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It's not been the G8 for almost a decade now. If you really meant the G8, well, the UK for all it's faults is still somewhere I'd rather live than Russia.

• oska 3y ago
  And I would take Russia over the UK, even though my roots are British and I would enjoy delving into historical sites, etc, much more in the UK. But from looking on from Australia, the UK seems to be going downhill very rapidly, and has had a 'clown world' government for some time now. Russia, in contrast, only seems to be improving. (I didn't feel this way 5 years ago. My views on the current state and future trajectories of both the UK and Russia have changed significantly over the past few years.)
  • madeofpalk 3y ago
    You would rather live in Russia than the UK?
    • eterm 3y ago
      They're trolling, surely. No-one thinks Russia has a more stable government than the UK. They had a failed coup not even a month ago!
      • dragonwriter 3y ago
        Failed coup attempts are signs that someone wants the government to be unstable, but less so that it actually is. Russia’s government has been very stable for the last couple decades, with little change in substantive authority even in the inter-Putin period when Medvedev was nominally President; certainly much less substantive change than in the UK. (One might reasonably suspect its the kind of stability produced by a brittle regime that does not bend and is thus more likely to catastrophically break, though.)
        • twixfel 3y ago
          Truly stable countries don't have coups at all. A coup of any kind is a sign of instability.
          • dragonwriter 3y ago
            > Truly stable countries don’t have coups at all. A failed coup attempt is not a coup.
            • twixfel 3y ago
              Truly stable countries don’t have attempted coups at all, then, if you really insist on being pedantic.
              • dragonwriter 3y ago
                Now that you clarify it, I just disagree with your asserted definition.
                • twixfel 3y ago
                  No idea what you're talking about.
              • deleted 3y ago
                [deleted]
    • oska 3y ago
      Yes, that's what I said. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to live in Russia in the 90s, as it was a horrible time for the country. But Russia is vastly improved now, while I see the UK as going, quite quickly, in the opposite direction. And as I also said, this is a fairly new sentiment for me. I have become very disappointed with where the UK is heading and frankly sickened by the actions of its governments, most prominently, in the last 18 months, its warmongering and peace-breaking in Ukraine but of course, it was also a prime instigator of the warmongering in Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan and many other prior examples. But also, which is important for living there, the negative actions of its governments on its own people. I still have a great affinity and regard for the British people and British culture but the country itself is sadly now in a very sorry state, thanks to its quite awful 'establishment' (governments, banks, intelligence agencies, media, etc). The one thing that I am unsure about with living in Russia is living so deep inside a continent. I live on the coast of Australia (like most Australians) and my affinity is generally for coastal living or island countries. So the UK has appeal to me there. If I did have to live in the UK its west coast would be the most appealing prospect for me.
      • madeofpalk 3y ago
        I guess this proves so much further how "what x country have going for it" is such a worthless question. For me, a gay man, living in Russia is a real risk to my life with it's rampant violent homophobia, in a way that I feel pretty safe living in UK (or Australia, where I am from). But sure, I guess the Russian economy is on the way up? The private military market is booming!
        • oska 3y ago
          > For me, a gay man, living in Russia is a real risk to my life Fair enough, although I would only add a mildly sceptical note that perhaps the 'violent homophobia' is less rampant than is reported in Western media. We are fed a huge diet of anti Russian propaganda in the West. I haven't looked into this matter personally but I would imagine that it would be good to try to find out what ordinary gay men in Russia say about how the situation actually is on the ground (versus what is said in the western press). But certainly, Russia is a more 'socially conservative' country. Although, as you probably know, being gay and being socially conservative are not necessarily antagonistic positions (cf. the great number of gay men in the clergy). > Australia, where I am from I'd wondered if you might also be. Partly because I saw your comment elsewhere about not wanting to live in North America & not liking its aesthetic. I feel the same way and it's probably quite common for those who leave Australia and choose the UK over the US out of English speaking countries. > But sure, I guess the Russian economy is on the way up? Yes, and I could make quite a case for why that's true. Let me know if you want me to assemble such a case.