sorry to say this, but it fits well into the general atmosphere of this country. People don't greet each other on the street, people don't know the names of their neighbour, the government is the opposite of caring or paternal (thanks to Miss Thatcher), people have to wait months for life saving operations, and so on.

Now everybody will hate me but I seriously believe that a lot of things in this country are going horribly wrong!

To answer your question: no, I definitely would not.

As I said before, I don't think it's a step in the right direction to be nosy about your neighbour. If you hear children screaming, that's a different thing, but general "grassing", no way. That should not belong in a democracy!

It only creates an atmosphere of paranoia, ignorance and mistrust, where everybody assumes a pedophile or mass murderer around the corner. NOt very nice to live in such an atmosphere.

I think Richmonds point concerning artificial creation of an atmosphere of mistrust is very good.

"They will have the power to enter premises undercover, allowing them to sit among drinkers, and will even be able to photograph and film people. "

That is a step in the wrong direction, IMHO. It almost sounds like in the former DDR (East-Germany), where every citizen was spying on every neighbour etc.

I think if you manage to get a 2(1) minimum through a good second semester and dissertation, it should at least be possible to apply and maybe to get a position. In the worst case, there are a significant number of C-league universities (accredited) in the UK who are very grateful for PhD students who pay their own fees. And as we all know, the awarding body for PhD does not play such a significant role as for Masters, for instance.

Quality-wise definitely standard of UK and most definitely of German universities. I know students of Groningen myself, it's a good place and Erasmus Rotterdam is a top-player and very well-known.

Just make sure you convince the "doktorvater" or Professor that you are motivated enough to complete the PhD and also how often you are able to physically travel to personal meetings.

Ok, I'm familiar with all of these institutions and they are definitely risk-free and belong to the best. If you have the chance to get admitted to a distant - PhD there, then go for it.

I didn't know they offer distant PhDs..

If that's the case, go for it. Just make sure the university is accredited. Netherlands PhDs are usually of a high standard. Do you have names of these institutions, so other people on this forum might offer you more information?

I don't think Italy would be a good option. Probably between the other three. But it will be very difficult to find a suitable distant PhD as they are usually very rare. Good luck

... to do a PhD online, I meant.
to do a PhD in general might not be the best way either but that's my subjective opinion based on my own, limited (thanks Golfpro), experiences.

Well, I bought my PhD over there for special price $499. It arrived two weeks later by UPS.

Joke aside, Belford is not really a good option. Why don't you check University websites in UK, to see where distant PhDs are offered. Still I don't think it is the best way to do a PhD.

It has been said before on this forum and not many agree with me but the best option is:

Belford University, U.S.A.

My apologies, your name is KroNkodile, of course

Thanks krokodile, you have just given a sound account of a dirty game called "academia".

This is happening all the time. 20+ interviewees and then the female UG student from the department got selected

sorry, what I meant was: the power of other government institutions decreases..