Ireland v UK: weigh up the pros and cons of returning to the old sod?

[dfg75]

Re: Ireland v UK: Best place to live

annR,
I agree with you that Ireland's healthcare system may be heading two tier but having experienced American healthcare (while on holidays with no insurance) and Irish hospitals (with health insurance) - I would much rather be in the States with an injury or illness -- no massive waiting, clean, modern facilities, thorough testing and excellent beside manner -- can't say the same for my experience in Dublin

 

[z105]

Re: Ireland v UK: Best place to live

Should this title not read A)Republic of Ireland V United Kingdom or B)Ireland V Great Britain ???

 

[MichaelDes]

Re: Ireland v UK: Best place to live

I live in both jurisdictions so my knowledge should be useful. ROI has cheaper taxes for PAYE's...yep a lot cheaper. Sneaky Gordon introduced loads of little stealth taxes on individuals and their businesses. But then again you get something for your taxes such as health [no need for VHI at €750 per year or 15-20 doctor visits at €60 a pop -taking the kids) and then secondly there is free refuse collection [saving €700 per year]. But then again in the UK you pay for these through local taxes i.e. €1800 per year. Ireland has lower taxes and you get nothing for it, I'd prefer that system.

But the most important thing of living in Ireland is the people and your immediate family. Generally friends etc can come and go but you should always have your family - very important if you have kids [use your nieces as free babysitters].

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Re: Ireland v UK: Best place to live

Hi there,
I have not lived in the UK, but I do have family in Guernsey and it is really lovely - it would be the only part of the UK I would live in..
P

The Channel Islands fall into two separate self-governing bailiwicks. Both the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey are British Crown Dependencies, but neither is part of the United Kingdom.

Sorry, Mrs Bear, but it looks like there is no part of the UK suitable for you.

 

[joe sod]

Re: Ireland v UK: Best place to live

I would say ireland overall is still cheaper than britain, britain seems to be much better organised there public services are much more accountable than ours, the NHS is far better than the HSE, however the one thing that turns me off britain is how unfriendly and rude people can be there, they are definitely the most unfriendly in the english speaking world, it seems to be something ingrained in british culture.

 

[Teapot]

Re: Ireland v UK: Best place to live

I have to disagree with you Joe - like everywhere you can find rude people and very decent friendly people as well - I have found people very friendly in the UK and in Greater London where I live but I have also met very rude people and more of often than not they are young people but that is not to say that all young people are rude and unfriendly.
In Ireland people will spend more time with you if you should ask for directions etc., and this is especially so if you have an accent.

 

[BillK]

Re: Ireland v UK: Best place to live

So far as health care is concerned in UK my experience is that it is unsafe to be in hospital now due to MRSA and C.diff.
When I worked in Trinidad I spent a week in the Mount Hope Medical Centre due to a back problem; far superior to my experience in England in terms of cleanliness and care.

I had to go to my GP a while ago again with a back problem and said that I needed to see the physio. He told me that he would write the letter if I wished, but that there was a 19 week waiting list. I went to a chiropractor and paid £27 a session for treatment.

 

[Marie]

Ireland v UK: Best place to live

I've lived in both, and in both city (Dublin, London) and country (Donegal, Essex).

It is not really possible to compare given the huge differential in size scale and population. If there is sometimes indifference in the UK there is an equally-unproductive 'cronyism' in Ireland. Education in Ireland for the past 15 years or so has been superior but the balance seems to be shifting again in favour of the UK! Twenty years ago Ireland would have won 'hands down' for beauty and quality of life. However that's gone under the weight of crazy uncontrolled and unplanned urban sprawl and destruction of the environment..........which unfortunately (no sound infrastructure has been established!) is not compensated for better social and cultural amenity. In England alarm set in about loss of heritage and natural resources about 20 years ago. That has been reversed. You can find extraordinary towns and villages, historic sites, monuments, areas of outstanding natural beauty, extraordinary coastline, sanctuaries of every kind........as well as some of the most interesting cities with internationally-acclaimed new architecture and cultural venues. It comes from its size and critical mass. It's not a matter of the UK being 'better', just 'different'.

As far as cost of living goes I did a thorough comparison a few years ago when planning to relocate to Ireland. Across the board (sustenance and daily living, entertainment and eating out, big items like appliances, furniture, car, taxes) and comparing income per hour - Ireland was more expensive.

 

[Thinfield]

Re: Ireland v UK: Best place to live

I live in both jurisdictions so my knowledge should be useful

MichaelDes - You say you live in both jurisdictions. Perhaps this is the answer?
What line of business allows you do this?

 

[joe sod]

Re: Ireland v UK: Best place to live

I've lived in both, and in both city (Dublin, London) and country (Donegal, Essex).

It is not really possible to compare given the huge differential in size scale and population. If there is sometimes indifference in the UK there is an equally-unproductive 'cronyism' in Ireland. Education in Ireland for the past 15 years or so has been superior but the balance seems to be shifting again in favour of the UK! Twenty years ago Ireland would have won 'hands down' for beauty and quality of life. However that's gone under the weight of crazy uncontrolled and unplanned urban sprawl and destruction of the environment..........which unfortunately (no sound infrastructure has been established!) is not compensated for better social and cultural amenity. In England alarm set in about loss of heritage and natural resources about 20 years ago. That has been reversed. You can find extraordinary towns and villages, historic sites, monuments, areas of outstanding natural beauty, extraordinary coastline, sanctuaries of every kind........as well as some of the most interesting cities with internationally-acclaimed new architecture and cultural venues. It comes from its size and critical mass. It's not a matter of the UK being 'better', just 'different'.

As far as cost of living goes I did a thorough comparison a few years ago when planning to relocate to Ireland. Across the board (sustenance and daily living, entertainment and eating out, big items like appliances, furniture, car, taxes) and comparing income per hour - Ireland was more expensive.

I have to agree with this, i think enormous damage has been done in ireland in terms of urban sprawl, at least in britain they have managed to contain this within the cities leaving small towns villages and countryside intact. This shows that britains public service and government is far superior to irelands.

 

[BeanPole]

Re: Ireland v UK: Best place to live

Have to challenge the OP's comment about education being superior in Ireland.

Irish education is far below the standard that the politicians and the teachers unions would have you believe.

Our school day, and number of days teaching per annum are far worse than in the UK. The proportion of time spent learning the Irish language is far too high.

There are very limited league tables available to Irish parents so we need to rely on word of mouth, and a few scraps of data such as which schools are the main "feeder schools" for the universities. So teachers and schools are not incentivised to ensure that pupils achieve their full potential.

Also, as a direct consequence of Labour's appalling decision to scrap third level fees in the mid-90s, Irish Universities have been starved of funds. The result is that only Trinity college is listed as within the top 100 universities in the global rankings, while Britain, who allow colleges to raise fee funding, has 5 entries in the top 10 ranked schools:
[broken link removed]

 

[carpedeum]

Re: Ireland v UK: Best place to live

Also, as a direct consequence of Labour's appalling decision to scrap third level fees in the mid-90s, Irish Universities have been starved of funds. The result is that only Trinity college is listed as within the top 100 universities in the global rankings, while Britain, who allow colleges to raise fee funding, has 5 entries in the top 10 ranked schools:
[broken link removed]

I have to totally disagree with the above comment. I left school in 1977, when Ireland was a backwater banana republic with little opportunity and dominated by an unchristian unempathetic church. I got enough points in my Leaving Cert. and NUI Matric to do my first two choices, Architecture and a B.Comm. I came from a lower middle-class family, where my father was the sole breadwinner and had a good job as a sales rep, but, whose household income was outside the grant threshold of the time. However, he could not afford to send me to university without making sacrifices which I thought at the time would have placed an unfair burden on the family and my younger siblings. I started clerking in the back streets of a dour Dublin instead and have not done too badly, especially having avoided economic migration similar to 16 of my Leaving Cert class.

Nowadays, regardless of circumstances, children from all families can benefit from higher education on their own academic merit, as I have seen younger nieces, nephews and cousins do and hopefully my own children do in the years ahead. Sacrificing these opportunities is not the way to raise funds for universities. Corporate funding has proved a viable way of funding, even if egos of some corporate magnates have to be pandered to by naming institutes after them or even their parents e.g. O'Reilly, Smurfit, Quinn etc. There is no reason why corporate funding cannot be expanded.

The above is my personal experience anyway!