Ask yourself why he posts here, in this section of the site? Seriously? He doesn't live in Australia, he hasn't lived there for well two years, his knowledge of the country gets more and more out-of-date with every passing week, he hated the place, he hates the people that live there, so what possible purpose is there in his posting on a site for people who are in the process of moving to Australia or who have moved to Australia, unless its his sad way of getting back at a place that he feels slighted him in some way. He only seems to show up when you're posting and he does that because you're as anti-Australian as he is. When he returned to the UK he also said, on this very forum, "We don't want to end-up being long-term members of this forum ranting about how relatively good the UK is!" Yea, right!

Nah! I work for the Solihull tourism board.

This little slip
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...29#post3551329

Ah, that one.

I knew as soon as the fourth post was made, it just seemed dodgy.

This Miss Marple is off to her bed, happy another mystery has been solved

I'm not answering for him but maybe he sees the need to point out the errors and bleary pinked eyed ness of some people. I for one after I return won't think twice about doing the same as MikeStanton if it means I can put someone straight on some blatent misconception or wrong about Australia. OR to help defend somone getting a bashing for saying negative things about Oz.

Well I hope so anyway who can tell what the future holds. I'm now only allowed on here when the missus is away!

Good night

I just cannot understand all these discussions on fruit especially bananas,
i wish that was all i had to worry about.
i live in the uk where i struggle to pay all the important bills eg mortgage, council tax , petrol etc and when i have finished paying them I have to sit at home with the wife and kids looking out of the window watching the rain fall.

in the winter a wake up in the dark and go home in the dark the kids watch to much TV as there is not much you can do when its pissing it down.

i know I have never been to Australia and they say the grass is greener and all that stuff but i for one am going to give it a damn good go.

I dont even like bloody bananas,

Oh well rant over maybe in a few years time I will be eating my own words.

but at least I would have tried

LOL....don't hold back m8

I agree you are getting a very polarised view Arkon. And I understand why. When someone is fed up with something then things become exaggerated. I defy anyone to say it hasn't happened to them at some time in their life, whether it's a job, a country, a relationship etc, etc.....

You mention you see the real Australia and real Australians, and it's as if you think those who like it here in Aus can't see it. But the thing is Arkon..we do. We're not that stupid ....of course there are differences .....it's just that we accept every country, every culture and every nationality has it's own way of doing things and some of us see that none are better than any other, they are all as good or as bad,whichever way you view things.

It's probably more about feeling comfortable with things and weighing up which country suits *you* and your individual needs best. There will be some things that irk one person in one country and not another, and vice versa. There's no right, no wrong. It's all a matter of taste, opinion and weighing up the pro's and cons.

Having been in Aus nearly two years I can see where you and some of the other posters are coming from, whether that's yourself, Mike Stanton, Kiwi Child or Jad & Rich.....but the thing is....this is Australia. It has crime, it has graffiti, it has extreme weather conditions, it has some expensive economic drivers and some not so expensive....but think about it....these same words [and conditions] could also be applied to the UK.

The ONLY difference between the two counties..... is where people feel the most comfortable. Cos apart from individual requirement, there is no right or wrong, no good or bad, just different tastes

PS. And stop being a tormenting knob

[how many inches would you say you are Arkon ]

I'm sure they'd just post the usual barb about how UK is going to the dogs etc etc and pick up every scare story from the Sun and post it on here.
Stick to your guns (both good and bad necessary for balanced view) and thanks for informative post

My father was English, my mother's father was English, and I have always taken great pride in my English heritage.

Nowhere have I said that I may even live in the UK until I die. In fact, I have specifically stated on several occasions that I plan to return home at the end of 2008.

If you have a problem with that (and I see no reason why you should) you can talk to the hand.

Yes, there was. Australia had a ban on NZ apples for a while, due to some sort of "apple disease" scare. NZ is now protesting that her apples are perfectly fine, and Australia is simply maintaining the ban as a form of thinly disguised protectionism.

I actually side with the Kiwis on this one; I reckon it's time for the apple ban to be dropped.

Oh, and for the record:
Source.

No, the presumption is that the store is entitled to protect its business interests.

How about 500,000 CCTV cameras in London? Does that constitute a presumption of guilt? After all, why watch people unless you think they're about to commit a crime?

Here's something for you to gnash your teeth on: there's a big warehouse store in Walsall called Clearance Bargains. It sells end-of-line products and factory seconds from Argos. The range of products is simply astonishing - it basically offers anything you could find in the average Argos catalogue - and the savings are jaw-droppingly good. I've picked up a number of fantastic bargains there.

But this is where it gets interesting. Clearance Bargains has only one entrance, which doubles as a exit. Standing at the door is a big security guard, whose purpose (and follow me closely here) is to stop you on your way out, and check everything that you have purchased from the store.

You cannot leave until you have show him (a) the product you have purchased, and (b) the receipt for that product. This rule has no exceptions, and it is a condition of entering the store that you will abide by it without reservation.

The security guard stands no more than two or three metres from the checkout counters. In at least 80% of cases, he can clearly see you purchasing your new goods, so he knows that they are legally yours - and yet he still stops you at the door and asks to check you over before allowing you to leave.

Would this policy "piss you off"? If so, what would you do about it? Would you play by the rules, object strongly in the hope of getting your way, or simply boycott the store?

You actually mean "something to do with Britain's criminal past", of course. Because the convicts who went Down Under sure weren't Australians.

Anyway, we both know that it is everything to do with shoplifting, so there's nothing to be gained by juvenile comments.

Or by charging for them, like Aldi and Lidl do.

But seriously, plastic bags cost virtually nothing to make. They'd never recoup any sort of reasonable sum by reducing the amount that they use at the checkout.

Of course not, but the principle remains the same.

And according to your argument, it's an "assumption of guilt" - so why don't object to it?

Then you have no good reason for objection to bag searches.

To be frank, your entire argument is inherently self-contradictory. It seems clear to me that you're only objecting to the Australian policy because it is Australian. This really has nothing to do with "presumption of guilt" or any other verbal smokescreen, and everything to do with your personal bigotry.

Which is a shame, since you appear to be a reasonably well educated person, and under different circumstances I would have expected better from you.

They check your bags if you look a wee bit suspicious. Thats that fu***d. I look like the phantom flan flinger.

You have completely missed my point, as usual.

I said "It's a matter of perspective." My point was not that these events are comparable, but that there are far more important things to be worrying about than the price of fruit and a harmless bag search or two.

Far from suggesting that these these examples are comparable, I was actually demonstrating that they're not!

So fruit is more expensive. So bananas are ludicrously priced, and in many cases unobtainable.

So what? Who bloody cares? What about the bigger issues - the serious issues?

I have seen many posts from you in which you cite the most trivial issues as reasons for hating Australia. Not once (to the best of my knowledge) have I ever seen you citing a single serious issue which has personally affected you as a reason for hating the country and wanting to leave it as soon as possible.

It would be hilarious if it wasn't so petty and facile.

There is no "presumption of guilt." Get over it.

Incidently, you've just reminded me of Britain's "stop-and-search" laws:
Source.


Is that a presumption of guilt, or a reasonable precaution in the interests of the wider community? It's certainly a great deal more invasive than a bag search - and it tends to target specific ethnic and religious groups, which has led to accusations of "institutionalised racism" and "anti-Muslim attitudes."

Yet the British people have simply accepted this legislation as a way of life, and there has been no attempt to resist it.

Penny for your thoughts?

I appreciate the logistical problems presented by bag searches and nappy bags, but everyone else seems to cope, so I see no reason why you can't.

I agree! I also think that bag searches are a great way to keep all us law abiding people paying no more than we should.

And as someone who doesn't like to be ripped off (as you've reminded us on umpteen different occasions) I would have thought you'd feel the same way. But no, it appears that you'd rather pay higher prices in stores, than agree to a bag search at the checkout.

Your worldview is an interesting one, to be sure.

Bananas 60p a hand ont market this afternoon