Originally Posted by Steve1903

Hi,

new here and dont mean to butt in to an ongoing argument but just had an answer to one of the posts.
Am on here reading various posts primarily coz i want to get out of Britain - desperately!.
Anyhow, one post asked "if all these people want to leave Britain why dont they just go then?".
Well I'm one of those folks and the reason am not gone yet is that I dont really qualify for a visa to work elsewhere and I suspect many many are in the same boat as myself. Dont really know why many jumped down Dave's throat for expressing his opinion but i really do know how he feels.
I agree with all points he made. I HATE being here now. If only I could get a visa, although I am sorely tempted just to get on a plane with a tourist visa and work as an illegal. ANYTHING to get out of here.

Why? Well its mostly been covered before and I am aware that the politics of other countries will probably do my head in just as much but at least the newness (is that a word?) of it all may take some time to overwhelm my mood to the extent that everything here currently does. I think the best way to portray my thoughts is to say that when I see a newspaper the only headline I want to see is "MP Dies". Dont care about the party or sex or any of it, just knowing that one of the scum has got what he/she deserves brightens my day no end.
I want to live somewhere that for example, if someone stabs me with a knife and i punch him before he runs away that when the police come they will look for that person rather than handcuff me to an ambulance and charge me with assault. For thats the way it is here now.
I despise the Labour lot we have just now but know that the next ones up will be Little Lord Fauntleroy (Cameron) and his corrupt gang. I have the feeling I will despise them even more and I've had enough.
Everything here is shit. From house prices, petrol prices, NHS rundown, corrupt politicians, corrupt lazy police, political correctness on a crazy scale, schools and hospitals starting to be privatised, neds running riot and nobody doing eff all about it, and..........oh I cant be arsed. You get the point.


Oh back to the point. Yes, people here are not all leaving coz we dont all qualify. Simple as that.

Originally Posted by auntie_wolf

I have been following this thread, and I am feeling just brave enough (but still nervous) to throw in my two cents.

Originally Posted by markallwood

Hi Auntie wolf, don't feel nervous to put your opinions across !

I enjoyed reading your post. It made me appreciate that no matter where you are from, or where you are headed, every country has its own set of issues. No place is perfect.

It would be fair to say though, that some countries are "better" than others in that they offer more opportunities for people to increase their quality of life (whatever that means). Countries like the UK, Aus, USA and Canada are in this group. Many millions of people all over the world would give an arm and a leg to live in one of these countries.

I completely agree that the USA is a great place to live, if you are well off...and I think that the healthcare system in the states really needs thorough reform. Though this would be such an enormous task, with so many opponents, I am not sure who would be able to pull it off.

cheers
Mark

Originally Posted by Sugarmooma

Most of what you want to run away from sounds pretty much what happens the world over. If by any chance you find Utopia let us know....

Originally Posted by auntie_wolf

Thanks for the reassurance Mark. I have been sitting on pins and needles. Sort of a bit like waiting for the other shoe to drop. lol

Anway, I completely agree! I know many immigrants who have gone to lengths I barely understand for their visa's.

But when comparing that select group of countries, the US has some deadly serious problems. Aus maybe boring with loads of red tape, and Canada maybe cold, with narrow minded people...but the US has citizens dying from preventable illnesses. And a gov't that is sending our young off to die in large numbers, and is currently looking for new places to invade so their companies can make even more money. For the mid, low-mid, working class and poor, Americaa can be hard and scary.

I don't mean to say that Aus's are boring or Canadians narrow minded, those are just commom complaints I have read.

Originally Posted by auntie_wolf

Maybe I can work out a swap with him!

Originally Posted by auntie_wolf

Hi Nu-Shooz! Thanks for your reply. So far, my first dialogue on BE is going pretty well!

From where I am sitting, I do think you are lucky in the UK. I hope to join you all sooner, rather than later!

I don't mean to make the US seem worse than it is. Like I said, there are things here I love, and most likely some I take for granted.

But real life here is a lot different than the OP's short experience here, as an expat with a safety net at home.

I'm sure he is an all right guy, just with a different opinion. Maybe I can work out a swap with him!

Originally Posted by auntie_wolf

Doh! I knew that from reading your posts. Sorry, I forgot that for a moment in my excitement/relief of this historic (for me) moment.

I am actually posting in a heated thread, and so far, have not been called a twit!

I am always rooting for house sales for those of you who need them to get home! Someone had suggested trading with those who need house sales in the Aus forum. Not a bad idea, perhaps!

Originally Posted by auntie_wolf

Thanks for the reassurance Mark. I have been sitting on pins and needles. Sort of a bit like waiting for the other shoe to drop. lol

Anway, I completely agree! I know many immigrants who have gone to lengths I barely understand for their visa's.

But when comparing that select group of countries, the US has some deadly serious problems. Aus maybe boring with loads of red tape, and Canada maybe cold, with narrow minded people...but the US has citizens dying from preventable illnesses. And a gov't that is sending our young off to die in large numbers, and is currently looking for new places to invade so their companies can make even more money. For the mid, low-mid, working class and poor, Americaa can be hard and scary.

I don't mean to say that Aus's are boring or Canadians narrow minded, those are just commom complaints I have read.

Originally Posted by NJ_Dave

On May 10th of last year, I touched down at Heathrow having spent the past two years living in the USA. Although I left New Jersey a little prematurely (as far as I'm concerned) for personal reasons (yes, that means you -whore!) I guess it's time to reflect on the past year an talk about what I've learnt from my experiences. So let's start off with the classic British moan: the weather. When I left Newark airport last year, the weather was sunny and pushing into the 80's in terms of temperature. I came back to the UK to experience one of the coldest and wettest summers on record. So that's 1-0 USA so far! Another thing that struck me was the expense of everything here as opposed to America. Whether it be TV subscriptions, internet access or even basic consumer goods (televsions, etc.) the UK is a very expensive place to live. When I left the UK a pint of lager in my local was £2.35 and now it's £2.70. However the minimum wage doens't seem to have increased all that much. Don't even get me started on fuel prices here. It's embarrassing to even suggest a comparison to fuel prices in the USA. Even for New Jersey, which has some of the highest fuel prices in the USA, it still looks cheap in comparison the the UK. Sad things is that a lot of the cost of petrol in the UK is tax. Which is another thing: what's going on with taxes in the UK? Well the newspapers published several MP's expense claims, so I guess we know now. Crime in the UK: at least in the USA there were no go areas, and you knew not to go there. But in the UK, the gangs of feral chavs seem to be everywhere causing bother. And the police don't seem to bother doing anything about them, as they're too busy picking on motorists and people who overfill their wheelie bins! Knife crime seems to be the big thing in the news at the moment (and yes, I mean the news in general. Not just the usual scaremongering newspapers). Why do so many people carry knives these days, I though this was a civilised country. But when so many people are going out 'tooled up' we look more like some tin-pot banana republic. Then there is the welfare dependancy. Note, I'm not getting at everyone on benefits. The great thing about the UK is that it offers a safety net to those who are down on their luck. But the system was never designed as a long term means of support for people. So it makes me mad as fook when I have to work my arse off to pay for people who have never worked and have no intention of working, to sit around smoking and popping out more little chav babies (who, inevitably I'll end up paying for). But one good thing about the UK is the cost of education. I'm paying a little over £3000 a year to go to law school here, whereas if I was still in the USA I dare not even hazard a guess at what it would cost me. Another plus for the UK is the countryside. Not much of that in the Tristate Area, lol. But on the flip side you can hardly compare Newcastle and Durham to New York City in terms of sights and things to do (although they are still a good night on the piss!). So in conclusion, if you're ever lucky enough to get out of the UK: don't come back. Your initial issues with the place will not only still be there, but they will seem a whole lot worse having been away for a while. And that is why I waited a year to reflect properly in regards to my return. No knee-jerk reactions, just expereinces from a re-adjusted former ex-pat.............

Originally Posted by ezzie

I do sympathise, and I don't think any of us are blind to the problems of the UK as it now is....it's just so damn boring out here! I think some of the visa requirements have changed recently, have you looked into South Australia or Perth, or even N.Z, I believe they're being pretty lenient with restrictions in order to get people over. Maybe try somewhere different to Glasgow...my hubby was there for a year and much as he loves the Scots, he said it was just too gloomy. Friends of ours in a reasonably nice area of Glasgow have just moved because of all the 'yoof' coming back drunk past their house, vomiting in the garden, damaging the cars etc. The police didn't do anything, I must admit that over here I feel they would at least try. Can't remember where they were at the moment, I just remember a huge park and a shop that sold 'the best icecream in Glasgow'!

Originally Posted by oldbag

I think the main reason for "jumping down Dave's throat" was because he was so rude.

However, that aside, Britain doesn't have the monopoly on stupidity and corruption. I know someone who was charged with assault for defending himself.....illogical and totally bewildering, but it happened here in Canada. We also suffer from high house prices, high gas prices, food costs, high bank charges, interest rates, property taxes, corrupt politicians, greedy politicians who couldn't give a damn about anything or anyone but themselves.....in fact all the things you list do happen here, and don't fool yourself into thinking you will escape the craziness by escaping from the UK.

Originally Posted by crystal23

Hmmmm I wonder what the reaction would have been if this was about Australia and was posted in the Barbie

Originally Posted by auntie_wolf

I have been following this thread, and I am feeling just brave enough (but still nervous) to throw in my two cents. I look at this from a different perspective. I am at the very beginnings of trying to immigrate to the UK. I am an American, born and bred, and as the OP is referring to his life in America, I decided to chime in............
(OK, now I am going just hit submit and hope for the best!)

Originally Posted by auntie_wolf

Well, like I said I am just beginning the process. Right now, I am actually looking at an ancestry tie I have to the Uk to see if it gets me anywhere as far as immigration. My paternal grandfather was from England. I'm not sure if that will benefit me yet.

I would like to perhaps land in Manchester, and possibly head to the University of Manchester. They have a degree in theology/anthropology that is quite hard for me to resist. Actually, I am not that "religious" but I do love to study the different God options out there!

The areas outside the major cities appeal to me, as well. Villages, if I'm not mistaken. But I might need to ease into that, after having spent all my life in Chicago.

Really, there are a lot of different areas I would love to live in, in my day dreams. Scotland, Wales...but I have to actually check them out before I move.