[quote=manc1;5737022] Last time I went, was 2.5 years ago, I did manage to talk to some people, most notably where I was from, whilst in queues along the dockland line in London, there again I couldn't contain my amazement at Canary wharf etc, which didn't exist when I left. Found it very insular in Nth Wales (Rhyl and Prestatyn) and Warrington. Milton Keynes was a bit iffy as well, Crawley seemed a bit hectic for people to take the time.

Another I fully intend post....... I'm sure you fully intend to integrate well done you.

How many of those 'millions' who have moved here have you heard talk? While i'm sure there are some that will struggle to learn the language I'm sure many will try to learn English, Mr Cappelo being one.

Do you know, I was only sat here last night worrying about all these foreign types coming over here with their foreign food swamping our shopping aisles and then thinking, christ if this carries on the UK will cease to exist.

Welcome aboard, look forward to more of your posts which should help raise a smile.

I've been itching to comment on the whole thing, kept holding myself back, but i just caaaan't

the reason why I usually get started when the word "immigrant" comes up is because I have family who had to become illegal immigrants following a coup in their home country. it took some years before they became legal. if you consider that illegal immigrants are those who have been denied asylum but know that return would mean jail or worse (simply for being of the 'wrong' ethnicity or perceived to have the 'wrong' political opinion), i really really donot understand why there is such little empathy. why not just be happy that you were lucky to be born in a relatively safe country? as for polish people: good on them, they work hard and most people i met are superfriendly and try to learn english. for asians: they are part of the commonwealth and it were the brits who came round to their country in the first place (and i doubt they made a massive effort learning other languages), some exchange is just fair play i think.
with this, i donot mean to shout you down, just try to explain why at least in my case all these rants about immigrants bring up really negative feelings.

thank you! that would have been the next part of my own rant.
seeing how cosmopolitan and international australia is, got me started thinking about emigrating there in the first place. i have heard how racist australians can be etc, but will assume that that's a generalisation which will apply to most countries. i am looking forward to move somewhere culturally mixed.
and non-spanish speaking english workers in european countries do get to me big time when they start mentioning that they moved to spain/france/portugal "because of all those immigrants in the UK" ( i was unlucky enough to get into conversations with some during my last 4 holidays. they always seem to work in scuba diving shops. ok and i expect to get shouted at for that generalisation now...).

i too think that buzzy is right. we started our research phase having the negatives in the UK (racism, little freetime opportunities for kids) in mind, but it slowly changed and now we're concentrating not on what is better in oz (in a rose-tinted glasses way) but which aspects of our life do we think we are more able to change once we move. your outlook might change whilst you're researching, dont be put off by harsh sounding comments. i often get unfriendly replies, it puzzled me in the beginning, but just imagine that the person is saying that with a half smile and doesn't actually mean it that unfriendly. i often have to rewrite to take the edge out of my replies.
all the best anyway! mel

Nice post ianandmel

The grass is always greener where you are not! Pros and cons to both places so perhaps you could visit Oz to help make up your mind.You would of course be an immigrant here and there are certainly many other immigrants who`ve been here years and do not speak English. Crime is similar in both places.We`ve been in our new suburban house 8 weeks and already had an attempted break in.Then yesterday , a man strangled his 14 yo daughter and killed himself at the end of our road.Sadly this is all part of the world we live in.
It`s a massive decision and you need to be sure................Tough decisions ahead.Happy thinking!

I was done for jay walking at Venice Beach,California a few years ago. I thought the police officer was joking , until I was informed I must turn up at local police station with my passport. Ironically, as he was telling me off he had his back to a couple of guys beating up another man!

I've said it before and I'll say it again - there's no right or wrong reason for emigrating - it's just whatever works for you.

Check this out. It was my first ever blog post (well, my first blog on *this* site anyway) and it summed up the way I'd come to feel about England.

Looking back on that post two years down the line ... I don't regret a single word of it. Was all of England that like - of course not - but most of the important bits that made up my day-to-day life were. I didn't commute along a canal to work in a stately home manually weighing women's breasts. Of course over here I don't have an office overlooking the Sydney Opera House and arrive at work by Sunseeker Portofino 53 manually weighing women's breasts either - but the day-to-day stuff, the grind, for me it's vastly better here.

I wouldn't say I emigrated because I hated England, but I certainly didn't move to Australia just for the pull of this place. I tried living elsewhere in England and it didn't work out - the grind was the same. The grind here is different - partly because I made it that way and partly because Australia enabled me to. You've got to meet the place half way.

I'd go with Buzzy and Hutch.

For me, there was a *big* pull over here, and a little push from the UK - namely housing stock and overcrowding and a wish for a change of tempo.

Some people do come over to get a ''better'' life - but also some of the ones who do nothing but moan or are ill-equipped can expect to get out of their depth.

There was a woman on this site about 3 years ago who was out of her depth big time yet noone had the guts to say it - she displayed all the characteristics of a migrant who should never have bothered. Her identity will remain a secret....()

Define ill-equipped in the context of emigrating to Australia.

This woman...your missus?

Thanks for that, always pleased to amuse

But I really think your the one out of touch, not me. Try this from the bbc for the current opinion on this.

http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thre...410&#paginator

Personally I don't give a toss how many foreigners come to the UK so long as they can speak English and don't go round in a world cocooned by translators paid for by British tax payers.

You certainly wouldn't get that in France, Germany or Spain.

i have not followed the previous argument between the two of you, but as for Germany:
i was listening to the radio in germany (where i spent christmas) a couple of days before christmas eve and was astonished to hear about an initiative which was running alongside some kind of german version of "help a local child" which focussed on how to reach out to and help illegal immigrants (exact german translation used there) to celebrate christmas with some dignity.
now that is something you would not find over here.

have to mention though that hamburg is always priding itself for its diversity, cannot speak for other cities.

[QUOTE=cavacharva;5738738]Thanks for that, always pleased to amuse

But I really think your the one out of touch, not me. Try this from the bbc for the current opinion on this.

http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thre...410&#paginator

Personally I don't give a toss how many foreigners come to the UK so long as they can speak English and don't go round in a world cocooned by translators paid for by British tax payers.

You certainly wouldn't get that in France, Germany or S






thanks for the link, out of touch I don't think I am more the type to make my own mind up. Its a quiet news day here in the UK (I used to work In the media) and the BBC asking for peoples opinions suggest that.

No link to a forum will alter my stance. I want to move to oz cos I love it not get away but have a new adventure in what is in fact an irrelevant short time on this planet.

If Germany can afford to do that. Good for them, very commendable. With people being refused life saving cancer drugs on the NHS I'd say we are not quite there yet in this country.

The argument Im putting is would you expect immigrants to the UK to learn English themselves at their own cost or have it provided by the tax payer?

Would you expect a German-English translator in a German hospital? Would you expect a translator for your court appearance or quit smoking session all paid for by the German tax payer?

Have we got our priorities right in this country? I dont think we do.

[QUOTE=ozzieeagle;5737258]
Have you heard the old saying they use in England. The further north you go the friendlier the people.

Personally I think you do give toss about how many legal/illegal migrants are moving to UK, otherwise you wouldnt mention it, & look for website to tell us about it.
You would get it in Germany, I use to live in Germany 14 years ago, & they had organization which use to help immigrants of non speaking Germans countries, I use to work for them on voluntary basis, they use to get them translators, then they use to help them to learn the langauge.
You seem to hate legal/illegal migrant in UK so much, why not go & get job with those organizations who works with some of these illegal migrant, & find out for yourself why they had to leave their country in the first place than you might just have a little more sympathy towards them.
Just remember when you come here, you are just as equal to all Aisan/African/Chinese & loads other nationality, because you are migrating like them, & would get treated the same.
I love Australia.