jensteve

I asked an aussie yesterday why do Australians dislike migrants from the UK? the answer she gave was because we seem to suddenly appear with hand fulls of cash and go on spending rampages, new car, boat, house while she and the other Aussie folk have to save like mad to gain such things.
I did fail to mention to her though that yes we turn up loaded but it may have taken us years to gain what we have in just the same way they do, so next time I see her I shall pass on that point and see what she comes back with.

Jenny

Megalania

Think it goes back a long time before that - back to convicts, British class "wars", Irish diggers and judgemental Pom toffs. A cultural reflex little grounded in the here and now.

Ceri

Because , Wales politically today is not a country according to the English, England had Kings, Scotland had lairds and our term for our rulers in history was Princes ( and I'm not talking about English Royalty)- it's politically called a principality according to some idiots today ( By the way I call Burma - Burma what their own people call it and not by it's so called modern political name Myanmar name by the country's dictators) It has and was a country ( or land)to the Welsh, the real britons of the land. Someone ought to tell them Wales was the only COUNTRY in the UK not to sign the act of union, it was by force we are in the UK and joined by the act, by those royal B8stard foreign invaders - no choice - war?? When did it finish?

Took our county, invaded and invaded until we fell and sold out by a few rulers.Changed our laws which were much more advanced than their own - where women could hold land in wales, English couldn't in their country.

never mind how many Welsh people died and shed blood under the Jack in recent times, and history ( per ratio to population of our countries the Welsh have more people in the Britsh army today than the others) in how many wars fighting for king and country, and queen and country today - and we are not bleeding on that Jack.

Because in those days Welsh were "nobodies" to the English, which in turn the majority of ruling settlers here in Aus were English , jeeze ever hear of the Welsh not in Britain recent history - 1800's - perhaps you'd like to read Welsh history ( a good book to get your started is History of Wales by John Davies, or Hanes Cymru the orignal book in Welsh) and what "they" tried to do to the Welsh


Tried to wipe out all our culture our language which is one of the oldest in Europe - don't get me started lol . My grandfather who was born in the very early 1900's was still getting caned for using the language in school ( and that is after the Welsh Not in schools in the 1800's)

Because of arrogance basically. Funny really when it was Welsh man who formed the states here in Aus .

I sing no anthem except my own land's and fly no others flag - I don't need to .

Original question - because a lot of people in the UK can't think past their Tv sets, soaps and stupid so called reality shows, and are looking for something that is propably on their own doorsteps if they only just looked and did something about living in their built up cities, or terraced home in the UK etc etc - ie the grass is greener syndrome (instead of working out what they really want, and finding it in another part of England etc or other countries inthe UK away from their built up cities they live in etc etc - it's amazing how many people go home after only a few months, or just a few years here) Also too lazy to learn a new language or culture, so sun and an English speaking country is what - Aus fits the bill

P.s - Some "white" Australians ( and they have a nerve ,most White today, minus the Greeks French etc , their ancestors come from England - and not Ireland like most Aussies try and claim, hell of alot of Aussies like to try and claim that one , then you find out their parents are English etc - they may as well just take the mick out of themselves, or parents, or G grandparents)

The same people take the mick out of the English, do not tend to take the mick out of Irish, Scottish or Welsh. Never had a prob here myself being Welsh person. Many English here do get taken the mick out of in Work etc - in a joking manner only!!! Just the ususal "Pommie C*" etc. I don't believe for one second English people here get racial abuse, and Aussies hate them - I've never seen it, and none of My English friends have trouble here, and none of my Aussiie mates "hate" the English. It is a just they do get the odd ribbing/joking - easy targets sometimes.

Rant over

Flying Banana

The two major differences between Canada and Australia as far as emigration goes are climate and the fact that relatively speaking immigration to Australia is a lot easier than Canada. Not having Mad George just over the border is a definite plus point!!!

Aussies don't hate Poms in my experience. There is a stereotype Brit as much as there is a stereotype Aussie, these people do exist but not everyone from England is arrogant and insular the same as not every Aussie is a beer swilling redneck. The Aussies are very good at poking fun at you if you display any sterotypical Pommie traits but take it in good humour and give as good as you get. You'll soon find yourself being accepted.

Look at it the other way, if you were in London and say had an Aussie immigrant working with you who slagged off England, the climate, the overcrowding, the traffic, the trains, how would you react, it's your home and someone who is new is slagging it off, of course you'd be defensive.

I have as many Aussie friends as English friends and will say that the Aussies were a damn site better at keeping in touch and being proper friends when I was in the UK than my English friends are now I'm downunder. I'm sure that will all change once they want some free holiday accomodation though

This is something I find unfathomable, anyone who packs their whole life up and emigrates half way round the world to somewhere they have never visited or in many cases even done the most basic of research deserves everything they get. Just because Australia is an English speaking country and 200 years ago some idiot made the mistake of sending criminals to somewhere warm and sunny whilst staying in the tiny swamp island 'oop north doesn't mean it is England.

Surely if you want to move abroad the aim is not to move England 125000 miles but to live in and fit in with a new culture. There are inevitably things you will miss from 'home' but it will pass with time if you let it. As with any new adventure the rewards you get are as a result of the effort you put in. Go with the view that life will be different and you will make the most of it and you can't go far wrong wherever you move to.

As for those who find it a surprise that Australia is a huge sparsely populated country, where the population enjoy doing things outdoors in their free time instead of sat in a traffic jam on the way to the DIY store or garden centre with several thousand other Lemmings every weekend, wake up, it's not secret information that you only find out when you get here, read books, look on the net, speak to others who have been there, even *shock horror* visit the place before you give up your life back home and move half way round the globe.

Nowhere is utopia but it can be a case of 'the grass is always greener'. Emigrating works for some people and not for others. People have different reasons for doing it and no two people will be the same when they actually move thousands of miles from their familiar surroundings.

I have a lot more respect for those who do it and admit it's not for them and go back than those that stay wherever they have moved to and just complain it's not like England or how crap their new home is.

From a personal point of view I emigrated because I was sick of living in an overcrowded, expensive country, gradually being swallowed up by the faceless non entity that is Brussels, being constantly lied to by politicians who are concerned more with getting elected than doing anything productive, afraid to walk down the street late at night on my own in case I got my head kicked in by some drugged/pissed football yob whose team had just lost.

Comparing my friends' lifestyles in UK and Aus the Aussie way of life was more appealing to me. I feel happier and safer here, I find people friendly and likeable, I think the country is beautiful (just as the UK is but in a totally different way), I enjoy being able to make the most of the outdoors. I know that there are places here where I wouldn't want to wander alone at night, politicians here are really no different to any other Western country and not everyone here has a 10 bedroom mansion with a pool overlooking Sydney Opera House.

It's not utopia at all, people here work hard for a lot less money than the UK, taxes are higher, everyday life doesn't involve sitting on the beach sipping a beer saying 'she'll be right mate' but for me personally it is a million miles better than the life I had in the UK. I for one will be proud to get an Aussie passport once I am eligible for citizenship and am only planning on keeping a Pommie one so I don't need a visa on the rare occasion I might go on holiday somewhere in Europe.

I'll put my soap box away now lol and await the hail of rotten fruit must be time for another tinnie

Shellfish

Why is that? I have seen a few people who have haven't had the point to get into Aus and so decide to try for Canada.

Flying Banana

I was under the impression that the Canadian points system was harder to get through than for Aus, I know several people from the UK who couldn't get into Canada without a job to go to and sponsorship from an employer but got visas for Aus with no problems at all.

Obviously it's horses for courses and will depend on many factors such as what you do for a living.