In the last ten years nearly 200,000 Britons have emigrated away from the UK (including me!). I guess most of them have gone to the English speaking new world somewhere , but where should they have gone? Of course the answer is Iceland which is currently first in the UN index of human development making them the happiest people on earth. Finland is 11th just ahead of the USA at 12 and the UK at 16. But why Iceland, personally the weather would put me off, but quoting this guardian article there are some pretty strong reasons for making the case for Iceland;
It is the country with the sixth highest GDP per ca pita in the world; where people buy the most books; where life expectancy for men is the highest in the world, and not far behind for women; it’s the only country in Nato with no armed forces (they were banned 700 years ago); the highest ratio of mobile telephones to population; the fastest-expanding banking system in the world; rocketing export business; crystal-pure air; hot water delivered to all Icelandic households straight from the earth’s volcanic bowels; and so on and so forth.
So there you go plenty of reasons to move if you need them!
One Comment
..mind you, an ex-Hopkin pal suggests that the women are neurotic, there’s little else to do but drink and wallow hot puddles and the recent 40% (so he says) slide in the currency makes London once again more favourable…so he’s back at Hopkin’s once more, grafting hard :))
besides, BBC Foreign Correspondent came up with Vanuatu being number one happy land recently, interviewing some bloke who owned a tropical island but didn’t have a cent to his name - but was happy as a butchers dog with his family within coconut throw away and - yes, well plenty of fish (the edible variety) in his sea - more than enough to sell should he venture for some indulgent luxury like perfumed soap or toothpaste.
..he’d just better keep his fingers crossed that Bush’s disregard for sea level rise predictions are science afterall..