Originally Posted by NKSK version 2

The West Lothian question (where Scottish MPs vote on issues which affect England only but English MPs don't get the same return priviledge);

Originally Posted by NKSK version 2

I actually feel that I have more of an identity with England than with Britain and I'd vote for complete separation from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Originally Posted by binky

Still isn't such a thing as an English passport.....

Originally Posted by kporte

been visiting BE for a few months now and it has amazed me how my ideas and misconceptions of a life in Oz have changed. when the idea of moving came to my wife and i, the motive was simply for a better quality of life. i believed that the cost of living was far less than the uk, that houses were a giveaway and that i would earn far more dough. i am not entirely sure where i gleaned these useful nuggets of info, but joining BE put me right. there have been many threads concerning these issues, and posters such as arkon have been berated for posting opinions percieved as negative. thank god for the "negative" posts or i'd be going into this like the light brigade!! my wife and i are still very much up for it and i have the possibility of a decent job on reasonable pay in the picture from yesterday, but now our tentative plans are geared around realistic goals and the 4 bed house with pool and two new cars has changed to 2 bed house and 2 year old Holden with high mileage!
i still hold onto the belief we will have a better quality of life but because we will be prepared to downsize our life in a lot of ways. it is so easy to get carried away with the idea that Oz is some kind of shangrila and i thought i was past this at 40. your thoughts on this, as always, will be most welcome.
cheers

Originally Posted by JosieJ

Hi Pheonixinoz

And as for dr's receptionists - i know exactly what you mean! Why should we have to tell them whats wrong with us!!! Thanks again - Karma coming your way!

Josie
x

Originally Posted by dotnron

As someone who has worked as a receptionist for a doctor I can tell you they couldn't give a rat'a arse what your problem is. They do however need to ask so they can book the appropriate amount of time with the doctor. If you need to have a complete physical examination including pap smear, it will take longer than if you have a sinus infection and need an antibiotic.

Originally Posted by NKSK version 2

I actually feel that I have more of an identity with England than with Britain and I'd vote for complete separation from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - and an English parliament if it was ever an option.

Originally Posted by Hutch

I always felt more European than English or British. Guess that makes me some sort of a freak in these nationalistic times.

Originally Posted by dotnron

As someone who has worked as a receptionist for a doctor I can tell you they couldn't give a rat'a arse what your problem is. They do however need to ask so they can book the appropriate amount of time with the doctor. If you need to have a complete physical examination including pap smear, it will take longer than if you have a sinus infection and need an antibiotic.

Originally Posted by DunRoaminTheUK

Excellent post.

Your experience is pretty much akin to ours as we started out (2.5 years ago) with a blinkered perspective and the naive perception that Australia was going to give us a 4 bedroom house, (somehow) an improved 9-5, relatively low crime, cheap groceries and a lot more to boot.

From being a member of BE for the past 2.5 years I have gleaned a mountain of valuable information, knowledge and informed opinion and experience. My wife still clings to the dream of a swimming pool in the garden but this looks doubtful in the short term. However, the long-term is really down to us.

What I can see from the threads that I have read over the last few years is that what is on offer is a different and very appealing lifestyle. Quite frankly, that is enough for me and I'm pretty sure my wife feels the same. We also feel that Australia (depending on where you go) offers an awful lot to very young children.

We realise that Australia is still going to provide us with the boring day-to-day working existence BUT we feel that we will live for our weekends, which, quite frankly, is something I just don't get excited about here.

Anyway, nobody really knows what hand they are going to be dealt but just like the lottery...."You've got to be in it to win it".....

Originally Posted by Lord Pom Percy

You can have a large 4 bedroom house and a swimming pool in OZ if you have the money such a house is alot cheaper in OZ then the Uk, except for some expensive suburbs in Sydney or Melbourne.

Originally Posted by NKSK version 2

Is this really correct? That a patient's confidentiailty is compromised just so that a receptionist can book the right amount of tine with a doctor?

Is this part of NHS guidelines?

I've always tended to believe that receptionists are not really supposed to ask what the problem is - whatever the reason.

Patient confidentiality has always been a hot potato in the NHS - hence the debate over computer sytsems which pretty much allow universal access to a patients records.

Originally Posted by Wol

I would dispute that, if you are talking apples for apples. To a large extent you get what you pay for: if you cannot pay for the quality of build then yes, you can get a big opulent-looking house but it certainly won't be up to UK standards. What lies behind the paintwork is what really matters, and that's where the consequences of cheeseparing become apparent.

Originally Posted by arkon

True, you only need to watch 'Grand Designs' to see just how much goes into a house construction back home. Even Barratt homes have more to them. I've seen how they are mostly constructed here and it's all knickers and no draws. A cheap wooden frame with a bit of brick or rendering with a plaster board clad inside. I won't deny the houses are bigger here or that they 'look' very nice. But under that fancy coating there is not much at all. You could easily build such houses to the same price back home if thats the standard of construction you want.

Originally Posted by arkon

I tried to sit idly by reading this thread and biting my tongue, I even agree with most of what’s been said. But there is a misconception and excuse used by the people here both Australian and immigrant alike to mitigate some of the bad things about the place namely the size of the country versus the small population. This is just so wrong. If the 20 million were spread evenly across the country then I’d say fair enough. But it’s not. Most of the population is clustered around a handful of cities and the relative population density is more than enough to meet the critical mass needed to meet better service, stock levels and decent supply. Australia’s GDP is about 640 Billion and the UK 1,800 Billion so pro rata to the size of the population it is almost the same. So there is no excuse at all. The small population argument long ago for me lost it’s reason to be valid excuse.

Originally Posted by tonyk38

. Hevs (a long established poster) once said (and I'm sure she won't mind me quoting her ), that you either 'get' Australia or you don't.