensive - don't make me laugh! Have you tried filling your car up with petrol in France recently? It's cheaper in Britain you know. I've been looking on a couple of UK supermarket websites this evening to make a list of things to bring back from my little sojourn in April, and the great majority of products are cheaper. Yes, this is probably due to the weak pound, but that's not going to change any time soon. About the only thing I can find that is more expensive is cigarettes. Apart from them, most things seem cheaper. OK, in UK there is very expensive council tax, but for most people here it's not that much cheaper. So stop whinging that Britain is expensive because, if you do your research, you'll find that it ain't necessarily so.

People are miserable? Durr, there's a recession on you know. And it isn't just in Britain either. Jobs are no easier to find here, in fact it's harder to find a job in France, especially here, because it's rural and there aren't any! In UK, people can find jobs, if they are willing to do anything. But stacking shelves or cleaning is so below some people that they would rather be on the dole and sponge off the government. And that's good why exactly?

It's all so built up is it? Have you ever been to rural Hampshire? Or Somerset? Or Dumfries and Galloway? The cities are built up, the countryside isn't. You could say the same of France, which has many cities that are hugely bigger than those in UK. Every country has its beautiful parts - don't generalise on the basis of inner cities.
The food in France is, in my opinion, not much cop. It's fine if you like steak, duck, greasy duck or goose liver, or baked bean with sausages which is all that cassoulet is. I'd rather have the Heinz variety personally. I have no idea where France's reputaion as a gastronomic nation has come from. Britain, on the other hand, has some delicious food, and no, it's not all swimming in grease. Steak and Ale pie is the food of the gods! I know that Britain has some wonderful food, because I used to cook it for a living.
Compared to Britain, France isn't so wonderful. The thing that is wonderful about it, is that people can move here, where nobody knows them, and completely reinvent themselves. They can be anything they want to be, and there is no one around to contradict them. The expat community can be great, but you have to be careful who you tell what to, because if there is an opportunity to stab you in the back, there are many people who will do so.

If and when I finally leave here, the amount of people with who I would keep in touch, I can count on one hand. The friends that count are the ones I have had for years. Most of the people I know here are fairweather friends. Out of sight, out of mind, and that's just fine.

So what's my conclusion? France has it's good points, but so does Britain folks. And don't forget that, because, for most of you, it is Britain that is still paying your pension and your health care. Don't criticise the country that is paying for you to live out your old age in another country.

And don't be afraid to be proud to be British, whether it is English, Scottish, Northern Irish or Welsh. Well, maybe I'll let you off if you're Welsh!! But be British and proud. Your country is not awful, it's actually a pretty great place.

NB. Photographs Not My Own Work.

7 comments:

Timorous Beastie said...

Interesting post. I dislike many things about Scotland - that's one of the reasons why I left. But, I also love many things about it, and about the UK generally. I think the detractors who live overseas may be looking for vindication and basking in a sense of smugness. They want to feel that they are unique in seeing the depravity of modern life in the UK and free-spirited in having the wherewithal to do something about it. Alas, a great desire to seem free-spirited is usually evidence that one is quite the opposite.

Mary Poppins said...

There are things I wholeheartedly hate about Scotland - I mean I totally prefer the warmth of the South of France, for example. I also especially dislike the casual racism that still seems to permeate our country, and the sectarianism that drives people to say "I can't talk to you anymore, my husband says you're a @$#% 'cos you support Celtic". Or the fact we are still a nation that suffers astounding levels of childhood poverty, despite being part of one of the world's wealthiest nations. On the other hand, there are hundreds of things that make me so very proud to be Scottish, and I know that for all its faults every nation and every national identity has good and bad points. Its the responsibility of all of us to strive to correct the things we see that cause upset and hate and protect the things we love about our homelands... and appreciate that open-mindedness isn't just about being open to other cultures (as vital as that is), but also to being open to our own cultural background.

The Accidental Author said...

Weird. Kat, I've just touched on the same thing on my blog about forums. It drives me mad. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the UK, which educated me and saved my life on two separate occasions. The UK has so much to offer that France doesn't but people can't see through the Daily Mail headlines. So often people move from a fairly urban area to rural France and then compare the two as if they are comparing like for like. VLiF

justme said...

Excellent post! There are good and bad things about all countries. The big advantage. I suppose, that France has, is that it is so BIG compared with Britain, and therefore there is more rural, unbuilt up space. But not all of it is beautiful at all, and rural and isolated is not, to my mind, very attractive.

KatduGers said...

Hmmm, I seem to have touched some sort of nerve with my rantings!

All countires have their good and bad points, but to completely overlook a country's good points, just to justify the so-called "living the dream" is nuts and hypocritical.

And don't get me started on "integration within the community"!! The ones who do that and pretend that they don't have any english friends are what I call the brown rice brigade, and refuse to believe that France isn't, actually, perfect.

nurinkhairi said...

there are many things which I like about England. True, there are some aspects here and there that couldn't equate much to what is in store in my home country in Malaysia. Sometimes I was even so conscious that I was too prone to praising England in my blog, but I am careful now to point out that both countries, England and my home country has its uniqueness and are different in their own way.

zerohero999 said...

I totally agree with your comments regarding expats.As Timorous Beastie said many need to slag off the UK to feel vindicated in their decision to leave.Still,there are many websites like www.goodthingsaboutbritain.co.uk
which address this issue.
All countries have their good and bad points.