That is very true DA, but at least their government(for the most part)listen and "cave in to popular demand", unlike British governments who don't listen to their people and don't care what they want.

I'm in a mood today, so sorry...

...but what I don't get is why all the "Britain Haters" don't put their money where their mouth is.

try to change it, or go. Or put up and shut up.

As someone mentioned "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence". Sitting and moaning about how much lusher it looks won't make your lawn nicer or prove that theirs needs "weed and feed" much less.

I've got no idea if any other place is a nicer place to live because I haven't tried it.

I also suspect real life (long term) is a lot different to holidays, sabbaticals, gap years and the like.

Don't worry about the mood L, I have them all the time.

A few facts for you Louise:

The number of people leaving the UK reached a record high in 2008, with an estimated 427,000 people emigrating. This was up from 341,000 in 2007 and 398,000 in 2006. This rise was as a result of a 50 per cent increase in non-British citizens emigrating from 169,000 in 2007 to 255,000 in 2008.

An estimated 590,000 people arrived to live in the UK in 2008, the second highest figure on record after 596,000 in 2006. This compared with 574,000 in 2007 and represents a continuation of the level of immigration seen since 2004. Of all immigrants 505,000 (86 per cent) were non-British citizens in 2008.

Net migration, the difference between immigration and emigration, decreased from 233,000 in 2007 to 163,000 as a result of increased emigration. So remember when net immigration figures are given on TV they are the number of how many came here Minusthose that left, and when you consider how many left each year it's not hard to see where as a nation we're going...or for that matter why we're becoming what you consider to be 'Brit haters', and leaving.

Or in other words - over half a million 'Britain haters'a year are 'putting their money where their mouth is', because as you will increasingly discover, should you try to change things, or even speak out in the free country of ours, you will be smeared, discredited, and/or imprisoned to shut you up.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11094468

My point is that the french are no better than english and virsa versa just other ways of doing things or not doing things. Who are to says that one is better than the other. By putting someone down, you elevate your self. I think that we all need to respect and treasure other people and what they do. In other words, respect them for what they are and not what we want them to be.

Exactly so. I am often accused of being 'anti-Europe' by those prone to hysterics, but the fact is that I adore Europe and it's diversity of culture. I can think of no better place to relax and enjoy my surroundings than in Italy, while the Dutch must rank as perhaps the friendliest people to meet, and the Germans are always very organised and helpful.

Perhaps they are national traits I don't know, but what I do know is that when I visit Italy I want to be surrounded by the Italian culture and way of doing things, ditto with France, Holland etc. If Europe becomes homogenised like a Macdonalds chain (which is what the Eu are trying to do) then much of the charm of those individual nations, traditions that have been developed over centuries will be lost. I think that will be a shame, really we should all be allowed to be proud of who we are, without denigrating those differences between us.

It's already happened, I'm sorry to say.

Not while awkward beggars like me remain defiant it hasn't. It will in the UK of course, as they take everything lying down, but I'm quite happy to set up a small pocket of resistance all of my very own.

And now for something completely different:
Part of my job(s) involves me getting paid to be a pedant. I proof-read copy, and generate grammatically perfect text, which is (99% of the time) spelled perfectly. So, imagine my horror when I took a look at the Citroen DS3 website recently. Within seconds of opening the site, I spotted a whopping great error. I alerted Citroen to this... In the post this morning I received a rather beautiful DS-branded pen from Citroen UK. Ain't that sweet?
Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney has just signed a contract worth £150,000 a week.

Has Rooney signed for someone? I've not seen a TV today who is it?

Also in your proof reading capacity do you have dealings with publishers or do you work for one? I'm being nosey because I'm just starting my first book and would like to know the form.