fastrhino

Hi guys
I have been planning to come back to the UK for some time and was happy with the idea of coming back and being close to my family.

However since the CV19 situation I have been felling uneasy about coming back.

From the media coverage I have seen it seems the fundamental freedoms I remember are under attack, the economy and opportunities are taking a battering, I also worry I might not be able to find work in the UK although I have savings so I can manage for a while.

Am I right to question the future and potential for a fresh start in the UK, am I the only one with reservations about the future in the UK?

Pollyana

Lets be honest, with continuing lockdowns and Aus businesses going bust because of it, is Australia any better a proposition than the UK?

fastrhino

That is a very good point, The company I work for (part time, casual) just made 40% of the support staff redundant and I work in a very volatile industry in WA.

I miss my family, my dad died after a short illness last year in the UK, my mum has poor health and I do not want to lose her and regret not seeing her again.

I guess in some ways my head says stay in Aus, my heart says UK.

Helen1964

Go with your head. Your heart will catch up.

Pulaski

Being an expat is never easy, nor being thousands of miles from family, but throwing away what you have in times of economic chaos, when the chances are that moving will make things worse, isn't a particularly wise decision.

SanDiegogirl

What does this mean? Sounds like paranoid American views because, in the current situation, one has been asked to social distance, wear a mask and be considerate to your fellow man.
What fundamental freedoms are under attack?
Think you are reading the Daily Mail too much.

Lion in Winter

Actually, that's not necessarily the case at all.

It will all depend on the person and the circs, and each person must work that out for themselves.

Pulaski

I think that's what she was saying "work it out" i.e. using your head, not making life-altering decisions purely based on emotions and tabloid headlines.

BEVS

Yes. you are sensible to review your plans
No. You are not the only one with reservations.

I am now applying a watch & wait approach. I had hoped for a perm UK return this time next year. That is off the cards for now. Instead I am looking to how our NZ life can be somehow improved or perhaps I mean enriched. I wish to be closer to the people we love in the UK but we also need to consider the stable base we have here in NZ. I know a couple just returned to the UK from NZ and with the Covid thing they are really stuck right now.

I realise your Mum is in poor health but see if you can bring your mind to wait a while . See how things settle.

fastrhino

I guess my fear is how long the CV19 restrictions will be in place, things here are not ideal either with no real end in sight to the lockdown and the massive job losses.

verystormy

Restrictions are in place world wide, including in Australia. How long for, nobody knows. In the U.K., they are starting to ease. In England, all shops can open in a couple of weeks, pubs and restaurants probably end of the month. Jobs, well, Australia had a slightly higher unemployment rate than the U.K. prior to the virus and it is looking like that will be the car post virus, with U.K. estimated it will be about 9.5 and Australia about 10

fastrhino

I assume you mean percent not millions.

all things being equal it is about where I wanna be, everything else is comparable.

Cape Blue

What ones are you particularly concerned about?

fastrhino

Just general freedoms such as the freedom to associate, freedom to travel, being able to work and operate a business without the government breathing down your neck, with added rules and red tape.

From what I am seeing coming out of the UK it is concerning how civil liberties are being undermined by this pandemic and we are being told this is the "new normal" and things wont return to any kind of normality until a vaccine.

The Track and Trace seem Orwellian too with sweeping government powers to detain / lock-down people suspected of having come into contact with CV19 with no probable cause or right to appeal.

It seems there is an apathy among the general population around what this means to human rights going forward.

Hard fought freedoms lost in the name of a public health crisis I suspect we have lost forever without another fight to get the back once the crisis has passed.

spouse of scouse

I'm always puzzled why some people think temporary restrictions designed to protect constitute a loss of 'hard fought freedoms'. What do you suggest was a better response to this disease? What, if any, steps do you think the UK government should have taken?