Jess5377

I was being facetious! (I'm the OP who just moved from London to the US and regretting it)

That said, I always felt safe in London never really threatened or uneasy except for on a handful of occasions where I simply wasn't in the best neighborhood. Same with any city/place. We lived in Hampstead so had quite a few options depending on which tube we wanted to walk to- 3 mins to Hampstead tube, 12-15 mins to the Jubilee. It really does make a difference to have several tube options close by, although I did also love the bus.

Jess5377

I personally have never seen this firsthand. Sounds like the scaremongering a lot of papers think sell. The papers really do make it worse than it is and it does tend to be the youth in gangs who are having the trouble.

Have you been back to London recently? It really isn't that bad. Same problems ANY city has....

Tootsie Frickensprinkles

I moved from London to southern VA and within 3 days my stomach had dropped out of me. I think it took no more than 3 weeks for me to decide, "f@ck this". It all happened very quickly, was unresearched, unexpected and thrown on us by employment situations. He (USC) was actually as unhappy with it as I was, even if for different reasons.

We didn't have the opportunity to move within the US at that point either and as time has gone on and having lived elsewhere in the interim I think it would take mountains moving to get me back over there. The US needs to change ALOT for me to be comfortable about it.

Barratie

I don't think it is accurate to describe me as reading "warped stuff" this is yet another disparaging remark, no doubt designed top have me punished by a moderator.

Here is what Pilger wrote in the New Statesman in July 2004:

"Aborigines comprise less than 3 per cent of the Australian population, and 60 per cent of the inmates of the country's prisons; once inside, many die by their own hand and some are beaten to death."

and

"In the run-up to the Millennium Olympics in Sydney, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination distinguished Australia with its first adverse finding on racial discrimination against a western nation."

The full article is here, the issue is hardly controversial, it is well covered if one looks.

http://www.newstatesman.com/200407120005

I just wanted to know what Brits over there were experiencing as I have never been to the country but hear these and other harrowing tales.

Hugh

Eric Hitchmo

Is the protagonist from "V for Vendetta" your hero Hugh? Is that why you keep trying to talk like him? I'm not sure "Codename V" would have weaved something with the fabric of the English language so eloquently as you did with these gems of yours:

"Hey fatass"

"I'm unimpressed asshole."

"look in the mirror then dumbass"

"Happy ass licking turdface"

"dumb tosspots"

You can almost hear the ghost of William Shakespeare quaking in his boots.

Sue

Come on please lets not dig all that up again. Its old news now.

Thanks

Sue

quoll

Not at all, you may just want to broaden your source material if you are relying solely on Pilger who has always had several axes to grind!

Emma M

innit though. The US wont change!

Barratie

Do you take issue with the validity of "In the run-up to the Millennium Olympics in Sydney, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination distinguished Australia with its FIRST adverse finding on racial discrimination against a western nation." ?

This is a damning assesment of the situation; re: "FIRST", and this is true, this is a true documented finding that was nothing to do with Pilger, I am always amused at how willing some people are to be totally dismissive of facts.

Anyway I have nothing more to say to you, your are always seeking to inflame an issue by such tactics.

Hugh

_debs_

Two years and I knew then if I did not like it, I never would.

I made myself stay because I wanted to be certain... I put my all into it and, it still was not enough.

I came back and love it so much here......so it was the right thing to do.

Good luck to you and your decisions

quoll

Moi? I never seek to inflame - it is you who has shanghaied a perfectly ordinary and appropriate question posed by the OP and turned it into a slanging match.

I merely recommended that you broaden your reading matter beyond a leftist expat Australian who cannot bear to live here and I have no idea whether the UNnecessary lot first reprimanded Australia or not.

You are now on my ignore list!

To the OP - sorry. And in answer to your original question - I was OK with living here until I realized that I was beyond the point of no return and that no matter what, the DH wasnt prepared to live in UK again. Whilst I thought I had the freedom and that living back in UK was in my future somewhere I could put up with it. However, I have never really felt like I belonged in Aus. DH was born here so he belongs but for me it is a bland nothingness and were I to turn my back on it tomorrow I would leave without a moment's hesitation or backward glance. I think I could always have left it without the slightest pang. Now I have a son and grandchild here it does make going home harder but if DH would go, I think I still would. I just want to "belong". I will be doing my best to show DH all the benefits of living in UK when we go home in 3 weeks time but I doubt he will be interested.

SarahInTX

Good luck, Quoll. It breaks my heart to hear your story. I know you love your DH, but what about YOU???? There seems to be absolutely no compromise -- and perhaps what could there be?? Your desires are so different.

Hugs.

Sarah

quoll

Thanks hun, no it's OK really. We do have a compromise - he wants to go and live in the bush but a flush loo is an absolute deal breaker for me so he compromises to the extent that we live in a city We did look at some properties and one had a composting toilet He really fancies at least 40 acres so when the end of the world happens (inthe next few years according to his timeline) we can be self sufficient and out of harms way I most certainly do NOT belong in the bush!

Tracym

A friend of my husband's, a Brit of Indian descent, is working temporarily in Australia. His perception was that there was quite a lot of prejudice against dark-skinned people.

I've never been there though, so cannot comment personally of course.

quoll

There is quite a bit of prejudice against everyone but it is very subtle with each ethnic group sticking much to themselves. Multiculturalism IMHO is a joke. And no one group is immune either although whites are unable to play the racist card. It is subtle because it is never overt name calling (well, only rarely) but it will be talking in your own language to exclude others, not employing someone of a different ethnic group, only selling your home to someone from your group - it happens in a range of ways - and everyone is highly politically correct and hypersensitive about any perceived slight. At the moment, the group getting the most perhaps overt antipathy are the Muslims and they arent helping their cause along either by some rather injudicious public commentary.

Australia has always had a kind of xenophobia especially against immigrants - in the 40s and 50s it was the Poms & Germans, then in the 60s and 70s it was the Yugoslavs, Greeks and Italians and other europeans in the 80s and 90s it was the Vietnamese, Chinese and other asisans and in the 00s it has been the Lebanese and other arabs. As each group has assimilated things get better but if they dont want to integrate then the tensions start up again. If some of the recent Pom immigrants bang on like they do on this and other boards about how grateful Aus should be for getting their skills, then they will be the next group to experience the negativity