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Why aren't we learning from other countries?

Every day I watch the news and I see all sorts of problems with the UK that could be solved if we turned our gaze to other countries and took a look at what they were doing.

For example, our education system can be improved by taking advice from the Scandinavian countries, Norway and Finland being key examples. Even the Netherlands. Until recently, I lived in the Netherlands, and I found out that full A-Levels from college are equivalent to what Dutch children learn in secondary school. They enter university at 16, and have a much wider knowledge than we do.

At the moment, we're having problems with our flood defences in the south-west, so we called in the Dutch to fix them for us (seeing as they're basically the best in the world at flood defences). But this just begs the question: why didn't we do this sooner?

I detest seeing people who are insistent on having "our own culture and ideas", when "our own culture and ideas" are ****. I don't understand why people (and politicians) would prefer to have a rotting country we can call 100% British as opposed to a beautiful, functioning country that we can call multicultural.

So: why don't we look at other countries more? Human progress should be a joint effort, and we have so many forms of global communication nowadays, there's absolutely no reason why we can't have each country's appropriate officials talk to each other and exchange idea on how to solve problems.

If we do that, we can all have decent roads - including all driving on the same side, good flood defences where appropriate, decent infrastructure for things like bicycles, better education systems and, eventually, a better culture overall.

It'd be interesting to hear other people viewpoints (I'm bracing myself for the chauvinists).
Pride? Or maybe fear? It's stupid
Original post by fragilities
Pride? Or maybe fear? It's stupid


I think pride is a strong factor. But what do we have to be proud of? A failing educating system, flooded farmland and cracked roads? XD
We always have looked at other country's.

The OP seems to be talking from a position of ignorance.
Original post by MatureStudent36
We always have looked at other country's.

The OP seems to be talking from a position of ignorance.


I always appreciate more info if I'm unaware of something :smile:
Original post by SharkFinnuend0
I think pride is a strong factor. But what do we have to be proud of? A failing educating system, flooded farmland and cracked roads? XD


Have you really looked elsewhere? :rofl: UK roads are some of the best, the education system is up there as well... no idea about famrlands but they can't be that bad.
Original post by Imperion
Have you really looked elsewhere? :rofl: UK roads are some of the best, the education system is up there as well... no idea about famrlands but they can't be that bad.


Farmland on flood plain floods. Who'd have thunk it.

The problem is that we in the UK seem to think we're s**t. Spend time
Living abroad, get to understand foreigners amd you'll very quickly understand that UK Plc is highly respected throughout the world.
Original post by SharkFinnuend0
I think pride is a strong factor. But what do we have to be proud of? A failing educating system, flooded farmland and cracked roads? XD


How's our education system failing?

Are you covered that flood plains flood?

What's wrong with our roads? Have other country's managed to somehow produce pothole free roads?
Original post by MatureStudent36
How's our education system failing?



I don't think it's failing but many people could argue that the East Asians are ahead of us (although they have a high youth suicide rate so go figure!)
Original post by Davij038
I don't think it's failing but many people could argue that the East Asians are ahead of us (although they have a high youth suicide rate so go figure!)


I'd say that they're different and both systems have advantages and disadvantages.

For people like myself, I'd say the biggest problem we've had with education is labour getting rid of grammar schools and attacking successful school systems as elitist.

You'll notice that many of the developing nations that are catching up are using education methods seen in the UK thirty plus years ago.
We do learn from other countries.

Free schools are a largely Swedish idea. Gove's focus was taking the lead from Asia.

We're developing the entrepreneur focus of the USA.
Reply 11
Avatar for Mikulc
Mikulc
Original post by Imperion
Have you really looked elsewhere? :rofl: UK roads are some of the best, the education system is up there as well... no idea about famrlands but they can't be that bad.


You should take a drive down my street :tongue: Can't drive 2 meters without driving over a pothole
Original post by Mikulc
You should take a drive down my street :tongue: Can't drive 2 meters without driving over a pothole



Reply 13
Avatar for Mikulc
Mikulc
Original post by еlоhssa



So you have been down my street then?
I think the UK learns from other countries all the time, and other countries learn from us. The thing is, OP, not everyone thinks the same as you, and may be drawing different conclusions, or taking inspiration from different countries.

Also, sometimes different circumstances mean some 'lessons' cannot be replicated in different places.
Original post by MatureStudent36
How's our education system failing?

Are you covered that flood plains flood?

What's wrong with our roads? Have other country's managed to somehow produce pothole free roads?


Perhaps "failing" was the wrong choice of words. But we have children leaving secondary school - and even college - without any confidence of their abilities, and often thinking that they're not very smart. Ken Robinson covers this point well, if you feel like watching a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

Floods: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013%E2%80%932014_United_Kingdom_winter_floods

The roads are absolute ****e. They're cracked and full of potholes like they've been hit by an earthquake. Other countries have cracked roads, sure, but judging by my experience driving from England to the Netherlands, through France and Belgium, those three countries alone have *way* better roads than we do. The Netherlands has the best roads, but they do have the advantage of being on flat land.

I don't drive myself yet, but it does make me wonder what road tax is used for. They re-did a big road near my street a couple of years ago, and then had to re-do it again a few months later, because apparently they ****ed it up the first time.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by SharkFinnuend0
Perhaps "failing" was the wrong choice of words. But we have children leaving secondary school - and even college - without any confidence of their abilities, and often thinking that they're not very smart. Ken Robinson covers this point well, if you feel like watching a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

Floods: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013%E2%80%932014_United_Kingdom_winter_floods

The roads are absolute ****e. They're cracked and full of potholes like they've been hit by an earthquake. Other countries have cracked roads, sure, but judging by my experience driving from England to the Netherlands, through France and Belgium, those three countries alone have *way* better roads than we do. The Netherlands has the best roads, but they do have the advantage of being on flat land.

I don't drive myself yet, but it does make me wonder what road tax is used for. They re-did a big road near my street a couple of years ago, and then had to re-do it again a few months later, because apparently they ****ed it up the first time.


Roads come down to money rather than learning any foreign technique. Because road maintenance is part of local government and their departments are being hammered, councils have decided its a low priority. British weather doesn't help either, our climate has more rain days and freeze and thaw events. Roads were not made for that.
Original post by SharkFinnuend0
Perhaps "failing" was the wrong choice of words. But we have children leaving secondary school - and even college - without any confidence of their abilities, and often thinking that they're not very smart. Ken Robinson covers this point well, if you feel like watching a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

Floods: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013%E2%80%932014_United_Kingdom_winter_floods

The roads are absolute ****e. They're cracked and full of potholes like they've been hit by an earthquake. Other countries have cracked roads, sure, but judging by my experience driving from England to the Netherlands, through France and Belgium, those three countries alone have *way* better roads than we do. The Netherlands has the best roads, but they do have the advantage of being on flat land.

I don't drive myself yet, but it does make me wonder what road tax is used for. They re-did a big road near my street a couple of years ago, and then had to re-do it again a few months later, because apparently they ****ed it up the first time.


All country's have people leaving school without confidence in their abilities. It still doesn't stop us having ones the most prosperity's economies in the world.

We'll done for identifying farmland floods. Not a shock there. A lot of low lying farmland is on flood planes that flood.

So we have some potholes in the road. We could learn from other country's and introduce toll roads, but that's not politically acceptable. I've driven over potholes in norway, Denmark, Sweden, germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Italy is like a third world country for drivers.

What you've identified is a load of first world problems.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_World_problem

One aspect of UK culture I would dearly love to change is the complete negativity and ignorance shown by many in the UK. Try spending time abroad in the Middle East and other parts of the world. I haven't seen one kid left starving to death on the streets or a person who wouldn't sell their first born to have access to the devices and facilities we take for granted.

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