Britain ranked #27 on best countries to be born in 2013, down from #7 in 1988.
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Original post by martin jol
Australia destroying the poms 
UK is a worse place than Kuwait ffs!! wasn't there a war there until fairly recent!?
UK is a worse place than Kuwait ffs!! wasn't there a war there until fairly recent!?
I never quite got why they call us poms considering they were the real prisoners of her majesty and all...
The war was over 20years ago...
Original post by silverbolt
As someone who lived in both for considerable lengths of time - i know which one id pick any day of the week. And to narrow it down its not the UK.
You clearly have a very strong opinion about Ireland and the UK, but it might just be the areas of the respective countries you visited and lived in that might not have been representative of the country as a whole, and hence skewed your view of the country. I know I live in London and I love it and equally I wouldn't really enjoy myself in a more rural area, of which there are plenty in the UK. (which also raises another point - its very subjective and depends on what you're looking for in a place to live which differs from person to person). The list in the original post should be taken with a pinch of salt as well as I am sure there are imperfections with the system they devised to rank the countries with maybe incorrect weightings being given to certain factors, or maybe some factors being overlooked which shouldn't have been etc etc.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by snailsareslimy
I didn't say NI was comparable, I said its easy to compare both Britain and ROI as I live here and therefore in between both of them, essentially.
Ireland has great universities? Okay I'll grant you Trinity and UCD are definitely great, but I couldn't name you another Irish university (mostly because they're fairly unheard of). Secondly, the entry requirements for anyone doing A Levels are often so complex and difficult to comprehend, it puts people off applying and therefore makes these "great" universities much harder to access.
May I also point out that a Britain has much better universities and many more of them, plus their entry requirements are much easier to understand.
Ireland also doesn't have high wages, what planet are you on? Give me some hard statistics proving this and i'll happily take back my words but at the moment that seems to be very unlikely.
High end jobs... More in Britain.
Political harmony... Lol. Really? I noticed you called Northern Ireland the 'North' so you obviously believe NI and Ireland are one entity. Where's the political harmony there?!
The presidents of Ireland are hardly great, either. What exactly did Bertie Ahern achieve? Or Enda Kenny?
Racism... Every country has problems with Racism, Ireland will too. Yes, in London it has been much more publicised but you should consider that London has millions of people moving through it on a daily basis etc. Ireland has a very small population and therefore, percentage wise, less racist attacks should occur.
Please tell me more of your points, as I'm interested. Of course, I accept this is your opinion and that's perfectly fine, I just feel like you view Ireland in an overly high light. The people of Ireland certainly, on majority, don't carry this same passion.
You should also remember the huge amount of issues Ireland has had to deal with in the past, the economy, the declining agricultural sector etc as these all work against the country.
Ireland has great universities? Okay I'll grant you Trinity and UCD are definitely great, but I couldn't name you another Irish university (mostly because they're fairly unheard of). Secondly, the entry requirements for anyone doing A Levels are often so complex and difficult to comprehend, it puts people off applying and therefore makes these "great" universities much harder to access.
May I also point out that a Britain has much better universities and many more of them, plus their entry requirements are much easier to understand.
Ireland also doesn't have high wages, what planet are you on? Give me some hard statistics proving this and i'll happily take back my words but at the moment that seems to be very unlikely.
High end jobs... More in Britain.
Political harmony... Lol. Really? I noticed you called Northern Ireland the 'North' so you obviously believe NI and Ireland are one entity. Where's the political harmony there?!
The presidents of Ireland are hardly great, either. What exactly did Bertie Ahern achieve? Or Enda Kenny?
Racism... Every country has problems with Racism, Ireland will too. Yes, in London it has been much more publicised but you should consider that London has millions of people moving through it on a daily basis etc. Ireland has a very small population and therefore, percentage wise, less racist attacks should occur.
Please tell me more of your points, as I'm interested. Of course, I accept this is your opinion and that's perfectly fine, I just feel like you view Ireland in an overly high light. The people of Ireland certainly, on majority, don't carry this same passion.
You should also remember the huge amount of issues Ireland has had to deal with in the past, the economy, the declining agricultural sector etc as these all work against the country.
The survey is about which country it is best to be born in, so the fact that entry requirements for A-Levels are complex does not change anything, since most Irish people sit their own examinations(I would imagine). Considering Ireland is a country of 4m people, having 2 awesome universities and a host of decent ones is impressive. Of course Britain would have more class universities with 60m people.
Ireland has extremely high wages. Of course the recession has had an impact but fundamentally Ireland is a very high skilled economy with ****
loads of high tech companies etc.
Ireland certainly has one of the most impressive political systems in Europe imo. You never ever read about far right/far left parties and generally the country is extremely moderate and sensible. Contrast that with the likes of Belgium, Greece, Holland, Spain which are regularly in political disarray.
In general I can understand why Ireland is so high up. Crime is ridiculously low, the education system is great, wages are high, the health system is great, culturally there seems to be always something coming out of Ireland. Personally, I would prefer to live in London. But if you offered me the chance to live in a random part of the UK or a random part of Ireland I would take the latter.
----
The best country is undoubtedly Switzerland and to a lesser extent Austria. They really have cracked it.
Original post by Zürich
The best country is undoubtedly Switzerland and to a lesser extent Austria. They really have cracked it.
Really? All the Swiss i've met seem hell bent on leaving the place... They seem to seriously object to being conscripted :L
Original post by cl_steele
Really? All the Swiss i've met seem hell bent on leaving the place... They seem to seriously object to being conscripted :L
Depends on what you want in life. But can anyone disagree that growing up in Switzerland doesn't offer everything a child needs? Safety, education, culture(Everyone speaking German, French and English fluently by age 15), wealth. Even constriction has its advantages in terms of character development etc.
I wouldn't want to live there as a 21 year old, but I would certainly be eager to move in the future.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Zürich
Depends on what you want in life. But can anyone disagree that growing up in Switzerland doesn't offer everything a child needs? Safety, education, culture(Everyone speaking German, French and English fluently by age 15), wealth.
I wouldn't want to live there as a 21 year old, but I would certainly be eager to move in the future.
I wouldn't want to live there as a 21 year old, but I would certainly be eager to move in the future.
Mmm true, true although theyre particular flavour of German is a nightmare to understand, they write it perfectly but when they speak it gah impossible!
Original post by cl_steele
Mmm true, true although theyre particular flavour of German is a nightmare to understand, they write it perfectly but when they speak it gah impossible!
Well they all speak hochdeutsch in formal settings, or with Germans. I find their accent very attractive
Original post by Tabzqt
how is Ireland so high? no offence Ireland...
Having an Irish accent pretty much sets you up for life, if I could change my accent I would!
Original post by Zürich
Well they all speak hochdeutsch in formal settings, or with Germans. I find their accent very attractive
oh its a lovely accent but they just mangle the words to much, thankfully their english is usually excellent so its fine ... run into a lot of Germans who're bitching and griping about it though
Original post by Vian
27th! I thought it'd at least be in the top 20. One of these days I've got to go see if these Scandinavian countries are all they're made out to be!
What on earth are you on about? I think you're mixing up UAE with Saudi Arabia
.
What on earth are you on about? I think you're mixing up UAE with Saudi Arabia
.UAE is under islamic law....
I'm going on holiday to Switzerland next week so I'm glad to see people singing its praises 
Original post by deehee
Britain is a multicultural wasteland
Really could have fooled me outside the 4 major cities and sections in the midlands. It ain't really that multicultural. Plus the article refers to the UK, which is not synonymous with Britain.
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Original post by snowyowl
I'm going on holiday to Switzerland next week so I'm glad to see people singing its praises
Well...
Its a great place to work/live, and stunningly beautiful but Switzerland might not be the most interesting place in the world tbh. Unless you're skiing?
Original post by snailsareslimy
I didn't say NI was comparable, I said its easy to compare both Britain and ROI as I live here and therefore in between both of them, essentially.
Ireland has great universities? Okay I'll grant you Trinity and UCD are definitely great, but I couldn't name you another Irish university (mostly because they're fairly unheard of). Secondly, the entry requirements for anyone doing A Levels are often so complex and difficult to comprehend, it puts people off applying and therefore makes these "great" universities much harder to access.
May I also point out that a Britain has much better universities and many more of them, plus their entry requirements are much easier to understand.
Ireland also doesn't have high wages, what planet are you on? Give me some hard statistics proving this and i'll happily take back my words but at the moment that seems to be very unlikely.
High end jobs... More in Britain.
Political harmony... Lol. Really? I noticed you called Northern Ireland the 'North' so you obviously believe NI and Ireland are one entity. Where's the political harmony there?!
The presidents of Ireland are hardly great, either. What exactly did Bertie Ahern achieve? Or Enda Kenny?
Racism... Every country has problems with Racism, Ireland will too. Yes, in London it has been much more publicised but you should consider that London has millions of people moving through it on a daily basis etc. Ireland has a very small population and therefore, percentage wise, less racist attacks should occur.
Please tell me more of your points, as I'm interested. Of course, I accept this is your opinion and that's perfectly fine, I just feel like you view Ireland in an overly high light. The people of Ireland certainly, on majority, don't carry this same passion.
You should also remember the huge amount of issues Ireland has had to deal with in the past, the economy, the declining agricultural sector etc as these all work against the country.
Ireland has great universities? Okay I'll grant you Trinity and UCD are definitely great, but I couldn't name you another Irish university (mostly because they're fairly unheard of). Secondly, the entry requirements for anyone doing A Levels are often so complex and difficult to comprehend, it puts people off applying and therefore makes these "great" universities much harder to access.
May I also point out that a Britain has much better universities and many more of them, plus their entry requirements are much easier to understand.
Ireland also doesn't have high wages, what planet are you on? Give me some hard statistics proving this and i'll happily take back my words but at the moment that seems to be very unlikely.
High end jobs... More in Britain.
Political harmony... Lol. Really? I noticed you called Northern Ireland the 'North' so you obviously believe NI and Ireland are one entity. Where's the political harmony there?!
The presidents of Ireland are hardly great, either. What exactly did Bertie Ahern achieve? Or Enda Kenny?
Racism... Every country has problems with Racism, Ireland will too. Yes, in London it has been much more publicised but you should consider that London has millions of people moving through it on a daily basis etc. Ireland has a very small population and therefore, percentage wise, less racist attacks should occur.
Please tell me more of your points, as I'm interested. Of course, I accept this is your opinion and that's perfectly fine, I just feel like you view Ireland in an overly high light. The people of Ireland certainly, on majority, don't carry this same passion.
You should also remember the huge amount of issues Ireland has had to deal with in the past, the economy, the declining agricultural sector etc as these all work against the country.
1. UCD and Trinity are great Uni's. It has nothing to do with complex A level requirements. The survey is about countries to be born in, you were not born in R.O.I nor was anyone else doing A levels, your understanding of their entry requirements is irrelevant. Furthermore, I wasn't comparing them with British Universities, I was just objectively stating that they were excellent Universities. And for the record I actually studied in Queens, I'm not biased towards Irish Uni's.
2. See Irish Wages...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29_per_capita
Higher than the UK in every one of those listings, and thats post recession.
3. More high end jobs in Britain? I'm not comparing Ireland to GB, the ROI has a high number of multinational corporations based in Dublin due to the 12.5% corporation tax. Per person of population, the ROI has an extremely well developed corporate and finacial sectors.
4. I don't believe N.I and ROI are one entity, stop trying to offload the UK's problem on to the ROI.
5. Those are not Irish presidents you've listed, they're Taoiseach. The last three Presidents have been, Mary Robinson, Mary McAleese, Michael D. Higgins. You don't have a basic grasp on Irish politics, yet you somehow claim to know enough to pass judgement...
Original post by The Assassin
Easy there... you forgot the great economic turmoil and lack of jobs available. I'm just surprised that it's that much higher compared to Britain. Oh and, cheers for the unreasonable neg. Will get you back eventually
I didn't forget either of the above, I was merely stating that the aforementioned are overshadowed by the positives I stated.
TBH I think the neg was justified, you have removed your original comment...
*Cue racist/ignorant comment about every other country above us, then proceed to salute*
God save our gracious queen...
/unseriousness.. if that is a word, boy I'm going to get so many negs
What I'm guessing is that it's based on things such as the average lifespan, or the healthcare system, which Israel at least actually ranks pretty high in (a lot higher than us in the lifespan, I think about the same in healthcare). Knowing someone from there, it isn't as much of a Zionist hell-hole as the media perceives it to be. They just want to live our life as much as we do, there aren't TVs in every room playing "Hatikvah" and Netanyahu coming on the screens. And no, I'm not a Zionist, I just think it's a country having problems with another over religion, like pretty much every country in the world has before.
I mean, get off the little patriot bandwagon, roll that flag back inside your window, and think about it. Britain isn't exactly known to be in a fantastic state at the moment. Also, it doesn't matter too much about what one newspaper thinks of us.
God save our gracious queen...
/unseriousness.. if that is a word, boy I'm going to get so many negs
Original post by mosmof
7 behind Israel... 5 behind Kuwait... really?
What I'm guessing is that it's based on things such as the average lifespan, or the healthcare system, which Israel at least actually ranks pretty high in (a lot higher than us in the lifespan, I think about the same in healthcare). Knowing someone from there, it isn't as much of a Zionist hell-hole as the media perceives it to be. They just want to live our life as much as we do, there aren't TVs in every room playing "Hatikvah" and Netanyahu coming on the screens. And no, I'm not a Zionist, I just think it's a country having problems with another over religion, like pretty much every country in the world has before.
I mean, get off the little patriot bandwagon, roll that flag back inside your window, and think about it. Britain isn't exactly known to be in a fantastic state at the moment. Also, it doesn't matter too much about what one newspaper thinks of us.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by DorianGrayism
The Universities are ok. They are not that great. Especially, if you compare them to compare them to good British Universities.
The High wages are because the living costs of places like Dublin are very high.
Commuting in Dublin,really is not a great experience.
Well, if you mean that minorities are not regularly beaten up then I guess there is no serious problem. However, there is definitely a problem. Though, I wouldn't call it endemic.
The High wages are because the living costs of places like Dublin are very high.
Commuting in Dublin,really is not a great experience.
Well, if you mean that minorities are not regularly beaten up then I guess there is no serious problem. However, there is definitely a problem. Though, I wouldn't call it endemic.
The Universities are objectively great, were not here to compare which is better. Furthermore a degree from UCD/Trinity is practically free, a degree from most UK Unis will cost you up to £27,000 in fees.
Wages are exceptionally high, particularly for professionals. My colleagues, based in the ROI, get almost 3 times our salary in Belfast. The cost of living in Galway/Cork/Dublin is nowhere near three times as expensive. This is practically true for all Law and Accountancy firms. I can't really speak for other sectors.
Nor is commuting anywhere, particularly London.
Racism in Ireland is not even comparable to the UK, France, Germany or pretty much anywhere else on the continental mainland.
Original post by Zürich
The survey is about which country it is best to be born in, so the fact that entry requirements for A-Levels are complex does not change anything, since most Irish people sit their own examinations(I would imagine). Considering Ireland is a country of 4m people, having 2 awesome universities and a host of decent ones is impressive. Of course Britain would have more class universities with 60m people.
Ireland has extremely high wages. Of course the recession has had an impact but fundamentally Ireland is a very high skilled economy with ****
loads of high tech companies etc.
Ireland certainly has one of the most impressive political systems in Europe imo. You never ever read about far right/far left parties and generally the country is extremely moderate and sensible. Contrast that with the likes of Belgium, Greece, Holland, Spain which are regularly in political disarray.
In general I can understand why Ireland is so high up. Crime is ridiculously low, the education system is great, wages are high, the health system is great, culturally there seems to be always something coming out of Ireland. Personally, I would prefer to live in London. But if you offered me the chance to live in a random part of the UK or a random part of Ireland I would take the latter.
----
The best country is undoubtedly Switzerland and to a lesser extent Austria. They really have cracked it.
Ireland has extremely high wages. Of course the recession has had an impact but fundamentally Ireland is a very high skilled economy with ****
loads of high tech companies etc.
Ireland certainly has one of the most impressive political systems in Europe imo. You never ever read about far right/far left parties and generally the country is extremely moderate and sensible. Contrast that with the likes of Belgium, Greece, Holland, Spain which are regularly in political disarray.
In general I can understand why Ireland is so high up. Crime is ridiculously low, the education system is great, wages are high, the health system is great, culturally there seems to be always something coming out of Ireland. Personally, I would prefer to live in London. But if you offered me the chance to live in a random part of the UK or a random part of Ireland I would take the latter.
----
The best country is undoubtedly Switzerland and to a lesser extent Austria. They really have cracked it.
Finally some sense!
Original post by Zürich
Well...
Its a great place to work/live, and stunningly beautiful but Switzerland might not be the most interesting place in the world tbh. Unless you're skiing?
Its a great place to work/live, and stunningly beautiful but Switzerland might not be the most interesting place in the world tbh. Unless you're skiing?
I'm not but my partner is. We're visiting family out there so hopefully we won't get too bored!
I've never been abroad before so tbh it will all be new to me
Original post by snowyowl
I'm not but my partner is. We're visiting family out there so hopefully we won't get too bored!
I've never been abroad before so tbh it will all be new to me
I've never been abroad before so tbh it will all be new to me
Enjoy!
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