Citizen of the world

I've been meaning to discuss my views on healthcare and UK living a bit further since my previous posts on the matter were just glimpses. I know, fascinating, right?

Anonymous helped me segue quite nicely into this post, so thank you Anonymous for getting all up in my face about my statements about the UK. You've inspired me with your venom!

I should preface all of this with the statement to Anonymous and any other people who want to slag me off for my views - I live in the UK. I pay taxes here. I work here. I pay a mortgage here. I raise my British-born daughter here. If I want to slag off the system, I will do it. I'm not just passing through. I have lived in the UK for almost 6 years and will probably live here for about 10 years in total before I move on. I think that might qualify me to say what I choose.

In regard to the break-in and my views on crime in the UK, I stand by what I said. Incidentally Anonymous, dear Anonymous, I don't live in London, where all crime in the UK is allegedly centred. I live in a small yet densely populated city, in an area that is supposed to be middle class. Though I do not live in one, I am surrounded by £500K houses, an area in which you'd hope smackheads wouldn't break into your place and steal your shit. I can assure you that in a like location in the US, this sort of thing would be unusual, not the norm. I can also swear on my stack of Sex and the City DVDs that I wouldn't regularly see street pissers, or public drunkeness at midday, every day.

I don't think all of England is like this, just most of it. Sadly, you need to live in a semi-rural/rural area if you want to escape the drug addicts and pissheads, and be willing to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds for the privilege. Even then, there is no guarantee. I would venture to guess that people living in $1000000 houses in the US do not often wonder if a drunk person will glass them whilst they are walking back from a nice dinner at 8pm.

I don't want to give the impression that I hate England, I don't in the least. If it wasn't for me being paranoid that my daughter's poor big blue eyes will view street pissers and drug addicts with regularity, I'd have very little to object too. Also, since when can you not have problems with the place in which you live? Who finds their home country faultless? It's not as if I'm saying the US trumps the UK and rules the world. Anyone who knows my very leftist, mostly hyper-liberal leanings would tell you that I am no lover of the US. Why do you think we want to move to Canada? Is it because of our abiding love of the US that we want to move to America's hat? Heh. Sorry Canadians, I'm just joking. Don't you go all Anonymous on me and start telling me to stop being so judgmental, blah blah blah.

My list of things I adore about the UK is lengths longer than the dislikes. No one ever wants to read about the good stuff though, do they? The good stuff doesn't inspire the Anonymous' to come out of the woodwork to get their knickers in a twist with the mistaken impression that I am waging a verbal war on the Queen's fair isle.

When it comes down to it Anonymous, this is my blog. I don't write to not offend. How can I appease everyone? I'm not sorry I bothered you with my statements, toughen up chicken, it's a nasty old world out there. I should mention, you said "alot", which is two words rather than one. That says a lot about the state of the British educational system, which I am particularly qualified to comment on, but this is perhaps a topic for another day, much like health care.

If you want to find out what pro-American tripe is spouted by ex-pats, you'll need to read someone else. As a member of a particularly patriotic mailing list, trust me, it gets a lot worse than anything I would possibly say. I've been nearly booted from that list a few times for being a bit of a rablerouser, objecting to all of the Republican propaganda and religious bullshit they trot out on occasion. A quick tale - one of the list members was comparing crime in the UK versus that in the US. She spoke of a neighbourhood she used to live in, in a large American city. Believe it or not, that it was a largely black neighbourhood and rough, but when queried, said there was no inference. No inference, though you feel the need to mention that it was a black neighborhood. This is what I'm up against on that list. It's a no win situation.

Ok, I'm done rambling. I would, since I'm going on with this theme about my own greatness, like you to cast your eyes to my "E for Excellence" award in the sidebar, given to me for being fucking brilliant. At least, that's what OvaGirl said. Oh, you didn't say that OvaGirl? Hmm...must have just heard what I wanted to. It's my first ever award, so as you can imagine I'm quite flattered. You know when you go to some blogs, which, frankly, aren't always so fabulous, and they are plastered with blogging awards? I am annoyed at how tacky such collections are, but secretly, probably a little jealous. I might be nearly 30 (gasp, sputter), but sometimes I'm 16 again and just want to be the popular kid.

This is all too much drama for me. I'm going to lay down.