My recent UK visitor very appropriately found this article whilst reading the online papers. ?

To summarise, the top five countries are
1. ?France
2. ?Australia
3. ?Netherlands
4. ?New Zealand
5. ?United States



36 reasons to say goodbye to Britain - and one to say bonjour to fabulous France
BY IAN SPARKS
26th January 2007
?
As you sit in stationary traffic and pouring rain, worrying about the mortgage and whether you'll ever get a date for treatment on that ingrowing toenail, you may not be totally surprised by the news. ? In the league table of the best countries to live, Britain is 37th.

And as if that wasn't wounding enough, the country judged to offer the finest quality of life in the world is none other than our closest, but not always friendliest neighbour, France.

The list of 191 countries was compiled by the U.S. travel magazine International Living using nine criteria - cost of living, culture and leisure, economy, environment, freedom, health, infrastructure, safety, and climate.

Britain is beaten by such unlikely idylls as Bulgaria, Panama, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. We even had to share our humble 37th position with Ecuador, Lithuania, Iceland, Greece and Cyprus. ? We scored poorly on weather, cost of living, transport infrastructure and health service, but highly on economy and social freedoms.

France raced ahead on the strength of its high-speed TGV trains, ample supply of hospital beds, culture, ski resorts, beaches, climate and relatively low cost of living.
Reports suggest the ratings are reflected in emigration, with hordes of Britons heading across the Channel to live.

More on:- ? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770

:)