They try and crucify anyone in there who says anything bad about the UK. It's a sad place for those that can't make it as an expat.

Aye, I guess it's a safety valve.
"I didn't like it so it must be bad" type thing.

Why should it be compulsory reading? It wouldn't have made a scrap of difference to my decision to return. Ultimately you do what's right for you and your family and I often think that those who are most critical and judgemental about other people's decisions are those who are least secure in their own choices.

Are you sure you shouldn't be posting in the MBTTUK forum?

??? Maybe I've had too much wine but I don't know what you mean. I've had a lot of help from the MBTTUK forum - my thinking is a bit more evolved than the "Austalia = perfect, UK = shithole" and vice versa that seems to be the norm for many people who post on these forums. Guess what - it's perfectly possible to like both England AND Australia - admittedly this makes choosing where to live more of a headache but like I say, perfectly possible.

Just for the record, the article says expats living overseas and not Australia in particular.

yes indeed. some people make comments without first reading the article.

Exactly, as I said I cant imagine it would make the slightest difference to anyone returning to the UK because others aren't, it's ridiculous to think it would.

Did you post it on all forums then, or just the Australia one? I refer to Australia as that's where we went, and this and the MBTTUK forums are the only ones I read on Britishexpats as they're the only ones relevant/interesting to me.

i'm too lazy to post across the board (and the fact that I ain't interested in other countreis )

And you'd probably be asked not to post the same post in multiple threads/forums.

Add six more to that number...none of us is going back voluntarily .....

My expat not in Australia friends are all happy where they are in the world.

It must be a very bitter experience investing so much time, effort, money and emotional energy into immigration and it not working out for WHATEVER reason.... Such a waste, for many who are moving back to the uk, unfulfilled dreams and expectations...

No wonder feelings run so high about it....

That's an excellent point and I have never really thought of it like that before. Of course, anyone moving back will deny anything of the sort. That explains why you get crucified for posting things like the OPs in the MBTTUK forum.

My brother lives in Athens and has done for the last 8 years or so. Although he went there to work in a research centre he's now self-employed and not reliant on Greeks for his income

He's thinking about moving on.. not because of the issues in Greece, but because he has itchy feet syndrome and this is the longest he's ever lived anywhere (and possibly because he's worked his way through the young women of most of the Greek families)... but he has no intention of going back to the UK either.