why would you want to return to the U.K
#46
Go RedSox!
Joined: Feb 2003
Location: London
Posts: 681
UK
Originally posted by scotch03
You forget MrsLondon that UK law makes it difficult fior the state to deport immigrants - even if they enter illegally - all they need to say is that they are claiming political asylum.
Or they can get married as the registrar must marry them even if the passport shows an expired visa, or the address doesn't exist etc.
The financial benefits are greater in the UK than in the rest of Europe, as is the public housing (hard to believe!).
However, Germany and France have just as a big of a problem as the UK - hence recent political issues in France.
The UK is much better than Bosnia, Romania and Albania - where many of the immigrants come from. I dont blame them - who would want to stay in those countries?
I have no intention of moving back to the UK - its not for me. And London is one of the most filthy places I have lived in. Then again some people like it that way.
Enjoy!
You forget MrsLondon that UK law makes it difficult fior the state to deport immigrants - even if they enter illegally - all they need to say is that they are claiming political asylum.
Or they can get married as the registrar must marry them even if the passport shows an expired visa, or the address doesn't exist etc.
The financial benefits are greater in the UK than in the rest of Europe, as is the public housing (hard to believe!).
However, Germany and France have just as a big of a problem as the UK - hence recent political issues in France.
The UK is much better than Bosnia, Romania and Albania - where many of the immigrants come from. I dont blame them - who would want to stay in those countries?
I have no intention of moving back to the UK - its not for me. And London is one of the most filthy places I have lived in. Then again some people like it that way.
Enjoy!
Don't know about others but the registrar did look at my hubby's (then fiancé's) visa.
#48
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 11,149
Facts
Here are some facts about asylum seekers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3013615.stm
By absolute nos of seekers the UK receives more than any other EU country but as a proportion of population the UK is eighth. The choice of country is determined more by the presence of their own community rather than benefits.
There are economic migrants and who can blame them when you look at the state of the countries of origin. Who amongst all of you does not want the best for their children and themselves?
There are a lot fleeing from war zones created by the West ie Afghanistan and Iraq.
Most of the debate is centred around the symptom of the real problem which is war and poverty. Both problems are often exarcerbated by the western arms trade and imbalanced terms of trade leaving the third world in a viscious cycle of debt and poverty.
I am proud that my taxes offer a chance to those who have suffered persecution and provide refuge to those who have suffered.
As long as poverty and war exist around the world there will be asylum seekers and no matter what the benefits situation people will flock to the more developed nations. Even island nations like the UK cannot stop the flow.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3013615.stm
By absolute nos of seekers the UK receives more than any other EU country but as a proportion of population the UK is eighth. The choice of country is determined more by the presence of their own community rather than benefits.
There are economic migrants and who can blame them when you look at the state of the countries of origin. Who amongst all of you does not want the best for their children and themselves?
There are a lot fleeing from war zones created by the West ie Afghanistan and Iraq.
Most of the debate is centred around the symptom of the real problem which is war and poverty. Both problems are often exarcerbated by the western arms trade and imbalanced terms of trade leaving the third world in a viscious cycle of debt and poverty.
I am proud that my taxes offer a chance to those who have suffered persecution and provide refuge to those who have suffered.
As long as poverty and war exist around the world there will be asylum seekers and no matter what the benefits situation people will flock to the more developed nations. Even island nations like the UK cannot stop the flow.
#49
Guest
Posts: n/a
Originally posted by Herman
They also mentioned how cheap it is to live in London compared to their home towns, where 50% of net income on rent is fairly normal.Yours
A happy Englishman living in the south east.
They also mentioned how cheap it is to live in London compared to their home towns, where 50% of net income on rent is fairly normal.Yours
A happy Englishman living in the south east.
Is that all? Would cost me 76 pc of my salary to rent a 1 bed flat in London. In some ways renting like on the continent is farer - people don't make money out of other people's miseries. The people that are happy by some bizarre coincendence are also the ones with the cheap mortgages all going on about how cool London is. I go to dinner parties in London, and am bored stiff of the 'aren't we cool' conversations and everyone being so polite etc. Yet I am the one that gets everyone laughing, gets people talking, gets rid of the reserve. I so DON'T get English dinner party culture.
Give me an aussie social gathering any day!
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#50
Just Joined
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 5
Originally posted by badgersmount
I beg to differ!
Is that all? Would cost me 76 pc of my salary to rent a 1 bed flat in London. In some ways renting like on the continent is farer - people don't make money out of other people's miseries. The people that are happy by some bizarre coincendence are also the ones with the cheap mortgages all going on about how cool London is. I go to dinner parties in London, and am bored stiff of the 'aren't we cool' conversations and everyone being so polite etc. Yet I am the one that gets everyone laughing, gets people talking, gets rid of the reserve. I so DON'T get English dinner party culture.
Give me an aussie social gathering any day!
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I beg to differ!
Is that all? Would cost me 76 pc of my salary to rent a 1 bed flat in London. In some ways renting like on the continent is farer - people don't make money out of other people's miseries. The people that are happy by some bizarre coincendence are also the ones with the cheap mortgages all going on about how cool London is. I go to dinner parties in London, and am bored stiff of the 'aren't we cool' conversations and everyone being so polite etc. Yet I am the one that gets everyone laughing, gets people talking, gets rid of the reserve. I so DON'T get English dinner party culture.
Give me an aussie social gathering any day!
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#51
Go RedSox!
Joined: Feb 2003
Location: London
Posts: 681
moving back to UK
I love the UK but I have never in my life been to a dinner party. And yes it may be expensive for one person to rent a one bed flat in London, but a couple could easily afford it. Even one person alone--Say you earn £20K. That's about £1300 net pay per month, so £600 on rent still leaves you with £700. And yes I am talking about outer London in the cheaper areas, not central or South West London, but I think it's pretty accepted that places like Knightsbridge are for the rich, just as Manhatten in NYC is very expensive.
#52
Home and Happy
Joined: Dec 2002
Location: Keep true friends and puppets close, trust no-one else...
Posts: 93,787
Bit more on those figures to show its expensive outside of central London. Rents in Brighton are now on a par with outer London; I had a flat in Brighton till last month, I was paying £600 a month, plus £60 per month Council Tax, plus all the other bills. My take home pay was £1100 a month(from a salary of £17,000 p a). It was a one-bedroom flat, so no chance of sharing.
Now I've left they have put the rent up to £650 - I would have had to move out, even if I hadn't emigrated because that, plus an impending council tax increase of 20% would have made it totally impossible to stay there.
And I did (unfortunately) go to a couple of dinner parties like those Badger has been too - all they talked about was how much their property had increased in value, and how "in" and "with it" they were.
Now I've left they have put the rent up to £650 - I would have had to move out, even if I hadn't emigrated because that, plus an impending council tax increase of 20% would have made it totally impossible to stay there.
And I did (unfortunately) go to a couple of dinner parties like those Badger has been too - all they talked about was how much their property had increased in value, and how "in" and "with it" they were.
#53
Go RedSox!
Joined: Feb 2003
Location: London
Posts: 681
UK accommodation
Yep, with a one bed there is not much room for manouvre. It usually works out much cheaper to share a two-bed flat with a friend than to fork out a lot on your own. Needs must and it may be necessary to take on a part-time job as well as a full-time one. I worked p/t (in addition to my f/t job) for 4 years before I got married. Though it's not so bad as it sounds. I worked Sundays 11 to 5 and Thursdays 7 to 9 = 7.5 hours with Sunday half hour lunch taken off. My f/t job was 35 hours. So 42.5 hours total. I'm sure a lot of people work more than that.
#54
Home and Happy
Joined: Dec 2002
Location: Keep true friends and puppets close, trust no-one else...
Posts: 93,787
The only way I could get my wages to those dizzy heights (!!) was by working shifts that included weekends, as part of a 40 hour week; could be one reason why I left the country- sick of throwing all my cash into renting a shabby flat!
#55
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2003
Location: Nevada b4 California b4 Colorado b4 Valley of plastic and sand, b4 London
Posts: 2,025
You all love England really, look how long this thread is going.
Yes England has it's ups and downs but it sure beats a lot lot of countries out there.
It all comes down to a personal decision what they call paradise.
Yes England has it's ups and downs but it sure beats a lot lot of countries out there.
It all comes down to a personal decision what they call paradise.
#56
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: moving back to UK
in my rough area a 1 bed flat is 650-700, in a nicer part more like 800..
and these are outer london!
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and these are outer london!
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#57
Forum Regular
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 144
Re: moving back to UK
if you consider twickenham a rough area you may have a few problems when you eventually get to oz.
maybe instead of complaining about the cost of living in one of the most expensive parts of london you should move somewhere cheaper. try earls court its full of aussies all whinging about the cost of living in london so you should love it.
maybe instead of complaining about the cost of living in one of the most expensive parts of london you should move somewhere cheaper. try earls court its full of aussies all whinging about the cost of living in london so you should love it.
Originally posted by badgersmount
in my rough area a 1 bed flat is 650-700, in a nicer part more like 800..
and these are outer london!
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in my rough area a 1 bed flat is 650-700, in a nicer part more like 800..
and these are outer london!
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#58
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 42
quote from Mercedes
"The lifestyle is so much different, the weather is a nightmare in winter, it gets dark at 3pm. The pubs close at 11pm, theres no where to go for a coffee after 5pm in some places and getting anyting to eat after 10pm unless its Indian, chinese etc etc. "
Some of us don't feel the need to go out for coffee. I buy Starbuck Coffe Beans, grind them myself and use my steamer to froth the milk, et voila I've got myself a Cafe Vente!!
I love cooking, and when I see the rubbish that's put on my plate even in the best of restaurants I would choose cooking at home any time. So going out to eat is not a problem either.
I don't like sunbathing in the Florida heat, so I wont miss that. For me the transition to the beautiful island of Isle of Wight from Florida is a blessing. In IOW I have a house on the beach and I'm taking my VW New Beetle, my cat and my dog back with me. I'll be renting out my property here so my Pension is covered when I retire in about 15 to 20 years time.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not rich. I'm from a working class background, a single women who trys to get the best out of life wherever I am. I just feel that I am more in control in my own country. Perhaps I'm lucky that I have a great place to go back to. Since I no longer feel the need to go out all the time it really doesn't matter whether I am here in the US or in the UK.
Most of all I miss my Mum and brothers and their children. I have many cousins on the island also. Basically I am homesick. I also find that the USA is not what I thought it would be. I was happier back in Europe (lived in Jersey for 14 years, Italy 12 and Germany 6). No matter where I was I could always hop on a plane and be with my family. I can't do that here. For one, the amount of vacation days are so limited that even a long weekend would be out of the question, not to mention the expense.
You want to know why people would want to go back to the UK? I say it depends on their circumstances and which part of the UK they will be living. I can't wait. US is great for a holiday but for me there's no place like home.
"The lifestyle is so much different, the weather is a nightmare in winter, it gets dark at 3pm. The pubs close at 11pm, theres no where to go for a coffee after 5pm in some places and getting anyting to eat after 10pm unless its Indian, chinese etc etc. "
Some of us don't feel the need to go out for coffee. I buy Starbuck Coffe Beans, grind them myself and use my steamer to froth the milk, et voila I've got myself a Cafe Vente!!
I love cooking, and when I see the rubbish that's put on my plate even in the best of restaurants I would choose cooking at home any time. So going out to eat is not a problem either.
I don't like sunbathing in the Florida heat, so I wont miss that. For me the transition to the beautiful island of Isle of Wight from Florida is a blessing. In IOW I have a house on the beach and I'm taking my VW New Beetle, my cat and my dog back with me. I'll be renting out my property here so my Pension is covered when I retire in about 15 to 20 years time.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not rich. I'm from a working class background, a single women who trys to get the best out of life wherever I am. I just feel that I am more in control in my own country. Perhaps I'm lucky that I have a great place to go back to. Since I no longer feel the need to go out all the time it really doesn't matter whether I am here in the US or in the UK.
Most of all I miss my Mum and brothers and their children. I have many cousins on the island also. Basically I am homesick. I also find that the USA is not what I thought it would be. I was happier back in Europe (lived in Jersey for 14 years, Italy 12 and Germany 6). No matter where I was I could always hop on a plane and be with my family. I can't do that here. For one, the amount of vacation days are so limited that even a long weekend would be out of the question, not to mention the expense.
You want to know why people would want to go back to the UK? I say it depends on their circumstances and which part of the UK they will be living. I can't wait. US is great for a holiday but for me there's no place like home.
Last edited by missionuk; Dec 14th 2003 at 4:25 am.
#59
Originally posted by missionuk
quote from Mercedes
"The lifestyle is so much different, the weather is a nightmare in winter, it gets dark at 3pm. The pubs close at 11pm, theres no where to go for a coffee after 5pm in some places and getting anyting to eat after 10pm unless its Indian, chinese etc etc. "
Some of us don't feel the need to go out for coffee. I buy Starbuck Coffe Beans, grind them myself and use my steamer to froth the milk, et voila I've got myself a Cafe Vente!!
I love cooking, and when I see the rubbish that's put on my plate even in the best of restaurants I would choose cooking at home any time. So going out to eat is not a problem either.
I don't like sunbathing in the Florida heat, so I wont miss that. For me the transition to the beautiful island of Isle of Wight from Florida is a blessing. In IOW I have a house on the beach and I'm taking my VW New Beetle, my cat and my dog back with me. I'll be renting out my property here so my Pension is covered when I retire in about 15 to 20 years time.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not rich. I'm from a working class background, a single women who trys to get the best out of life wherever I am. I just feel that I am more in control in my own country. Perhaps I'm lucky that I have a great place to go back to. Since I no longer feel the need to go out all the time it really doesn't matter whether I am here in the US or in the UK.
Most of all I miss my Mum and brothers and their children. I have many cousins on the island also. Basically I am homesick. I also find that the USA is not what I thought it would be. I was happier back in Europe (lived in Jersey for 14 years, Italy 12 and Germany 6). No matter where I was I could always hop on a plane and be with my family. I can't do that here. For one, the amount of vacation days are so limited that even a long weekend would be out of the question, not to mention the expense.
You want to know why people would want to go back to the UK? I say it depends on their circumstances and which part of the UK they will be living. I can't wait. US is great for a holiday but for me there's no place like home.
quote from Mercedes
"The lifestyle is so much different, the weather is a nightmare in winter, it gets dark at 3pm. The pubs close at 11pm, theres no where to go for a coffee after 5pm in some places and getting anyting to eat after 10pm unless its Indian, chinese etc etc. "
Some of us don't feel the need to go out for coffee. I buy Starbuck Coffe Beans, grind them myself and use my steamer to froth the milk, et voila I've got myself a Cafe Vente!!
I love cooking, and when I see the rubbish that's put on my plate even in the best of restaurants I would choose cooking at home any time. So going out to eat is not a problem either.
I don't like sunbathing in the Florida heat, so I wont miss that. For me the transition to the beautiful island of Isle of Wight from Florida is a blessing. In IOW I have a house on the beach and I'm taking my VW New Beetle, my cat and my dog back with me. I'll be renting out my property here so my Pension is covered when I retire in about 15 to 20 years time.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not rich. I'm from a working class background, a single women who trys to get the best out of life wherever I am. I just feel that I am more in control in my own country. Perhaps I'm lucky that I have a great place to go back to. Since I no longer feel the need to go out all the time it really doesn't matter whether I am here in the US or in the UK.
Most of all I miss my Mum and brothers and their children. I have many cousins on the island also. Basically I am homesick. I also find that the USA is not what I thought it would be. I was happier back in Europe (lived in Jersey for 14 years, Italy 12 and Germany 6). No matter where I was I could always hop on a plane and be with my family. I can't do that here. For one, the amount of vacation days are so limited that even a long weekend would be out of the question, not to mention the expense.
You want to know why people would want to go back to the UK? I say it depends on their circumstances and which part of the UK they will be living. I can't wait. US is great for a holiday but for me there's no place like home.
good post
thanks for that
#60
Release the hounds!
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 302
Re: UK
Originally posted by MrsLondon
But whether they can or should be deported is irrelevant. The point is these people come to the UK rather than any other European country. In the paper today, it reported that a refugee was granted a stay or deportation to Germany because she threatened suicide if she was sent there! And many illegals and asylum seekers work, they don't wanna claim benefits!
Don't know about others but the registrar did look at my hubby's (then fiancé's) visa.
But whether they can or should be deported is irrelevant. The point is these people come to the UK rather than any other European country. In the paper today, it reported that a refugee was granted a stay or deportation to Germany because she threatened suicide if she was sent there! And many illegals and asylum seekers work, they don't wanna claim benefits!
Don't know about others but the registrar did look at my hubby's (then fiancé's) visa.