LouiseD

And then you woke up

guest5234

Thats funny, Daily Mail editor methinks.

misterjingo

As much as I love the UK, I think there are issues with the potential ID card and centralised DB system (although with the recent multiple leaks concerning various forms of ID being lost – this looks likely to be delayed for a while).
There are issues with the movement of our industry abroad and current lack of real direction in a service sector dominated country – which is a real concern for Government and many service sector industries (due to India and China producing hundreds of IT specialists, engineers and scientists to our every one).
There are also concerns regarding our direction in terms of personal liberties and erosion of them in the name of terror laws.
The UK also surpassed the 1 trillion mark of personal debt years ago, and we keep digging ourselves deeper. And on the whole we are a philistine nation, with increasing levels of illiteracy and glorification of easy celebrity life styles.

Do I read the Daily Mail? No. I’m more a libertarian. Are these problems central to the UK? No. But they UK will feel the effects of them more over larger nations. Was the poster who mentioned these problems wrong? Not really, although they were excitable in their communication of them.
Something to keep in mind is that not everyone here has had a cushy middle class up brining, being able to live away from the bad areas of the UK (waits for outpouring of working class origins etc). So while the posters points might seem farfetched, they obviously aren’t to him/her.
This post is perhaps a bit biting, but only because this part of the forum seems populated with near rapid nationalists. While I agree unchecked negativity gets us nowhere, jumping on anyone who says something the least bit negative about ‘the motherland’, especially when it is their own personal experience, and throwing ‘daily mail reader’ remarks about (it would offend me !) is nothing if not worse.

ezzie

Geisterbahn, that's terrible, no wonder you want to leave after having that sort of experience. You certainly don't deserve the negative smarmy comments you've received for your post here. I think we'd all be interested to know which area of the UK you settled in and if it's known as a bit of a rough spot or whether you think this sort of yobby crime is more endemic. What plans do you have now...you said the kids were bullied at school..I presume in Spain, can you return them to a different school or will the problem remain?

ezzie

Two questions....can anyone recommend a good financial advisor who has Aussie and UK financial knowledge located in Sydney? Failing that some insider knowledge on shares or a dead cert on a horse would help (have just been looking at UK house prices)!

Also, can anyone list some UK annual gas/electricity/rates/phone etc bills to give us an idea of costs. I just saw on the news that gas is going up 15% and the amounts they quoted as 'average' gas bills were pretty shocking.

DestinationSydney

Hi, cant help with the horse tips Im afraid.
But bill wise we are a family of 4 (kids 14 & 11) we pay £140 a month electric/gas, £175 a month council tax, £60 a month tv/phone package then usual mortgage etc on top. Food wise about £110 a week too.
Hope that helps!!!
Oh house prices are definately slowing down here so think it should be easier for you to buy now.

Major Edmund Lockyer

35 buildings insurance
50 water rates
50 car insurance 1 car
£1.06 a litre of unleaded
£10 car tax
£2.65 a pint of beer
£12 tv licence
warbys bread now £1.16 a loaf
stamp duty 3%
€if you dont have 10% dep you pay a loan fee

ezzie

BLOODY HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We pay around that here in dollars!

Where in Sydney are you heading?

DestinationSydney

Not sure yet, planning on going at beg of June as daughter sits exams here in May. My Brother lives in Castlehill so have been there (lovely) but thinking we might consider gold coast too - so going to check out that area too. He was here for xmas and we compared bills too with them, yes think overall household running costs are higher here especially council tax!!! Cheaper to eat out over there too.

Petrol is expensive here I paid £1.13 a ltr today for diesel!

Just pm me if you want anymore household running cost comparisons!!!
Think this thread has gone totally off topic!!

Michelle

LouiseD

Oh if only.

There is nothing wrong with negative comments and if people have had a bad experience they will be negative -people should have the freedom to share their experiences. But be realistic for goodness sakes - that post was bordering on the hysterical. Most people on here realise that problems exist, however are astute enough to understand that there are good and bad places in every country. Some people honestly think that crime doesn't happen anywhere but the UK. I've lived in a North West working class town for 45 years now and have had my car stolen once. My teenage girls go out clubbing every weekend and have never come to any harm. My parents and in-laws have lived in the same town for 65 years and never ever been the victims of a crime -my nan died at 89 - same applied to her. I could go on but it's boring. What I'm saying is that you can't judge a whole country on your experience in one small part of it.

I'm sorry but anyone who makes such a ridiculous statement about the whole of a country based on their experiences in one area deserves all they get.

robclaridge

Well...I'm not going to run the UK down (A fav. pastime of most). After all, my many good frinds and family still live there and they don't want to hear me constantly berating how crap it all is. We had fun there back in England. But here in Australia its better/different. I'm also a teacher. Most of what went on in schools back in the UK NEVER made the public eye through fear of the schools reputation. All i ever did was fire fight drug abuse, bullying and theft! I had quite a few outstanding students who are a credit to their familys and society. BUT and this is a big BUT. In the 15 years I taught at a variety of schools all around Britain I noted a small increase every year in unsocial behaviour. It started off with 1 or 2 in a group of 16 year olds just being silly and stupid (Weren't we all). But for the next few years, and gradually increasing, year by year - there would be 2 or 3. Then 4 or 5 who were just evil. Thats a big difference. Young and stupid vs just evil! I could harp on about the weather, traffic and dinky houses etc. But its horses for courses. I find the students here on the whole more helpful, more intelligent and very polite. With of course its inevitable, yet smaller group of 'chav wannabees'.

ezzie

That's really interesting ...tell me more please. Where did you teach in UK and where are you teaching now?

I teach too and I find some kids here pretty challenging.

robclaridge

Challenging... sounds politically correct lol I taught inner city in Portsmouth. I'm now teaching at a TAFE college in central Brisbane. Same terms and conditions. Instead of take, take, take. Its give, give, give from the students perspective. In the UK students were given 30 pounds a week to come to college. (Easier than working and learning I guess. Cynically it also took them off the unemployment stats.) Consequently FE colleges became a place where we babysat those with learning difficulties, disabilities and mental problems....ex cons under the 'rehabilitation of offenders act' and other disfunctionals. Whilst trying to teach students who for the best part - there only claim to fame qualification wise was coming first in the school sponsered litter picking week (I kid you not!!) Or a sheath of GCSE's at grade F (I forgot they graded them that low?) How can anyone get a grade F in their mother tongue??? Your'll find it an awful lot better here. Its restored by faith in education ten fold.

Major Edmund Lockyer

I'd like to post opionions of my friends 3 who are in the police in Manchester and another 2 in the health service.

The only thing is, if you post any opionions here regards the UK, they get shot down, bt people who havent lived here for a number of years, and this is a UK forum.

Uk is a great place, but does have some inherent problems that have become worse due to population bursts, social decline as rich are getting richer, and well working class becoming worse off.

Social problems arent my motive to moving away from England, as they are everywhere but you do need to be realisitc about how real they are if you move to a particular area.

St.Georges Girl

That's better.BTW, this is the 'Moving Back To The UK' forum.

Please do tell the opinions of your 3 friends. I have close family who work in the NHS, one admin and 3 nursing. My sister works in Scotland Yard, my nephew is doing his police training, so I would be very interested in what your 3 friends have to say.