chris955

Well it seems as though aliciaf threw in a hand grenade and ran away.

kendalanita

I've never had any tax back either - in fact we owed them!! And .... no wonder you don't pay for the TV it's absolute s****! Couldn't live without our Foxtel and that ain't brilliant either but needs must!

Pollyana

Wonder if she had to pay tax when she bought it? She should've got one from here as there aren't taxes on everything.
Wonder what GST is then? A gift from the Gods?

chris955

Just one of those throw away lines people post without really thinking about it. There are many expats who for one reason or another will conveniently forget the exact same things in their adopted home that they disliked about their old home.

sallysimmons

I think unemployment is around 8% right now - hardly half.

But your post sums up the only thing I'm dreading about being in the UK - the negative attitudes. If everyone in England could go spend a year in another country - say being eaten alive by bugs in Australia, or living without healthcare coverage in the USA - they'd come back with a much sunnier attitude. If I was Prime Minister, that's the law I'd pass

bigals

I have been letting friends and family know im moving back,,,and the amount of people who have said you must be mad its a shite hole here!!
I have told them all you dont know how good your shite hole is untill you have used another countries shite hole ,most people dont know how good they have it untill its gone.

the troubadour

Perhaps you did. I paid out a substantial sum last year as have been doing for several years.
There is no TV licence true enough nor should there be with what they show on mainstream tv.
Do agree parking is a pain even with a residence permit in London.Never bothered with a motor after the first year for that reason and got through some twenty years carless.
Actually preferred not being a driver. So much fitter walking everywhere or using public transport.

Chortlepuss

My sister is always telling me UK is a shite hole - between telling me about her trips to Berlin, cheap package holidays, endless concerts, and visits to London for art galleries and museums.
I always said that if the worst that happens from my emigration is that I learn to appreciate my home country more, then that's a good lesson.

gillyd65

+1
I'm back in the 'shite hole' that is the NW of England, having moved back from London, Ontario and boy do I love living in this 'shite hole'. Beautiful scenery, wonderful shopping (and its cheap), friendly people, cheap public transport to even more 'shite holes'!?!? (Manchester airport to home - 3/4hr journey £3.80 thank you very much) I really wish Britain would 'big' itself up like Canada and Australia do. Its true Bigals, you don't know what you miss or want until it's gone. Although we visited Canada many times before moving we couldn't 'compare' the UK with anywhere else unless we actually moved away and lived/worked the Canadian life. Ours was a bit of a whirlwind move but hey ho! we know what's best for us now and got out before we lost too much money. Hope your move back is successful.

bigals

Thank you.
Everything is underway,so just waiting for house to sell ,spouse visa etc so I can leave this shite hole and get back to the shite hole I know and love

Brigette

So true about health insurance in the US. I think most people buy into the what they see on TV and think that everyone in the US lives that way. I too have heard very negative things about living in the UK, and it makes me wonder why so many people living in the UK tend to be so negative

b121

Intresting replies, i do find it funny when people say the UK is shit and have never lived in another country

I think the issue is some people including me are not happy or bored with what they have so if they have lived in the UK for years they moan about it or are abit bored and want something new fresh start maybe

The same as some people who have lived in spain or where ever for many years moan about or are bored of the stuff there

We all like new stuff, When you first move abroad everything is new and amazing checking out what the local area has to offer but then you settle down and life becomes normal again

But im not going lie i do still think about moving abroad, my job allows me to work online so finding a job is not a issue, i just have days when sitting here thinking damm im bored if i was here i could do this or this

But living in spain has made me appreciate the uk more then i did before

Wub

Think some of us have a nomad gene!

Seriously, look back in history and we are a race of wanderers constantly hopping on boats to cross the North Sea or Channel, happily putting down roots in some seriously far flung places.

Maybe its nature versus nurture.

Nature tells us to 'go travel'. Nurture tells us we've found Home when we return to these sylvan shores.

Having a bit of a ponder here!

ergyngfeld

Whenever I go back to England I tell old friends that I miss it loads, and they react with disbelief. But you never know what you're going to miss until it's gone. England has some huge problems but I still love it.

chris955

To be honest everywhere has huge problems at the moment, the very British thing to do is assume that their problems are so much worse