Why are salaries so low in the UK?

[AMDZen]

I don't think anyone can not like London, there is something there for everyone, depending on where you are you can do what you like.

To visit, yes. To live there is asinine.

 

[tokie]

I'm not interested in a debate over whether London has "stuff to do" or is an exciting city. My issue here is that New York, Toronto, Chicago, LA, etc also have "stuff to do" and are exciting cities.

The only thing London doesn't have apparently is the salary to match these other cities. That is what I was curious about.

 

[tokie]

If your household has no TV licence they will check you have no TV.

On a side note paying for a TV Licence is a blessing in disguise, BBC No adverts!

How can they check if you have no TV? That's not possible. Do they have video cameras in your house or something?

 

[ShawnD1]

The best reasons to live in the UK are healthcare, history, London (which is one of the most amazing cities I've ever visited) no guns, Education, Depending on where you go it can be very picturesque, and if you aren't living in London then houses and what-not can be very cheap.

wot?
Healthcare is a valid reason.
History is not a valid reason. Nobody sits around thinking about history. People play football and field hockey on fields where thousands of people have been killed in wars and nobody cares.
UK crime rate is astronomical, so no guns is not a valid reason.
Education I'm not sure.

There's nothing really wrong with the UK in general. It's just that a lot of European cities are extremely dense, and the result is that they are just like every other extremely dense city.
High population density is generally bad because it means the people living there are relatively poor. A hillbilly working at Walmart in Assfuck, Georgia still owns a 2000 square foot house. If you want a house like that in New York or London or Vancouver, you need at least a million dollars. The dude in assfuck georgia also has a gentle drive to work that takes 20 minutes whereas your commute in southern california might take 1.5 hours.

 

[HAL9000]

To visit, yes. To live there is awesome.

Fixed.

How can they check if you have no TV? That's not possible. Do they have video cameras in your house or something?

No, In all honesty I've no idea what they do, because I pay my licence fee, but some people don't and some people get caught.

 

[AMDZen]

How can they check if you have no TV? That's not possible. Do they have video cameras in your house or something?

They just invite themselves in, of course. No search warrant needed, to search for one.

Then, when you do go on that paid vacation that is sooo much longer then the one you could get in the US, some geezer chavs move into your house and you cant do a fucking thing about it until your court date.

 

[HAL9000]

wot?
Healthcare is a valid reason.
History is not a valid reason. Nobody sits around thinking about history. People play football and field hockey on fields where thousands of people have been killed in wars and nobody cares.
UK crime rate is astronomical, so no guns is not a valid reason.
Education I'm not sure.

There's nothing really wrong with the UK in general. It's just that a lot of European cities are extremely dense, and the result is that they are just like every other extremely dense city.
High population density is generally bad because it means the people living there are relatively poor. A hillbilly working at Walmart in Assfuck, Georgia still owns a 2000 square foot house. If you want a house like that in New York or London or Vancouver, you need at least a million dollars. The dude in assfuck georgia also has a gentle drive to work that takes 20 minutes whereas your commute in southern california might take 1.5 hours.

I love living in a place filled with history, it's a very valid reason to me. Guns is definitely a valid reason the chances I will get shot is a lot less than the chances you will.

 

[bignateyk]

And they talk funny over there. They dont speak American. I hate that.

bollocks!

 

[Cogman]

I love living in a place filled with history, it's a very valid reason to me. Guns is definitely a valid reason the chances I will get shot is a lot less than the chances you will.

But the chances you'll get stabbed, robbed, mugged, or murdered are much higher than mine.

As for the history. Yes, that is one of the awesome things about england. You can pretty much go anywhere and find a 5000 year old castle or some random roman piece of architecture.

 

[HAL9000]

They just invite themselves in, of course. No search warrant needed, to search for one.

Then, when you do go on that paid vacation that is sooo much longer then the one you could get in the US, some geezer chavs move into your house and you cant do a fucking thing about it until your court date.

Where the fuck did you hear that?!

 

[AMDZen]

I love living in a place filled with history, it's a very valid reason to me. Guns is definitely a valid reason the chances I will get shot is a lot less than the chances you will.

Guns are valid both ways to many people. Because if some dumbasses think they can move into my house, they will get shot.

You could argue that both of our governments "brainwashed" us into thinking how we do about guns, the difference is that people in the UK still have them. The criminals. Here, everyone still has them.

 

[HAL9000]

But the chances you'll get stabbed, robbed, mugged, or murdered are much higher than mine.

I disagree, and so does statistics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate

 

[HAL9000]

Guns are valid both ways to many people. Because if some dumbasses think they can move into my house, they will get shot.

You could argue that both of our governments "brainwashed" us into thinking how we do about guns, the difference is that people in the UK still have them. The criminals. Here, everyone still has them.

True. I'm not getting into a gun ownership/ squatters argument again though.

 

[ElFenix]

How can they check if you have no TV? That's not possible. Do they have video cameras in your house or something?

TVs are big EM generators. they drive around in vans that can see through the walls and see the EM noise.

when they started doing that they found a lot of people growing MJ

 

[Cogman]

I disagree, and so does statistics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate

Flawed statistics are flawed.

Intentional homicide demographics are affected by changes in trauma care, leading to changed lethality of violent assaults, so the intentional homicide rate may not necessarily indicate the overall level of societal violence.[2] They may also be underreported for political reasons.[3][4]
Another problem for the comparability of the following figures is that some data includes attempts and other doesn't. This values may differ highly in some countries. For example, in Germany about 3 of 4 homicides are attempts.[5

United states includes attempts in their measurements, UK doesn't

 

[HAL9000]

Flawed statistics are flawed.

Great response, evidently I was wrong and America is so safe, while I live in a deadly area

 

[thepd7]

That's definitely the case in London, but drive a couple of hours outside of London you can find a detached house for £100,000/ £150,000.

I've lived in London, can't wait to go back, I lived in Cambridge, can't wait to go back, both are brilliant in different ways. I've never found cities like them, (although Cambridge in Boston tries to be similar)

Have you actually been to Cambridge? I highly doubt that Cambridge, MA is trying to be like Cambridge, UK. I've never been to the UK but I'll ask a friend who is at Cambridge right now (supposedly it's actually a really easy school).

 

[ArizonaSteve]

English weather sucks. That's why I moved to Arizona 13 years ago.

 

[OlafSicky]

You would be better off being on welfare for that amount of money. UK food prices and clothing prices are much higher than US also . But i think that the salary is so low because of their “free” healthcare. The extra 20 to 30K you are missing for that goes to health benefits. How much comprehensive health insurance would cost you in the US?
Ah... forgot, add to that housing prices also double or triple what it would cost you in the US. Ah..also the UK has some of the most if not the most ugliest women in the world.

 

[Cogman]

Great response, evidently I was wrong and America is so safe, while I live in a deadly area

You stats don't prove your point. UK only measure homicide and US measures attempted homicide. This would be why there is such a big gap. Canada probably has the closest homicide stats to the US.

In other words, you are no safer in england as a result of guns being generally illegal (There are still lots of guns in england).

 

[Herr Kutz]

This is how I am interpreting this (http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/compare/US/GB) list:

- Live in medieval towns that are packed so densely as to resemble sardines that you have no need to use modern transportation methods.
- 54.8% less industry.
- Control how much doctors are allowed to earn.
- We try to keep everyone at an equally low level.
- Make 24.14% less money.
- 22.85% of people realize they would be subjecting a kid to a life of misery and thus choose not to have one.
- Have 22.15% higher chance of living in a cesspool of a "nation".
- Have 13.98% higher chance of living off government welfare checks.
- Use 8.85% more of your time being unproductive.
- 66.67% less savages.
- Live in misery for an extra 0.92 years.

 

[HAL9000]

Have you actually been to Cambridge? I highly doubt that Cambridge, MA is trying to be like Cambridge, UK. I've never been to the UK but I'll ask a friend who is at Cambridge right now (supposedly it's actually a really easy school).

I've been to both, lived in one. Cambridge MA is so similar to Cambridge UK it's weird, I felt like I was in the UK when I was there. trust me it's bloody similar. Also it's a really difficult school to get into.

You stats don't prove your point. UK only measure homicide and US measures attempted homicide. This would be why there is such a big gap. Canada probably has the closest homicide stats to the US.

In other words, you are no safer in england as a result of guns being generally illegal (There are still lots of guns in england).

I disagree, It would be because there are less murders in the UK.

This is how I am interpreting this (http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/compare/US/GB) list:

- Live in medieval towns that are packed so densely as to resemble sardines that you have no need to use modern transportation methods.
- 54.8% less industry.
- Control how much doctors are allowed to earn.
- We try to keep everyone at an equally low level.
- Make 24.14% less money.
- 22.85% of people realize they would be subjecting a kid to a life of misery and thus choose not to have one.
- Have 22.15% higher chance of living in a cesspool of a "nation".
- Have 13.98% higher chance of living off government welfare checks.
- Use 8.85% more of your time being unproductive.
- 66.67% less savages.
- Live in misery for an extra 0.92 years.

I lol'd

 

[Sinsear]

I love living in a place filled with history, it's a very valid reason to me. Guns is definitely a valid reason the chances I will get shot is a lot less than the chances you will.

Lol; the thought of guns makes you pee your pants doesn't it?

 

[Mark R]

I have a related question I've also been wondering:

Does making 70K pounds in UK SPEND like 140K USD IN UK?

It's nowhere near that. The big problem is VAT (sales tax) which is 20%. Also income taxes are big for above average earners (51% for a salary of £40k, 61% for a salary of £100k *).

For stuff like technology - it's almost 1:1. E.g. a $100 computer part is about £90 in the UK.

Most stuff is a bit better than that, though:
Some examples:
Loaf of bread (1 1/2 lb): £1.30
Toyota Prius: £22,000 (base model)
Starbux coffee (medium): £2.50
Meal for 2 at a decent (but not exclusive) restaurant: £60 (inc. service charge)

Labor at car dealership: £100 / hr

TVs are big EM generators. they drive around in vans that can see through the walls and see the EM noise.

Maybe in the past, but not so much now. Anyway, I once looked inside a 'detector van'. It looked like any other white van but had 'TV detector van' painted on the outside, in large, unfriendly letters, and a TV antenna going round and round on the top. I happened to see one parked up with the back door open. It was empty, apart from a seat, and there was a hand crank attached to the roof, where the antenna was fitted, so that it could be rotated. In other words, the whole thing was a fake.

As to how they know you don't have a TV. They don't. They assume you have one, and keep harassing you, until you prove you don't by inviting them in to check.

Have you actually been to Cambridge? I highly doubt that Cambridge, MA is trying to be like Cambridge, UK. I've never been to the UK but I'll ask a friend who is at Cambridge right now (supposedly it's actually a really easy school).

Actually, the 2 towns are surprisingly similar. Perhaps some of it comes from being a small town with a big school, and the type of commerce that brings - but both also have a similar feel in terms of greenery, etc. The similarity of the architecure of many of the university buildings adds to the overall feel of similarity.

BTW Cambridge, UK is a very tough school to get into. One of the toughest in the country, so tough, in fact that they don't rely on the national high school tests (equivalent of SATs), but have their own entrance exams, which are considerably harder. (This isn't particularly surprising, given that Cambridge, UK is rated as better than Harvard in international league tables).

(*) Explanatory note: Pedants may look up the income tax rates and find they are 40% and 50% respectively. This is true. However, a 2nd tax (national insurance) is also charged at 11% of gross salary and is also deducted from income.

 

[Cookie]

Don't worry about the cost of housing in UK. You can just squat and get one for free.