• One of Stefan Collini’s sentiments in particular resonates: “the core experience of life-changing education is … about encountering manifold forms of otherness”. At the start of the data, there were around three times as many searches for depression as for anxiety. Covid-19 shows the folly of these developments. London is OK but it's full of crimes and the North is OK but everyone would attack me and I have never been. At 18, I went to Cambridge from a Belfast grammar school, remaining there for a doctorate. It is mostly those things that contribute to your perception of this country. Trust me, the weather isn't what makes England feel depressing. Its only "depressing" until you see what a TRULY depressing country is like. I've never known such a depressing and miserable time for the majority of people living in the UK. Last summer there was loads of good times with the jubilee and the Olympics. English universities are in peril because of 10 years of calamitous reform. Consequently, the number of single and joint honours degrees in criminology has increased, while degree courses in social policy and sociology have declined. • Stefan Collini says our higher education system is “structurally consumerist”. Syamala Roberts, Paddy Hillyard and Dave Hunter express the frustrations facing many academics in response to Stefan Collini’s opinion piece, Wed 2 Sep 2020 17.49 BST Stefan Collini’s piece (English universities are in peril because of 10 years of calamitous reform, 31 August) is an expression of the immense collective frustration of UK academics. Areas with the most searches for 'stress'. People seem fed up with everything; money problems, un-employment, benefit cuts, immigration, food safety scandal, pedophiles celebs, shops closing down, redundancies all over the place, bills going up and the government just don't seem to understand or live in the real world. Norfolk is boring, cold, dark, depressing and it looks poor and third world. Registered in England. Northern Ireland retains a problematic grammar school system, but the position of universities there is little better. I have to agree, no matter how down and depressed you feel at this time of year, it could be much worse. The rest of the top ten were the United States, Chile and South Africa. Many would add their own voices, were it not for a fear of drawing attention to oneself and ending up on the chopping block in our hire-and-fire job market. My father came to the UK from India in 1990 to take up a PhD scholarship at Cambridge. Perhaps the worse example of the impact of this concerns criminology. Chin up, spirit of the Blitz and all that gubbins. Go for a holiday in Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, China, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Cambodia,... then England will seem like PARADISE! Many people appeared to be searching for details or advice on the conditions. Thousands of criminology students graduate every year, making it possible for every convicted criminal to have their own criminologist as an adviser! It could be worse. British people are among the most depressed people in the Western world, according to new data. Well, you know. Brighton had the highest number of searches, with Belfast, Oxford, Cambridge and Norwich also among the top areas. The country is at seventh place worldwide for searches about depression - and comes in just two places below Iran. It also keeps us in a condition of opposition precisely when we need to embrace the African philosophy of Ubuntu, sometimes summarised as “I am because we are”. Among the most popular searches linked to the two terms nationally were "postpartum depression", "how to deal with anxiety" and "how to help someone with depression". The professional situation for junior academic colleagues is cut-throat, serving the consumer model delineated by Collini. All education is ultimately just one element of a society in which people should be supported to flourish in their chosen area. © 2020 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Its tough but then I look at the problems of Spain Greece Ireland & Portugal - they are having it a lot tougher. Speak for yourself. Theres nothing wrong with the UK - Of course we have one or two irritants - such as suffering spineless government eager to obey every idiotic law originating out of Brussels, Never ending mass immigration, Millions living on benefits, Scruffy Chavs on our overcrowded public transport with their foul smelling food and discarded litter, Eternal housing shortages, A nation fast becoming obese, A haven for single mothers - A nation that adores a TV service founded on language of the gutter - A nation that allows potential deadly hazards into its food chain. An ever-increasing number of youngsters appear to wish to don white overalls and become scenes of crime officers. Collini is right to focus his class critique on England and Wales, where the hegemony of independent schools quashes dreams of equal opportunity. If you’d like to join in, please sign in or register. I've never known such a depressing and miserable time for the majority of people living in the UK. ©2020 Hearst UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 30 Panton Street, Leicester Square, London, SW1Y 4AJ. Areas with the most searches for 'depression', Areas with the most searches for 'anxiety'. I'm writing a story set in England and I want to know what you think is the most depressing city or region in your otherwise fair country.