why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

OK! i just wanted to vent some frustration.
Everyday we hear stories of people landing and getting no end of hand outs.(the same in Britain i may add)
I read stories here everyday of the struggles we face. I know the saying "what don't kill you will make you stronger! Well i must be one of a million strong people in this country.

I love Canada and all it has to offer. But i struggle on a daily basis with having to put up with crap wages and poor equality until i officially receive the PR status.

Can somebody please explain to me why this is so?

I am doing a job that a canadian would struggle to do.(emotionally and financially) Yet i am to be treated as a second class Citizen. Is this fair? NO WAY!
I plan to make a huge wave when i finally leave my job. I am sick of people thinking they can abuse and use us for cheap labour.
Most of us in this forum come with extremly good qualifications and yet we are unable to truly put them to use.
I read everything from:

not being able to buy a home!
not being able to get finance!
not being able to get recognition!
not being able to have loved ones join in your new life for long periods of time!


what's your story?
do they truly end with happiness?

Sorry guys but i needed to vent this as i will explode!
Babyblue :confused:
(one women sits alone abiding her time. )

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

Mmm, I'm British and things aren't that difficult now at all. I realise that it maybe for some and it depends on your financial circumstances, but I know many Brit ex-pats here and life is not difficult for them financially.

Perhaps the cost of living is higher in Ontario I'm not sure, but we decided (after many visits) it wasn't for us anyway.

My wife (a Canadian) set up her own consultancy and works when she wants to (i.e. not the summer when the rugrats are off school) and writes off all-sorts against tax (legally). I invested in myself and updated my skills (that was hard going) and walked into a well-paid job with no hint of any in-equality.

We are very happy.

There you go, but you did ask :)

I hope that you find happiness here too.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

[QUOTE=CalgaryBlade]Mmm, I'm British and things aren't that difficult now at all.

There you go, but you did ask :)

That is great news. I am truly pleased for you and your wife.
I did not have the money to come here with but i do have skills. it is a matter of time before i will be able to use them.
I wish you the best of luck.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

I would suggest that the main reason that Brits have a hard time is simply attitude which includes

1) A superior or condescending attitude.

2) Always referring or making comparisons to the way things are done "Back home" when given an opportunity to do so.

3) Perpetuating the class system.

4) Not adapting to a new vocabulary.

5) Whining and complaining about trivia. If you can't get certain things then fuggetaboutit and move on.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

Flashman,

You speak total sense and I couldn't agree more.
As they say "when in Rome...."

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

Here here. Wisest words I have seen in ages postde by Flashman, short and simple words for an emigrant to adhere to.

Some people think they can take their life and dump it down 3-6000 miles away, sit down at tea to HP brown sauce, fish and chips, pint of Worthington, Cadbury chocolate and whatever. Reinvent 'In-gur-land' in their isolated little coccoon of British-ness :confused:

I would add the key words "adapt or die". :D perhaps a little dramatic but true.

Rich. :zzz:

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

I'm glad you left out Marmite. That's a special case. :D

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

Has the gist of your post been missed by others or am I the one out to lunch? (wouldn't be the first time) :)

Imo, could a lot of the difficulties you're experiencing be not because you're British but maybe because of the specifics of your visa? Admittedly, I don't know a lot about the specifics of your situation and visa but I've read a bit about the problems foreign domestic workers have in Canada and they express similar problems and they're from all over the globe. Quite often they are referred to as Canada's indentured servants – and by saying that I mean absolutely no disrespect towards you. I think the situation is awful (to put it mildly).

How much longer do you have until you get PR?

I don't know if this helps but I find just having a future goal to focus on helpful. It helps me not focus on the nitty-gritties of daily life more than necessary. I plan to stay in the UK at least until I get citizenship (assuming I'll get it) and that helps me deal with a lot of the difficult moments I have while I'm here.

Also, I highly recommend punching bags. :D I've a kick-boxing friend in BC who taught me how to punch. He cranks up the Megadeth (or whatever it is) and lets me loose in his home gym. Very therapeutic.

Down let them grind you down.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

Urk, my words weren't directed at BB :eek: I just followed the off-topic direction of trying to solve the riddle of the general malaise which seems to be spreading.

Rich.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

Babyblue it's not you, it's not Canada, it's your employers. Self centered and egositic with really important careers that need to spotlighted as they have a sick child at home. Unfortunately the truth isn't going to come out because your to good at caring.

Did you get any help from the people in the support groups?

How's your sons soccer coming along?


[(one women sits alone abiding her time. )[/QUOTE]

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

Nah... the usual crew who want to perpetuate the myth that all is good in Canada, and that any problems are always the fault of the individual.
I think they have issues accepting that in Canada everything is not perfect, I sometimes wonder what they’re trying to hide……

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

it's that time of day, along comes smiler.......

People make their own beds, they choose what they lie in, nobody else (generally speaking, PR is a self motivated route, not forced).

If the mattress is a bit stinky, change it. If the bedding is tatty, get new. If you got fleas in it, spray.

But don't forget, people make the effin bed thing themselves !

Rich.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

TM Sarah Farrand :D

I've not had very many problems since I came over here, and I'm not a PR (yet!)

My only issue would be that it takes me about three times as long to get something done as it would a Canadian citizen. But now I just accept that that is the way it is for now, and it's not a problem.

Sure, life is not always easy, I still have to balance the paycheck and there aren't enough vacation days in the year. But all in all, life is good, and infinitly better than it was for me in the UK. :)

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

A classic example of a critical put down. No one is saying that Canada is perfect just that some of the so called imperfections are based on the the approach and attitude of the individual. Those who are determined to look for the negatives are sure to find thenm.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

How does this differentiate people from the UK from immigrants of other backgrounds ?

1. Depends on the person. Certainly not uniquely British.

2."In my country...." is a phrase commonly used by Koreans, they're comparing the climate, the economy, the quality of socks, to that "at home", it's human nature to do so.

3. Canada has a class system and the upper class even have a hagiographer, Peter C Newman; we are not going to be in his books. We're outside the system and may not care about it but ask anyone who went to Queen's if all Canadians are of equal social stature.

4. This is a trivial matter, very many immigrants, and locally born Canadians, don't speak the language at all.

5. The things Brits whine about are not trivial, Marmite matters, and not different from the worries people of other nations, the Swiss have a club for the provision of Tartex and Vache Qui Rit.

I would think the major reasons for immigrants having a hard time are :

- clash between expectations and reality

- not enough money.

My feeling is that babyblue is an exploited immigrant. There's no end of those, they come from all over the world.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

How is expressing an opinion a critical put down? From what I can gather, you do seem to think Canada is perfect and that the only reason immigrants dont' get on here is because of their superior/negative attitude. People don't leave good jobs, families and friends for the sake of it. Most immigrants try their best to make it work here and often thier attitude is so positive, the rose coloured specs are on! Unfortunately many struggle due to understandable culture shock and lack of job opportunities.

Immigrating 30 years ago may have been easier as there were far more jobs for a start, but most people immigrating from the UK to Canada these days have a tough job having their qualifications and recognised because they were not gained in Canada. The only superior attitudes I have come across have been from Canadians who appear to be ignorant. Unfortunately for Babyblue, she is having to put up with these types of people on a daily basis, but hopefully she will be able to move on from this situation in time.

In saying that, I have met some great Canadian friends and the difference in vocalulary/accents is something we laugh about as we all learn a little bit about our different cultures.

Chris

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

Nice analogy, having said that you now know I’m going to pull it to pieces…

Maybe you forgot some simple but blindly obvious factors… yes people make their own beds…I agree.. and that they often make them as good as they can afford…
They choose as best they can what they lie in… and in many cases other people do have some influence over the situation
How do you make a nice bed if all you have is damps straw… how do you eradicate the fleas if you have no access to the flea spray….?

Yep…. the Idea of changing the mattress if it’s a bit stinky is a good one…if you can afford to change it…shame if you can’t… like getting new bedding…. its clear that you speak form a position that doesn’t see cost as a factor in these decisions..

Yes I accept that nobody is forced to emigrate.. but you have to accept that some are mislead, some misinformed… and some just don’t do enough homework…

The end result is some people do have a shitty time ….

You clearly come form a point of view that fails to see that some key factors can make success much harder for some people than others…

But then…. you haven’t landed yet either……

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

How about the expectation and reality clash is simply because of unrealistic expectations.

and poor attitude discourages employers.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

could I add to that by saying ......those expecations being 'unrealistic' because of myths perpetuated by many on here….. Insinuating that failure is only down to the attitude and demeanour of the individual and with the right approach and attitude all will be alright…..

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

But that's exactly the point. Do your homework, expect that you are coming to live in a foreign country. Don't have unrealistic expecations....

Right Attitude, approach, expections, all things that will lead to a successful move. Read the horror stories, make sure that you do everything you can. If I was a MD, I wouldn't come here expecting that I wouldn't have to do retraining for example...

I took a 25% pay cut when I started my job here because of the "Canadian Experience" issue. I expected to have to do that, and it's never been a problem.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

The right and approach and attitude will not guarantee success however it will go a long way towards it.

Emigrating to any country will be challenging, unless one wishes to go to Thailand and lay on a beach for the rest of ones' life :)

Many of the issues that immigrants have with Canada, woud probably be issues that immigrants would have with the UK, Australia or the US.

The fact is that generally, well paid jobs are not easy to come by in any Western economy. You only have to look at some of the other fora on this site to see that Oz and the US are not a "shoe in" job wise either. And in the UK it might be about to get a whole lot worse.

e.g The UK is a credit-fulled bubble economy and by monitoring BBC news etc it appears that the so-called "boom" may now be turning to "bust". But even in the "boom" they are many people in the UK with low paying jobs, not all of them immigrants.

In the UK inflation and unemployment is rising. It's likely the BoE will raise have to raise interest rates soon to curb inflation. If and when that happens many people will be unable to service their debt leading to a large recession.

That said, in preparing to relocate to any country the right approach is key to success. A huge amount of research and planning should be done to make sure that the move is likely to be the right one.

We planned our move "off and on" for almost 10 years, originally starting to look in 1994. Over the years, we saved, invested, changed GBP to CAD when the rate went above $2.40. This, along with timing to purchase of properties in the UK to take advantage of the cyclical market allowed us to be financially secure when we arrived here.

Since arriving I believe our positive attitude (re-training, extensive networking) has helped enormously in securing the flexible employment that we now have.

I have no view that Canada is a perfect place to live, but I believe the positives far outweigh the negatives and I believe our children will have a far more relaxed, healthy and enjoyable childhood by being here.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

Glass half empty today is it? eh?

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

All the things that you say below under "not" are all things people should think about BEFORE they emigrate, not once there.
Why move if you dont think you'll get a job, or have enough money to buy a home. Millions of people all over Europe do not buy until their 40's choosing to rent , and worry about mortgages once they are settled in life and occupation.
As for not being able to have loved ones join you for long periods. Tough! it is not they who emigrated, they do not get automatic right to move because you did. Life is a learning curve, you learn from mistakes, and you have to be prepared not to be handed everything on a plate.
Some Immigrants come to England and have exactly the same problem. They end up taking the jobs we dont want to do.

The immigrants that do get it on a plate here, are those that do not spend months filling in forms, and two years of their life patiently waiting for news on applications. They come here for hand outs we give left right and centre, every country has them , but I think England excels.

We must think Canada has something better than England or we would not leave in thousands. No amount of stories on this forum put people off. If they are put off they will at least have time to question their decision.
Many of us are in a priviledged position of owning houses in Uk then selling to live overseas mortgage free. This takes property away from "locals" and forces house prices up for them too. We have done this all over Europe USA and Canada.

We also apply as a skilled worker, but have no intention of doing that job once arrived, so again people take jobs from locals who could also do the job.
Then there are the usual immigrants from Asia that people like to run down. Why? they often put a hell of a lot more into a country than people give credit for. As in the Uk I expect there are many that dont, but you must not judge everyone the same.

I am sure many people just have too many things they "miss" and are not prepared to settle for any alternative. If this is the case they are free to leave and return to Uk. Unlike some countries, England does not torture people who leave and return.

My only comment to anyone is if you dont have a reasonable amount of money, to fall back on for two years, then wait until you do, What CHC require as minimum funds is nothing compared to other countries requirements, and not enough to get established on. Life would be pretty miserable living on that without a job.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

I can see you have been having a tough time for a while know BB, I guess your'e on a work visa and stuck until PR. I went the same route but the job/money was great so not quite the same situation. The biggest cause of your woes will be the visa only counts for the job you're doing so you can't change and the other is that your SIN starts with a 9 - this is the cause of the financial problems. I haven't personally had or seen any brits have a hard time here - hang on for PR and then hopefully you'll join the happy bunch on this forum.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

No one said that a good life in Canada is handed to you on a platter, You have to work at it. So don't expect to walk into the ideal job on arrival. They are not myths but based on practical experience such as

1) Staying flexible in both jobs and locations

2) Being entrepreneurial and creative even while working for a company.

3) Look for, or create, opportunities.

4) Network and maintain a wide range of contacts.

5) Be prepared for 2 or 3 career changes during your working life.

6) Consider starting your own business

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

This is why I have been fixated with costs for 18 months since we applied. I have taken the view that I will be lucky to get work or be emloyed for at least two years. Privatley if I can make anything in the first 12 months I will be delighted. Hence I will need to be in a position to have no mortgage, no car loans, no credit card bills. Just enough to pay for food, utilities, petrol, and office space. If I looked at being 44 and having no prospects of either being financially viable for 2 years, or have a secure job I would not even consider it - irrespective of how good it 'might' be at the end of the rainbow.

Why....because we have children who are our first consideration.

At the end of 2 years I would expect perhaps if it all went tits up to be 50 grand down and returning to the UK to a different location.

Incentive to us is...

We don't like where we live.

We don't like the rut we have fallen into money wise. We are doing well but it just the money that drives us.

We don't see the UK being as good as Canada for a decade. Economies go in fits and starts. The UK is going into a fit. Just a period perhaps?

We like new challenges

We like meeting new people.

(Would you believe that our narrow minded friend have all but deserted us and we have not even been called for MEDICALS!! Yes that blooddy word medicals.

(This is just getting it off my chest time. Good for you Gooding, still pleased for you)

P

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

Nah.... working in a brewery I can assure you my glass is only ever half empty for a very short matter of time.... :beer:


I'm one of the lucky ones that walked in to a very well paying job and do happen to have the good life....

I just get a little riled when people try to place blame other peoples misfortunes on attitude..

As I’m sure that almost all of us start out with a great attitude… the real question many on here are forgetting is.. how long can you hold on to that positive attitude in the face of adversity… and I’m sure until we walk that path.. we’ll never know…

That is why I said what I said….

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

So what happened to yours then ? Whole stole your popcorn at the movie, stuffed your hoody over your head, and beat your sorry ass. :(

Rich

Confirmed "annoying wannabe"....Yes
Unlanded PR.....Yes.
Bothered by your comments......Not in the slightest.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

I cannot agree more with MikeUK, and sad to say that posts blaming "individual attitude" as the main problem REALLY piss off frustrated people who come here just as babyblue says: ...to vent some frustration.
I was in a similar situation before finding my current job, and were attacked by the same people.

She's just trying ...to vent some frustration. Put yourselves in the same position for ONE moment, for god's sake!

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

It doesn't follow that because expectations and reality clash the expectations are wrong. Bogart went to Casablanca for the waters, he was misinformed but that could happen to anyone. We arrived in Toronto expecting people to speak French, essentially we expected Montreal, because the only Canadians we'd ever heard of spoke French.

As regards the employers, someone who imports slave labour expects a poor attitude but is reconciled to it. babyblue can have whatever attitude she wants; her boss holds her papers.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

Surely a determination to go to Canada contradicts this. I moved to Canada because, in my trade at the time there was lots of money to be had and visas were easy to come by. Had either of this conditions not been true I would have gone somewhere else. Even now, although I live in Canada, I work most of the time in the US; because that's where the money is (revenue 60% US, 5% Canada, 35% rest of world). In a global economy it's not being flexible to limit one's self to one country.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

It really makes me sick reading a thread with title "why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?" on this forum. Sometimes it can look like it's really difficult, but let's have a look at immigrants from Asia, Africa or Latin America.
They have to learn English, unlike us British.
They don't have a chance to fly home 3 times a year, because simply Zoom or Canadian Affair do not fly to their country 3 times every week.
They can't claim their 7 years od driving experience to get discount on the auto insurance as new immigrants.
They are saving 10 years to get $10k to qualify for the Canadian immigration, just because average salary back home is 300 pounds a months.
Sometimes we have to see the "big picture" to realize how lucky we really are. Babyblue, if Canada is treating You bad, pack Your stuff and fly home, instead od pointless whining.
:mad:

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

babyblue is getting screwed because she's a domestic servant. I think it unlikely that the cost of insuring a car or the price of trips to the UK are much of an issue in her case; you don't have to be from the third world to be poor. Sometimes the best thing to do is to put up with it while you must and to wait for revenge.

It's a bit smug to assume the option to fly home, btw, it was five years before we had enough for the airfare; we had to stay.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

No, she is a special needs carer. Her employer thinks she is a domestic servant

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

Fair enough.

As someone who has joint custody of a special needs "child", I think you'd need some nerve to sign up as a live-in carer, especially in another country. The limit's of one's duties are likely to be vague and being exploited a real risk.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

What nonsense.
I have trawled around banks etc. even offering to work FREE etc.
if they'd give me the oportunity to demonstrate my skills and
credentials. How is that being superior etc?
The reason Brits have a hard time is the same reason everyone here has a hard time....
Canada has perpetuated a myth worldwide that it is some kind of nirvana,
a wonderful nation of oportunity, friendly people, beautiful countryside and maple syrup.
This has attracted swarms of highly skilled workers from around the world
who come here and discover it's all complete crap.
There are no jobs and the few that exist are being chased by thousands of other immigrants with PhD's, MA's, MBA's and God knows what else.

Britain on the other hand has a much larger economy, more jobs and fewer qualified people chasing them. Hence it's far easier for you and I to get a look in.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

Do you know much about Britain's so called economic miracle?

If I were you, I would spend less time posting spurious claims and do some research into the economy into which you are supposedly joining next April.

Here's a prognosis from a leading economist:

"The major "growth" areas have been the Public Sector payroll, Government white elephant IT contracts funded from taxes and so-called financial "services" busy getting the rest of the population into debt to fund the retail consumption of imports. Meanwhile real wealth creation is being transferred relentlessly to the East.

There is record private sector debt, rocketing Public Sector debt and an even larger public and private sector pensions liability. Total liabilities are in excess of GBP 3 trillion. Taxation is already way too high and wealth creation will now contract. Private sector jobs will reduce, tax revenue will fall short, Public Sector debt will continue to rise and eventually there will have to be a massive Public Sector shakeout with pensions, in all probability, not being fully honoured.

In the short term the Pound will come under pressure.

The BoE will not be able to lower interest rates to any significant extent. Unlike America, with the Dollar as a reserve currency and a low tax economy, or Japan (or even Europe to a certain extent) with retained productive expertise and capacity, Britain is structurally very weak, reliant on huge borrowing to enjoy the labours of others. The lowering of interest rates is a financial engineering device which, in itself, does not address the fundamental problem. Britain isn't doing anything very useful anymore, its debt will be worth little to emerging economies in future and therefore it will have to accept a much lower standard of living.

The historic adjustment is always via the mechanism of recession. Except in the scale, which will be very large, it will be no different this time. Wealth will be reduced by a combination of asset value depreciation and monetary inflation. Britain will have to restore itself on the long road somehow by creating real wealth again.

The prognosis for house prices is at least a 50% fall in real terms from the peak by the next decade."

Do you understand that the UK has to buy oil in USD? and therefore in order to keep GBP parity with USD interest rates in the UK will have to rise. At the last meeting of the BoE it was 5-4 in favour of the 0.25% cut. The Fed is likely to put it's rate up in September and the BoE will either have to pre-empt it in September or follow it in October.

Higher interest rates in the UK will put the final nail in the coffin of the housing market and really start to squeeze that 1.1 trillion GBP of personal debt. The rising housing market and borrowed money is the only thing that has been fuelling the economy. What little manufacturing there is in recession and unemployment is rising.

It's all a huge case of The Emporer's New Clothes.

Of course, you could always choose to move to an economy whose projected annual income from oil and gas of $7.7 billion CAD is likely to actually come in at around $12 billion CAD and that is looking at abolishing corporate tax to attract companies and jobs.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

And Canada has a new-ish culture of entrepreneuralism, people setting up small business, working from home, developing business opportunities, and servicing the needs of others.

Have you not thought of that ? Some don't need much startup capital. There's plenty of channels out there. Think about it.

But of course, you'd want a paycheck from day #1.

Huh ?

Rich.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

Maybe Britain's economy is more of a myth since it's based on some flaky foundations.

Re: why are things so difficult for us British here in canada?
 

One way of drawing a conclusion is to visit as many economist sites as possible.

Each country has their own as you would expect. They often compare to other countries stats in order to ascertain that 'we are doing OK, or a bit better, or just plain wonderful', then go to independent sites, pull it all together and try and pick some consistancies out of each one. Make mental notes and then you will see the direction each country is going in. Just like exchange rates economies go up and down.

I am ready to be corrected any time of the day as I do try and learn, but only when the proposition is put intelligently and with some element of truth.

It seems to me that a certain person knows better than the BOE govenor, who did not want to drop rates, neither did his immediate aids. Its seems it was the 'I am shitting myself juniors' who ran for the easy option.

and if the BOE thinks the economy is going tits up (translated as some very tough times ahead), the heads of the EU thinks the UK economy is at a crossroads and there is only one way forward - down, perhaps their experience/knowledge will count for a little more than the average person.

FWIW

Canada turns over nearly 1,000 billion US per year for 32 million people. The UK turns over (GDP) 1,700 billion US per year for 58 million people. Thats why the GDP per capita is higher in Canada and will continue up according to everywhere I read. Canada has had a decade or so during the late 70's and 80's of very tight financial circumstances with a huge National Debt that was a huge burden which is now lowering over time and with monthly surpluses. But like Germany who is about to come out of its tight period Canada has retained more manufacturing and mineral based indusrty than the UK. Hence why long term the prospects are more favourable. During the last 7 years the one major growth private sector in the UK has been banking and asscociated sectors...insurance, mortgages, dodgy loan sharks...but when the funny money supply stops coming into the market from Government borrowing which it has started to do even this sector will lay off workers. The UK public sector civil servant list that has grown by 2 million since 1997 only eats money - it does not create it.

If the economy is so good why has it been recognised that the under 35's are IPOds - Insecure, pressurised, overtaxed, debt Ridden.

Recent data analysis has it that the first time buyer needs to be earning on average £44,000 to reach the property ladder wthout taking on a dodgy mortgage of stupid lend criterias. Thats at least £15,000 more than the average FAMILY income in the UK.

No the population of the UK will not starve, will not die, but it will get much harder and the impetus to achieve a higher status is rapidly being erroded by mis-managment and pure greed.

The gap between the poor and rich is wider now than during the Victorian era.

It all needs careful thought before you jump out of or into the fire.

Note GDP are costed in US $ as thats the only currency used on the global market and the only currency to bench figures against. No