What does France have but the UK does not ?

[alittlebitfrench]

So, what does France have but the UK does not that makes people want to move to France ?

I am struggling to answer this question so need some help.

Fire away.

[BritinBretagne]

You start. You live in France with your family so you must have valid reasons for doing so.

[alittlebitfrench]

We are in France by default Brit, I got relocated to France for work. We just have not yet had the courage to leave.

I posed this question the other day to my OH and none of us could think of anything that France offers more than the UK.

Schooling....? No

Food....? hmmm.....No

Taxes...hmmmm....No

Cheap housing.....that is a myth.

Cost of living.....certainly not.

Employment....10 million unemployed....so no.

The lifestyle....what is that ?

There must be something !!!!

Any ideas ?

[EuroTrash]

Hasn't it been said a thousand times on threads like this - it's entirely subjective which country and which lifestyle suits each person best. Depends on personal priorites and preferences.

There was an interesting chart in le Figaro a couple of days back, showing the gap between richest and poorest areas in each of the EU countries. The UK was in a league of its own. From memory all of the other states had a GNP poorest:richest ratio within 1:3, for France the figures were approx 23 (Languedoc Roussillon):51 (Ile de France) so a little below 1:2, for the UK it was around 19 (Wales):167 (London) so around 1:8. I find that jaw-dropping. And that's at the root of what I don't like about the UK - too much materialism, too much conspicuous consumerism, too much complacency, all me-me-me, I'm all right Jack and why should I care about anyone else, so the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer, and nobody, not in government nor in any other position of power, has the least interest in trying to make it a better and fairer country for everyone to live in. I don't find the UK "bien dans sa peau" as a country. Parts are OK, parts aren't, but seriously, how can anyone be proud of the way the UK is running itself at the moment.

You will not recognise this albf because you live in a different France to me, as we've already established. But in my France, there is a lot of talk but also quite a lot of action, at commune level and at departmental and regional and national level, about how to make life better for everyone. My mayor is trying. Macron is trying. Whether it succeeds or not, the very fact that people are trying their best, makes all the difference. IMHO. Obviously not everyone is content but there is less malaise and disaffection.

The link is here but I think it may be subscribers only

http://kiosque.lefigaro.fr/ouvrir-liseuse-milibris/le-figaro/940d5403-0cbe-47d6-915f-4a4e91ec0147

[BritinBretagne]

I enjoy a much higher standard of living in France than I could have in the UK with the same income. That includes the house I live in, my surroundings and the food I eat. The weather and quiet roads are added bonuses.

[Chancer]

Macron. ALBF and ALBOF.

 

Two are assets, one is a liability[:P]

[AnOther]

As the saying goes; if you have to ask then you probably can't be told [:P]

[alittlebitfrench]

Yes, yes yes, Brit and ET.

But you are talking as expats/immigrants that have moved to France and (I guess) bought a house outright and don't have the joys of bringing up kids, forging a career in France and all that.

So we are saying that France is a better place for retirement than the Uk ? Is France becoming just one big retirement home ? Is that sustainable ?

Does France really offer that much to expats in retirement in rural wherever ? ???

@ Chancer, as usual I have no idea what you are talking about. LOL.

[BritinBretagne]

I bought my house when I was younger than you and my children were pre-school. Your one size fits all mentality just doesn’t work.

I left England in April 1986 and have spent less than 26 hours there in the last four years, why would I want to return to that crowded, expensive island?

[woolybanana]

Fewer tattoed oiks!

[lindal1000]

Population of France roughly same as Uk but France is double the size.

[EuroTrash]

Actually no, albf, I was specifically not talking about expat/immigrants or retirees. Did you read my post at all? I know I go on a bit but if you can't be rst it then just don't comment on it please. I was talking about the masses, and I was saying that personally I appreciate the way that France tries to make itself a nice place for everybody to live. Communes take the trouble to look after their flower displays and parks, they try to provide good and useful facilities for residents; the government tries to look after the masses and make sure everyone has a reasonable level of pouvoir d'achat, hence all the monkeying about with property taxes, France doesn't just focus on maximising profit and looking after the places where the money is and turn its back on the areas that are struggling, like the UK seems to these days.

But, as folk on here keep saying, it's entirely up to you what kind of society you want to bring your kids up in and forge your career in. If you want to make lots of money and pay low taxes, then the UK is clearly going to hold more appeal.

Which is better, an apple or a pear? Discuss.

[alittlebitfrench]

Yes Lindal....but most of the French population live in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux and other major cities. The green bits don't really count unfortunately. Well unless you are on holiday.

Is that the same in the UK ?

[alittlebitfrench]

[quote user="woolybanana"]Fewer tattoed oiks![/quote]

Complete rubbish Wooly. You are no one in France unless you have a tattoo.

[alittlebitfrench]

[quote user="EuroTrash"]Actually no, albf, I was specifically not talking about expat/immigrants or retirees. Did you read my post at all? I know I go on a bit but if you can't be rst it then just don't comment on it please. I was talking about the masses, and I was saying that personally I appreciate the way that France tries to make itself a nice place for everybody to live. Communes take the trouble to look after their flower displays and parks, they try to provide good and useful facilities for residents; the government tries to look after the masses and make sure everyone has a reasonable level of pouvoir d'achat, hence all the monkeying about with property taxes, France doesn't just focus on maximising profit and looking after the places where the money is and turn its back on the areas that are struggling, like the UK seems to these days.

But, as folk on here keep saying, it's entirely up to you what kind of society you want to bring your kids up in and forge your career in. If you want to make lots of money and pay low taxes, then the UK is clearly going to hold more appeal.

[/quote]

I get your point ET....France does take a pride in caring for/looking after the places in which people live. Village, town or city the local commune and residents really make and effort. That is a good answer to be fair.

I am a tad worried what will happen when people stop paying Tax Hab though !!!

[BritinBretagne]

[quote user="alittlebitfrench"]Yes Lindal....but most of the French population live in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux and other major cities. The green bits don't really count unfortunately. Well unless you are on holiday.

Is that the same in the UK ?[/quote]

The green bits count very much to the people who live there. Just because the family that you have married into do not have their roots in rural France it does not mean that tens of millions of others do not. Please change your tune.

[alittlebitfrench]

Yes I agree Brit....but in reality is that the case ? You need to watch the French telly more.

PS...my French family are from very very rural Vosges and very rural Bourgogne. None of them are townies.

[BritinBretagne]

I watch the TV, I live in rural France. I know enough people who have no intention of spending more than a minute in large towns than they need to and they range in age from mid 20s upwards. It takes all sorts.

[woolybanana]

BiB, how can one 'range in age from mid 20s upwards'?

[Chancer]

A unique blend of incompetence and insouciance characterised by hausser les épaules.

[andyh4]

ALBF Wrote:

most of the French population live in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux and other major cities. The green bits don't really count unfortunately. Well unless you are on holiday.

Is that the same in the UK ?

Yes ALBF, the UK population have accumulated in the SE corner of the UK around London, with tendrils spreading out along the M4. That is why London rents are beyond the ability of people like nurses to pay on their own salary.

I hear Paris has been heading in that way.

[rock]

In the Uk I am invisible, not so in France. People say hello in France, they avoid even eye contact in the Uk. While I accept that it may be "automated" I am always greeted even at the supermarket checkout and offered good wishes when leaving in France. In the Uk I am asked if I have a whatever card, end of conversation, until the final amount is demanded.

Oh, and yes, the food and wine is much better in France but medical care is cheaper in UK.

[BritinBretagne]

Oh pedantic one, from mid 20s to nearly dead from old age.

[alittlebitfrench]

@ Rockfish

Its funny, when I take the kids to the UK (they have only been a few times) they always say that they love to go shopping because people in shops are so nice and polite. My OH says that as well. So I don't agree with that point entirely.

If you are in sainsburys and you are trying to find something and you ask someone where it is, they will take you personally to find it. In France, you would not even bother to ask the question. That is of course you could find someone to ask.

Till staff are nice, but that is when there is someone on the till.

There is a suggestion book at one of the local supermarkets and every comment is about having no till staff and long queues. They don't take a blind bit of notice. It has been the same for years. Why have a suggestions book ?

Being able to pay for your shopping in France is a privilege. So you have to wait or go elsewhere. One day the only till that was open was the less than 10 items one. I had a trolley. The girl still would not let me through. I said there was no other till open but she just shrugged her shoulders. Tis true that.

This particular supermarket is the low cost version of Auchan. The thing is, everything is actually more expensive than it would be in Auchan. And you can't pay for them. I only go there when I need cheering up.

[Lehaut]

A different view on male sterilisation. Vasectomy being illegal in France until 1999 where it was considered mutilation and banned under the “Code Napoleon.” Even now, any man who wants to get a vasectomy has to wait 4 months after his initial counselling session before the doctor can perform the procedure. Seems like a long time? I think it might be the longest official wait time in the world.