'Best Country' in the world = Ireland

[RATTY...]

About the tax shit, I think Denmark has one of the highest tax in the world.

[Acidmouse]

You never see English living in Ireland yet you see paddy's ten to a penny over in England coming of the boats. What's that say about the list?

[Epinephrine]

http://www.economist.com/theworldin/...3372495&d=2005

There's the better link for the article, straight from The Economist website itself (I actually read it there first, then I understood what this thread was talking about cause I never bothered to click it before). The article also has a link explaining exactly how The Economist did the rankings themselves.

As a little background, The Economist is one of the most respected publications in the world on matters of economics and world politics, and rightly so. Read it and you'll see why. Look at all the ads in the magazine for positions for high-ranking executives in multinational corporations and UN positions and you'll understand people who read this magazine are quite well educated in general. Although based in London, England, The Economist in fact has three times as many subscribers in the USA than England (500,000 vs 1,500,000).

BTW Finland is #12 on the list and Canada is #14 with the USA at #13.

-Epi

[Volcs]

I find it extremely hard to believe that the quality of life is better in the US than in Canada..

[Pressure Drop]

Thanks Epinephrine that is a much better link.

I didn't mean this thread to be "I'm better than you! ha ha ah" and if you read my first post i'm sure you would agree as i said i was surprised and that "quality of life" is subjective so i didn't take it too seriously.

However it amazes me that some people do take it so seriously claiming it is rigged and because it is diferent to the UN list, of no value.

Yes it is different to the UN list but that is no surprise since it was calculated on different criteria and weighting. This list is merely a guide to the living standard and happiness, a hard thing to measure, of the nations.

I guess many have an old stereotypical view on Ireland which is why they have a hard time accepting that on this scale it came above their mighty nation. They still see it as a poor country where the inhabitants are miserable oppressed by the catholic church and drink guinness by the gallon to ease there woes. However times have changed, Ireland embraced Europe and the Euro and have done extremely well out of it.

Originally Posted by SEAL

Originally Posted by Pressure Drop
i live in (Northern Ireland)

where about? i come from bangor. Keep Ulster white and protestant!!

I hope you were joking but to many think like that to assume you are.
I'm from Belfast and that is not a view i share, i'm not racist or sectarian.

[SEAL]

Was joking, hence the smiley. wasnt about bangor (british passport). And you're not rasict cause you don't have coloured ppl in ireland UFF is far away from your reality i guess (note: two smileys)
anyways this is way offtopic. the end.

[Jerome Scuggs]

I love portrait of the artist as a young man, made me want to visit ireland

So I agree with you

[PaulOakenfold]

Because of its dreary weather when I visited there, I always get depressed when I think of Ireland. The pubs were fun and there was a very homey feeling about everywhere you go, but all I think of is grey skies in a mild to cold temperature.