Is the situation in the UK really that bad?
Jul 15th 2013, 2:00 pm
#16
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2009
Location: Up on the Ranches not down on the Springs
Posts: 2,109
Re: Is the situation in the UK really that bad?
Unless you're in the Prestbury Triangle then I think things really are a bit grim hence leaving after 3 months back
The UK is great if you have loads of bucks but grim otherwise. Salaries in my profession are the same they were in 2007 when I left whilst everything else has gone up.
I thought about going back to driving a truck for a living till I found out that salaries are only marginally better than they were when I stopped driving when I was 27 and I am now 48 and a bit.
I don't know about the mass unrest over immigration but I was in a white area with no one to riot about bar the foreign kebab shop owner who did me out of some cabbage on my donor when I was the worse for wear.
Of course this year the sun has shone brightly and everyone will rattle on about days in the national trust parks, swimming with the tampons in the sea off Blackpool beach etc etc but according to my wise and old inlaws it pissed down for all of 2012 bar a week at Easter and then swimming with the tampons isn't so appealing is it.
Your father who is older and no doubt wiser than us combined given that he has lived through the highs and lows of a longer life in England MAY well be right.
Mind I did have the pleasure of quaffing a pint of Magners outside a pub in the Manifold valley near Leek where there are no phone signals and hardly any cars bar those coming to the pub or to the campsite and it was one of the most blissfully relaxing hours of my life. Sadly you cant do that for a living though
The UK is great if you have loads of bucks but grim otherwise. Salaries in my profession are the same they were in 2007 when I left whilst everything else has gone up.
I thought about going back to driving a truck for a living till I found out that salaries are only marginally better than they were when I stopped driving when I was 27 and I am now 48 and a bit.
I don't know about the mass unrest over immigration but I was in a white area with no one to riot about bar the foreign kebab shop owner who did me out of some cabbage on my donor when I was the worse for wear.
Of course this year the sun has shone brightly and everyone will rattle on about days in the national trust parks, swimming with the tampons in the sea off Blackpool beach etc etc but according to my wise and old inlaws it pissed down for all of 2012 bar a week at Easter and then swimming with the tampons isn't so appealing is it.
Your father who is older and no doubt wiser than us combined given that he has lived through the highs and lows of a longer life in England MAY well be right.
Mind I did have the pleasure of quaffing a pint of Magners outside a pub in the Manifold valley near Leek where there are no phone signals and hardly any cars bar those coming to the pub or to the campsite and it was one of the most blissfully relaxing hours of my life. Sadly you cant do that for a living though
Jul 15th 2013, 2:05 pm
#17
Concierge
Joined: May 2006
Location: ex ex-pat, in Taunton
Posts: 27,192
Re: Is the situation in the UK really that bad?
The way I see it is that a sector of British people will always imagine that everywhere else just has to be better than here even though often they have never left this country and seem to base their theory on Home and Away.
There is no doubt that in some areas there is racial tension but no more than Los Angeles or Sydney or anywhere else.
This is still a great country, it has not gone to the dogs, it isnt going down the drain, it isnt overrun by immigrants on the dole.
There is no doubt that in some areas there is racial tension but no more than Los Angeles or Sydney or anywhere else.
This is still a great country, it has not gone to the dogs, it isnt going down the drain, it isnt overrun by immigrants on the dole.
The vast majority of EU immigrants are coming here because they have jobs to come to. The government is making it harder for immigrants to get onto benefits immediately, but that is the same in any country. There were all the headlines about Romanians moving in their millions at the end of the year, when people living in Romania were asked about this the majority said that if they were going to move, it would be to Germany and France.
Jul 15th 2013, 2:06 pm
#18
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Wirral, UK
Posts: 402
Re: Is the situation in the UK really that bad?
Cheers for that. Yeah plenty research being done, of which this is part of 
Some mates who work for the NHS say that there's no jobs and that does seem to be the case where I'm from which is Merseyside, but we have no intention of returning to that part of the country if we do return. We've been looking at Somerset/Devon, North Yorks or maybe Scotland
Some mates who work for the NHS say that there's no jobs and that does seem to be the case where I'm from which is Merseyside, but we have no intention of returning to that part of the country if we do return. We've been looking at Somerset/Devon, North Yorks or maybe Scotland
My husband has been back there since April and said "well you wouldn't think there was any economic crisis here, tons of BMW's, Audi, Mercedes on the road and the shops and restaurants are full of people spending like there's no tomorrow".
Jul 15th 2013, 2:10 pm
#19
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 862
Re: Is the situation in the UK really that bad?
I note more responses as I write this. My twopenceworth:
__________________
This is such an excellent question! I asked the same thing
on a UK site (BE is Australian based?), last year. Just a discussion site, nothing migranty.A NZ ex-pat added that they also had wondered this. The response was 100% positive. Gawd knows the participants had a Heaven sent opportunity to stick the boot in, but they didn't.
I suppose it's all relative. If one has lived a lifetime in the UK-and importantly of course is having an increasingly hard time,-then who can blame them for a negative opinion?
The trouble is, that other countries are thus considered to be 'better than'.
I can only speak for my lengthy experience of Australia, which of course has been the predominant country for British settlement.
It has been promoted on the S principle for decades: sun/surf/sand. Add the inevitable BBQ and the incessant promotion of large homes (which are usually some distance away from Metro areas);-and the obvious conclusion is Paradise.
Paradise compared to the highly populated UK, with it's lousy weather/politicians/banks etc.
Alas it's a fallacy. Australia also has corporate greed/lousy.........LOUSY polishituns (as I prefer to call them!)/ and rotten weather---unless you love blistering heat for months on end etc.,
But; BUT, unless this is experienced, then how does anyone know? The grass is greener thing, is a human frailty. We all do it; I did it. And it goes on every damn day: some are coming here with hopes and dreams, and others are returning because that did not eventuate.
Others still, will continue to see each country as the better one-when they have departed from it and return again..and again.
As I said, it's all relative. I am returning to the UK to be blunt not for the people, but for the country/the countryside/and generally lower temperatures. And because it's home. I've travelled a lot in my career, and have a culture of two countries,-but it's the homing pigeon thing.
The UK is home. It's that simple.
I will dislike in the UK exactly what I dislike here, because I have no illusions of 'sweetness and light'. But I will do it at home, rather than the alienation I have felt all these years.
Your Dad is only saying what he believes to be correct; and for him it is. But as long as you shed the rose tints, the decision is yours.
Listen to your instincts; be measured in your decisions and ensure the agreement of immediate family.....
.......then act on it. (But be prepared for Dad to be grumpy to you for a good while!!
)
Last edited by TheEmperorIsNaked; Jul 15th 2013 at 2:21 pm. Reason: Sp.
Jul 15th 2013, 2:11 pm
#20
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2013
Location: Sunshine Coast Australia
Posts: 35
Re: Is the situation in the UK really that bad?
I'm heading back to the Wirral on Saturday after 17 years in USA and I cannot wait. I don't have a job there yet however I did have a telephone interview with one of the major banks last week and got through to the next stage. Hopefully I will be successful eventually
My husband has been back there since April and said "well you wouldn't think there was any economic crisis here, tons of BMW's, Audi, Mercedes on the road and the shops and restaurants are full of people spending like there's no tomorrow".
My husband has been back there since April and said "well you wouldn't think there was any economic crisis here, tons of BMW's, Audi, Mercedes on the road and the shops and restaurants are full of people spending like there's no tomorrow".
Jul 15th 2013, 2:14 pm
#21
Concierge
Joined: May 2006
Location: ex ex-pat, in Taunton
Posts: 27,192
Re: Is the situation in the UK really that bad?
Jul 15th 2013, 2:18 pm
#22
Banned
Joined: Jan 2011
Location: The REAL Utopia.
Posts: 9,910
Re: Is the situation in the UK really that bad?
Jul 15th 2013, 2:22 pm
#24
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2013
Location: Sunshine Coast Australia
Posts: 35
Re: Is the situation in the UK really that bad?
I note more responses as I write this. My twopenceworth:
__________________
This is such an excellent question! I asked the same thing
on a UK site (BE is Australian based?), last year. Just a discussion site, nothing migranty.A NZ ex-pat added that they also had wondered this. The response was 100% positive. Gawd knows the participants had a Heaven sent opportunity to stick the boot in, but they didn't.
I suppose it's all relative. If one has lived a lifetime in the UK-and importantly of course is having an increasingly hard time,-then who can blame them for a negative opinion?
The trouble is, that other countries are thus considered to be 'better than'.
I can only speak for my lengthy experience of Australia, which of course has been the predominant country for British settlement.
It has been promoted on the S principle for decades: sun/surf/sand. Add the inevitable BBQ and the incessant promotion of large homes (which are usually some distance away from Metro areas);-and the obvious conclusion is Paradise.
Paradise compared to the highly populated UK, with it's lousy weather/politicians/banks etc.
Alas it's a fallacy. Australia also has corporate greed/lousy.........LOUSY polishituns (as I prefer to call them!)/ and rotten weather---unless you love blistering heat for months on end etc.,
But; BUT, unless this is experienced, then how does anyone know? The grass is greener thing, is a human frailty. We all do it; I did it. And it goes on every damn day: some are coming here with hopes and dreams, and others are returning because that did not eventuate.
Others still, will continue to see each country as the better one-when they have departed from it and return again..and again.
As I said, it's all relative. I am returning to the UK to be blunt not for the people, but for the country/the countryside/and generally lower temperatures. And because it's home. I've travelled a lot in my career, and have a culture of two countries,-but it's the homing pigeon thing.
The UK is home. It's that simple.
I will dislike in the UK exactly what I dislike here, because I have no illusions of 'sweetness and light'. But I will do it at home, rather than the alienation I have felt all these years.
Your Dad is only saying what he believes to be correct; and for him it is. But as long as you shed the rose tints, the decisions is yours.
Listen to your instincts; be measured in your decisions and ensure the agreement of immediate family.....
.......then act on it. (But be prepared for Dad to be grumpy to you for a good while!!
) If I do go home my dad will be delighted even if he thinks it's the wrong decision.
I guess the big thing hindering us actually making the decision to move back is the fear that we will be bringing our kids back to less opportunities but having said that where I live on the sunshine coast just north of Brisbane there are bugger all jobs - if we stay here they will defo move away from us out of necessity. And yes I agree Emperor the blistering heat is goddam awful especially when sky high humidity is added to it.
Our other option is return to New Zealand where we lived for 8 years, but that isn't home either and while is preferable to Australia it too has a multitude of things that make it not home and not what we really want.
I shall show this thread to the Mrs
Jul 15th 2013, 2:28 pm
#25
Banned
Joined: Jan 2011
Location: The REAL Utopia.
Posts: 9,910
Re: Is the situation in the UK really that bad?
The thing is none of us know what the future holds, noone can say which country will offer kids more in 5, 10 or 20 years. Some good friends have 5 kids and the 3 that are old enough have good jobs and one is at uni.
I was going to mention the unemployment rate on the Sunshine Coast, certainly no better than most places here.
I was going to mention the unemployment rate on the Sunshine Coast, certainly no better than most places here.
Jul 15th 2013, 2:33 pm
#26
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2013
Location: Sunshine Coast Australia
Posts: 35
Re: Is the situation in the UK really that bad?
The thing is none of us know what the future holds, noone can say which country will offer kids more in 5, 10 or 20 years. Some good friends have 5 kids and the 3 that are old enough have good jobs and one is at uni.
I was going to mention the unemployment rate on the Sunshine Coast, certainly no better than most places here.
I was going to mention the unemployment rate on the Sunshine Coast, certainly no better than most places here.
Jul 15th 2013, 2:46 pm
#27
Heading for Poppyland
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: North Norfolk and northern New York State
Posts: 14,519
Re: Is the situation in the UK really that bad?
Sure, high street shops close down. Why wouldn't they, since there are shopping centres and big box stores out of town. I like to see small independent stores on the high street when I return to England, but I shop in the out of town shopping centres like everyone else. Time marches on in the UK, even while we live abroad for years or decades ... that's a sign the old place is still alive and kicking! And, the fact that new immigrants want to come is also a sign that Britain is in good nick!
Jul 15th 2013, 2:56 pm
#28
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2013
Location: Sunshine Coast Australia
Posts: 35
Re: Is the situation in the UK really that bad?
Well you raise an interesting point.
Sure, high street shops close down. Why wouldn't they, since there are shopping centres and big box stores out of town. I like to see small independent stores on the high street when I return to England, but I shop in the out of town shopping centres like everyone else. Time marches on in the UK, even while we live abroad for years or decades ... that's a sign the old place is still alive and kicking! And, the fact that new immigrants want to come is also a sign that Britain is in good nick!
Sure, high street shops close down. Why wouldn't they, since there are shopping centres and big box stores out of town. I like to see small independent stores on the high street when I return to England, but I shop in the out of town shopping centres like everyone else. Time marches on in the UK, even while we live abroad for years or decades ... that's a sign the old place is still alive and kicking! And, the fact that new immigrants want to come is also a sign that Britain is in good nick!
Jul 15th 2013, 3:01 pm
#29
Concierge
Joined: May 2006
Location: ex ex-pat, in Taunton
Posts: 27,192
Re: Is the situation in the UK really that bad?
Well you raise an interesting point.
Sure, high street shops close down. Why wouldn't they, since there are shopping centres and big box stores out of town. I like to see small independent stores on the high street when I return to England, but I shop in the out of town shopping centres like everyone else. Time marches on in the UK, even while we live abroad for years or decades ... that's a sign the old place is still alive and kicking! And, the fact that new immigrants want to come is also a sign that Britain is in good nick!
Sure, high street shops close down. Why wouldn't they, since there are shopping centres and big box stores out of town. I like to see small independent stores on the high street when I return to England, but I shop in the out of town shopping centres like everyone else. Time marches on in the UK, even while we live abroad for years or decades ... that's a sign the old place is still alive and kicking! And, the fact that new immigrants want to come is also a sign that Britain is in good nick!
Jul 15th 2013, 5:00 pm
#30
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,009
Re: Is the situation in the UK really that bad?
Immigration levels rose under Labour and have continued under the current government. There is also the issue of unrestricted immigration for EU citizens. So I do not think it is fair to blame the current government for the immigration situation.
