tisdag 24 juli 2007

Things I am not missing while I am away


Just passing Through :)))
Originally uploaded by UK Yorkie.

I was reflecting on this as I walked into the town centre at Uppsala this morning. You can see the trains going over the bridge. You will not see a Virgin train or a train in any of the other absurd liveries that have been applied to Britain's trains since 1996. And if you have to travel in a train, you will find enough space for your legs, elbows and luggage.

Which made me think about what else I was not missing and then compare with the other UK students who are here. So, here are a few more things that are part of the familiar British scene but rare or non-existent in Sweden.

Broken pavements
Street litter
Gobs of old chewing gum all over the place
CCTV cameras
Tesco
Virgin
Chavs
People living in shop doorways
Drunken young men fighting in the streets
Vandalism
The flag, used with xenophobic intent
Large numbers of seriously obese men, women and children

This is not to say that the Swedes are a race of saints or that there isn't any crime or that they are completely accepting of foreigns. But the British, collectively, seem to have lost their grip.

Why has this happened?

Sorry, I have no enthusiasm about returning.

Inga kommentarer:

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