I hate Britain [Rant thread]

[Ignoramus]

I wouldn't mind it if 50 million people move to Canada, though. That way, we get a nice lowly populated Britain with almost no urban sprawling.

[Idaho]

Do you have NIMBYs in the US?

Currywurry is one

[Fisherking]

Not to sure the Canadians would love that so much. It is a little odd you know, everyone feels like where they live is a little too crowded. People in the US used to feel crowded in the 1800s when they could see the smoke from someone else's cabin.

[Ignoramus]

I know that, but I hardly want the Black Death to wipe out the third of the world's population again. And yet, that's what kept the population under control; Plagues, pestilence, famine, starvation, war, and drought all controlled the population. Now while I'm glad that there are a lot fewer wars these days, there's more food around, and medicine has advanced dramatically, you begin to wonder if this really is good.

Edit: What I mean to say is that while people are living longer, are they living better off? My answer is no.

[Fisherking]

....Edit: What I mean to say is that while people are living longer, are they living better off? My answer is no.

Well if I had to be poor in Briton, I would certainly choose to be poor in Briton today over 200 years ago.

[BDC]

Well if I had to be poor in Briton, I would certainly choose to be poor in Briton today over 200 years ago.

It's probably better to be poor today than rich 200 years ago. You'll live longer, more comfortably, and it's still probably safer. And most the issues are social anyway, if people really had the motivation and know-how to get out of the mess they're in, they could.

[Del Arroyo]

Near my hometown people have taken to buying comfortable, beautifully landscaped, $rich$ ranch homes with big, tree-filled yards; then tearing them down, and building grotesque, tasteless McMansions which consume the lot from left to right and barely have breathing room in the front or the back.

When so many people who have that much money can be that god-****** stupid, one has to wonder how long it will be before this **** gains critical mass.

[Tribesman]

tasteless McMansions

you wouldn't by any chance have just read this months National Geographic ?

[The_Emperor]

We wouldn't have the need for all these new homes if the greedy yuppies didn't keep buying second third or even fourth homes pricing ordinary people out of the market.

There needs to be a limit on how many houses you can own, even if your buying to rent.

[BDC]

We wouldn't have the need for all these new homes if the greedy yuppies didn't keep buying second third or even fourth homes pricing ordinary people out of the market.

There needs to be a limit on how many houses you can own, even if your buying to rent.

I don't know, I think it's more all these divorced people who buy out new homes to live on their own. So instead of a family taking up 1 4 bedroomed house, it now takes up two.

Maybe you could give tax breaks depending on how many people live in a house...

Buying to rent doesn't really cause sprawl. It just means people end up renting. Sooner or later the market is going to fall though, looking at prices there is no way even a couple can get onto the market without being investment bankers or inheriting a fortune.

[Mikeus Caesar]

Some simple quesions for curry .
How old is your house ?
How old are the houses either side and opposite?
What was originally built on what you describe as the"wasteland" ?
Are the poor "wabbits and pheasants" native animals ?
Would you be willing to have your house and your neighbours demolished to improve the view ?

1) My house was built roughly in 1933, and is a damn nice house.
2) The houses around it range from the 1850's till the 1940's.
3) The land that was the wasteland used to be an old textiles mill. I could see them digging up the old cellars today.
4) Yes, actually, the rabbits and pheasants are native animals. They used to live in the forests just to the east of the wasteland, but in the last few years they had been moving into more places.
5) To be quite honest, yes. Heck, if it would make more of the country beautiful, i'd demolish about 60% of houses around here, including my own, to make the countryside more beautiful, but it wouldn't be more beautiful for the sake of my eyes - it would be for the sake of the environment. I believe that as a country gets richer, people should allow the lands to return to the state they were in before we buggered it all up.

I guess this illustrates one part of the problem well:



The difference between England, Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland, France or Scotland is striking.

It is a pity, the traditional English countryside is lovely, the largest and most pleasant garden in Europe. Its demise is a cultural-historical tragedy.

It should be protected against the encroachment of loud urbanisation. Cultural landscapes are as worhty of protection as historical cityscapes or nature reserves.

The big blob of lights in central England has a hole in the middle of it. I live right at the very most top edge of that hole, so as you can imagine, it is a very nice place. I imagine if the pennines weren't so windswept and rainy, they would just be part of the urban sprawl.

Nice to see my rant has generated so much discussion! :)

[doc_bean]

I don't know, I think it's more all these divorced people who buy out new homes to live on their own. So instead of a family taking up 1 4 bedroomed house, it now takes up two.

Maybe you could give tax breaks depending on how many people live in a house...

Buying to rent doesn't really cause sprawl. It just means people end up renting. Sooner or later the market is going to fall though, looking at prices there is no way even a couple can get onto the market without being investment bankers or inheriting a fortune.

I don't know, I don't know a lot of empty houses around here.

[Hosakawa Tito]

The grass always looks greener over the septic tank.....

[Tribesman]

3) The land that was the wasteland used to be an old textiles mill. I could see them digging up the old cellars today .

So any devolpment there would be brown site not green belt and subject to different planning laws .

4) Yes, actually, the rabbits and pheasants are native animals.

Nope they is damn immigrants just like the grey squirrel .

5) To be quite honest, yes. Heck, if it would make more of the country beautiful, i'd demolish about 60% of houses around here, including my own, to make the countryside more beautiful, but it wouldn't be more beautiful for the sake of my eyes - it would be for the sake of the environment. I believe that as a country gets richer, people should allow the lands to return to the state they were in before we buggered it all up.

Yep make everyone move into the cities , and of course stop the farming which makes the countryside look the way it does and of course non of that set-aside rubbish since that stops the land returning to its original state (if that were at all possible ) .
BTW Thanks for the answering the questions

[Strike For The South]

My god that picture is scary as hell is there any green left in Europe?

[doc_bean]

My god that picture is scary as hell is there any green left in Europe?

Not really in Flanders/Brussels. The Netherlands have/had their zoning issues figured out a little bit better, they have a few nice national parks.

[Ignoramus]

I suppose it's like: "Molvania: Where old world charm meets reinforced concrete."

[Mikeus Caesar]

I suppose it's like: "Molvania: Where old world charm meets reinforced concrete."

Brilliant book that.

[Soulforged]

It's probably better to be poor today than rich 200 years ago. You'll live longer, more comfortably, and it's still probably safer. And most the issues are social anyway, if people really had the motivation and know-how to get out of the mess they're in, they could.

That depends on how much "poor" you are. If you're indigent, you'll be an indigent on all times along the line. Also nobody would prefer to be poor on any time, it not only implies an scarcity of money, food, clothes, etc. but also a psicological and social stigma.

About the original subject, I thought that the principle of prohibition of abuse existed on Britain, even more I believed it was created there in a funny case of conflict between neighbors. In any case, I think that by now humanity has learned that there's nothing absolute nor perfect, not even the oh holy right of private property. For example if I constructed on my property a wall 20 feet tall, my neighbor will surely object, and he'll be right, he has also the right to enjoy the surroundings.

[Tribesman]

For example if I constructed on my property a wall 20 feet tall, my neighbor will surely object, and he'll be right, he has also the right to enjoy the surroundings.

If you constucted a wall 20 feet tall on your property it wouldn't be the neighbour objecting it would be the planning authorities , I havn't worked there for some time but the old rules over there limited you to 1200 mm at the front and 1800 mm at sides and back , unless you could prove to them that you had a very good reason to exceed it .
Though unless the planning rules over there have changed you could plant them bloody awful cypress lelandi(sp?) to give you what is effectively a 20' + wall in a very short time .

[ShadeHonestus]

That depends on how much "poor" you are. If you're indigent, you'll be an indigent on all times along the line. Also nobody would prefer to be poor on any time, it not only implies an scarcity of money, food, clothes, etc. but also a psicological and social stigma.

Well I'm pretty sure that some of the indigent even a century or two ago (let alone a further in the past) would have loved to see our modern soup kitchens or even the emergency health care that even the indigent aren't refused.
If I had to choose poor today as opposed to any time in history, based on services (within and across borders) to the poor alone...no brainer.

Gotta go with BDC on this one as how he meant it.

[Soulforged]

If you constucted a wall 20 feet tall on your property it wouldn't be the neighbour objecting it would be the planning authorities , I havn't worked there for some time but the old rules over there limited you to 1200 mm at the front and 1800 mm at sides and back , unless you could prove to them that you had a very good reason to exceed it .
Though unless the planning rules over there have changed you could plant them bloody awful cypress lelandi(sp?) to give you what is effectively a 20' + wall in a very short time .

Wait Tribes, you actually worked in Argentina. When was that?

My example was only that, an example...

[Caius]

For example if I constructed on my property a wall 20 feet tall, my neighbor will surely object, and he'll be right, he has also the right to enjoy the surroundings.

¡Pero tu vecino no puede decidir que tu no haras!

-------------------

But your neitborhoud(sp?) cant decide what are you going to do!

[Tribesman]

Wait Tribes, you actually worked in Argentina. When was that?

Ah you see this bit.....About the original subject, I thought that the principle of prohibition of abuse existed on Britain, even more I believed it was created there in a funny case of conflict between neighbors.

[Soulforged]

Ah you see this bit.....About the original subject, I thought that the principle of prohibition of abuse existed on Britain, even more I believed it was created there in a funny case of conflict between neighbors.

Ooops! I see it now... So just to clarify, you don't have an Irish club (bar, pub, etc.) here right?

EDIT: I mean St. Patrick's day is nearby and I'll love to honor your place if there's any...

¡Pero tu vecino no puede decidir que tu no haras!

Bueno parece que encontré al primer argentino ultra capitalista . No en serio toda esta discusión fue sobre si el vecino lo puede objetar o no, y creo que quedó bien claro que si puede porque nada puede ser absoluto.

[Caius]

Bueno parece que encontré al primer argentino ultra capitalista . No en serio toda esta discusión fue sobre si el vecino lo puede objetar o no, y creo que quedó bien claro que si puede porque nada puede ser absoluto.

Ultra capitalista?No, estas confundido.En serio.El dinero no deberia existir.
¿Donde quedo la propiedad privada?Cada uno tiene derecho a hacer lo que se cantas las p... eh digo, las ganas.Bueno, hubo una excepcion en una cuidad que no dejaron hacer un edificio por que no se que...y aquello...y lo otro...y que ...y que .Al final, no se hizo nada
Pero tu no eres Dios para decidir que sera de las construcciones del otro