Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

After so many years living abroad I have found it is even worse than I thought.The UK is in a bad state.Endlessly having to find out things for myself like my NHS No.which hasn´t been used since 1982 & I needed to register with a Doctor.I was originally in Scotland & somehow managed to get registered & some medication.Then recently moved to south coast of England.Was told by medical people that,if I needed anything I would have to go to A&E for attention.This I would not do as cancer patients can´t even get seen to quickly.Eventually managed myself to find out that ,if you leave UK for 5 years you lose your NHS number.New one applied for now.Just one of so many issues.The break up of the (so called)United Kingdom seems inevitable to me.Both parts,Scottish/English are at loggerheads,Ireland been divided for decades & still very separate & the Welsh have little say apart from within their own country.A buffoon for a PM & Cabinet have to toe the line or get the chop.Like thousands of others,I was denied a vote in the"democratic" referendum due to the years outside Britain.Now a debate,once they get around to it,on giving back that voting opportunity in the future but renamed"votes for life" if it is granted.Just 1 week before I was booked to return I was informed that I had to produce a written statement by my townhall to say that all my residency papers had been destroyed &(for some unknown reason) a last utilities bill & also say what day,month & year I 1st.set foot in that country.This was to allow me to re-enter the country of my birth.Before boarding the plane,my British passport was stamped by British Border Control which allowed me then to board.Since living outside the the UK I have visited many countries in europe on holiday from Poland,through the Balkans,Malta & throughout Italy without incurring a stamp but gained one from my own.As I had served in the British Armed Forces & sworn allegiance to the Crown,I had never considered changing my nationality.Perhaps I was foolish.I am horrified also at the level of poverty here which will get worse despite the very necessary Welfare State.It´s not the low wages but the very high prices of everything.And we British have not moved a centimetre(or inch since metric is not favoured)from our divided class society that was so evident eons ago.Among so much else,could the British make up their minds too as which systems we are using,metric & centigrade or the old lot.

Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Glass half empty then?

Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

I have just subscribed to the Times. It tells me that now one in forty Brits is at least a millionaire now because their houses are so valuable. Added to that the 20s will be boom years just like the roaring1920s after the Spanish flue. No mention of any half empty glasses in the Times.

Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Well quite!

Have you first hand experience of this, or have you been reading the Daily Mail? Everybody I know with cancer has been seen very promptly, my mother was told last week she's got to have an operation. She's having it on 3rd March, and the only reason she's got to wait until then is that they want her to have a break from her chemo so she's stronger. Her care has been exemplary. From diagnosis to seeing her consultant was 48 hours, then chemo started 3 days later. Covid has affected a lot of other non urgent stuff (my daughter is still waiting for a routine op after a year), but IME anything urgent is still dealt with brilliantly.

Not correct, but all old style NHS numbers (with letters) were replaced in 1996. So if your original one was issued before that, it would have needed to be changed, even if you were living in the UK.

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/abo...an-nhs-number/

Informed by whom? Whoever it was, they were wrong. If you are a British citizen, you have the right to enter the UK.

Were those visits to other countries by any chance before Brexit, so when we were part of the EU? If so, that's why.

I'm going to move your post and subsequent replies in to a thread of your own, as you've posted on a thread that's nearly a year old.

HTH.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

You must be really special as I've never heard that one before!

British Border Force/Immigration control the UK border, which you cross AFTER disembarking from a flight. They wont give you an entry stamp before you even board the flight. What country were yu returning from?

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Quite apart from covid, I’m surprised the NHS hasn’t collapsed completely from the strain of caring for curmudgeonly old codgers who haven’t paid tax in the UK for decades and then have the gall to complain about it.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

So good to get so many comments.Please excuse delay in replying as I had to spend some time today with the Bank who were investigating a card payment that was taken from my account for over 100 pounds.Found out that the utilities company that I had joined 2 days previously & given my account details to for direct debit,then decided to deduct the LAST owner´s final bill since,it seems,perhaps I wouldn´t notice or even just par for the course usual incompetency.Why didn´t I think of asking on this forum about NHS nos.instead of believing the medical staff would know??But fortunately that has been sorted out.And yes,I do have a little knowledge of cancer patients treatment.My daughter died some little while ago having waited which by then had progressed to a late stage & too late for her survival.But I daresay it depends on local facilities.Of course there are many other illnesses where this is happening in our country.Or are those TV pictures of ambulances waiting outside hospitals ALL false.You may not have heard about residency papers being cancelled but I can assure you it is true,in fact I watched my documents being put into the shredder & the lady in the office hugged me as I was clearly distressed & said she was so sorry that I was British!This was by instructions from HMRC & I was then informed that approval had been granted.Because of this I had no papers no record will be found of any medical history & of course not even a Bank card.This meant that I had to find a suitable self-isolating unit here which would take CASH.Indeed I did visit those places in Europe before Brexit but wanted to point out how different it now will be.And I can set you right when you wrongly say that my passport was stamped AFTER arriving.The stamp has the airport name with a little picture of a plane with an arrow pointing OUT.And,old codger that I am,I do remember clearly standing in the queue at the departing airport & seeing that being done.You are right that although others may do particularly if they are holiday home owners,I was only paying tax in my country of residence where ,as a legal business owner,I contributed to that country.However I also did not receive any further payment from UK like child benefit(as it was called at that time)for our daughter,which I agree should be the case.This will not be popular with you.I did have to,as tax payers in UK did at the same time,contribute to British Nationals living"under the radar".Or maybe you don´t believe they exist.They are the ones with the all year suntan since,with having no ID cards here,they cannot be traced very easily by our Govn.departments & could sit on the beach each day.Their health problems were addressed by using their EHIC card until Brexit.But sadly for them is no longer possibly & our NHS system can welcome them into their fold as they return.So much more but I must give you space to comment further.In conclusion though.I do read all the newspapers as,as I did abroad,I think that unless you try to get views from all sides how can you evaluate the situation.I prefer to think of myself as "european" not just a "little Englander".

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

In the interests of balance, Dougal, can you name 3 things that you like about being back in the UK?

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

I'm not Dougal but...
Real Ale
Fish and Chips
Greggs.

:lol:

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Thank you BristolUK. So all is not lost then.
I think Dougal is still cogitating.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Flatulence & obesity, good selling points! 🤣

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Mild winters
Summers not excessively hot
Lemon drizzle cake

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

+
London
NHSPubs ​

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Mild winters
Summers not excessively hot
Lemon drizzle cake

Fixed it for you!

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

At a guess 75 of the last 90 days have been grey skies.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

And for us in Hungary it's been exactly the reverse!
PS: Like your idea of NHS pubs, no wonder some are flocking back to the UK!

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Lol. My mobile phone doesn't always get the spacing right.
That sounds like perfect winter weather in Hungary.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Excellent!

Here - it’s mostly been minus 30 Fahrenheit, clear blue skies, horrendously low humidity.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Au contraire, that would be excellent for me. Refreshing !

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

NHS pubs reminded me of the good old days. When my wife was in the hospital for the birth of our kids, she got a bottle of Mackeson Stout .. in addition to the barely edible meals.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Huh. I love a grey sky & drizzle.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

I like it once in a while. Collect one's thoughts, read some books, etc. But it gets oppressive. I don't have SAD but I'm thinking of signing up.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Ha! Yep me too. I wasn't very keen to drink it but was convinced by the nurses that it was good for me and for breastfeeding baby so I percevered:lol:

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Depending where you are and looking at overall stats, you rarely get drizzle these days and especially this year across the UK has been very dry. Even where we are in wet Ireland, we had 56.9 mm in total in January and the first wear your shorts days. I suppose not having an Irexit and € in your pockets makes you more positive:sarcasm:.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Too true Helen I do have to sit & have a think. My 3 enjoyed things are (1)being restricted to 15 mins.maximum when I consult a Doctor in UK instead of spending the time with my previous Spanish Doctor who spends at least 10mins.chatting about football then some more time pointing out that his records show I haven´t seen the nurse yet this month for all the regular checks we oldies get+the lecture on ensuring I adhere to the Spanish style diet,then we get down to asking me what he can do for me.This will inevitably need a visit to a specialist for clarification,one picked for his expertise from any of those from the other EU nations during his monthly round. No wonder the appointments system in their clinics are so behind the rigid timetable here. (2) AH,now I am allowed to vote everytime.What good news despite the hassle I had getting on the electoral roll.I enlisted on-line,got e-mail to say OK.3 weeks later received a letter to say no one at my address was on the register.Got it sorted eventually as it was"a clerical error"& to destroy the letter. And(3) Being at home from dusk to dawn as if you venture out on foot during these times you could invite a passer-by to stab,kick or use some other form of sport on your person.To think I used to wander out previously for a meal with friends around 10pm .Now I can stay in & catch up on all the old TV programmes that I´m told are repeats which I missed out on. Yippee.I am curious though reading your location Helen which says France.Surely you are in need of rescue if this is so.Real Ale,fish & chips & Greggs I believe can be found in most of the British enclaves(think Benidorm) in Europe but alas I feel for you BRISTOLUK living in one of our Commonwealth countries.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

UK rainfall Nov '21 - Jan '22 = > 250 mm.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

If those are the best things about the UK I wont be rushing back.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Yes I think Norwich and London in England get about 25 inches a year. Here, NE United States, it’s more like 100 inches a year. But whenever it rains here (torrential and often,) people are like, “this weather must make you feel at home!” (Chortle, chortle.) Er, not really. It never rains non-stop three days straight in Norfolk.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

There hasn't been much rain (or frost) this winter.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Don't forget every year is different: So far January and February haven't been too bad this year.

https://blog.metoffice.gov.uk/2022/02/01/third-sunniest-january-on-record-starts-the-year-for-the-uk/

Last year was a different story.

Parts of the east coast have experienced their wettest winter on record. Tyne and Wear received 214% (319.1mm) of seasonal winter rainfall, making it Tyne and Wear’s wettest winter on record. Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Rutland’s winter season average rainfall all ranked as second wettest.
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-u...february-stats

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Interesting! Because of the pandemic, I missed out on the English winter, 2020-21.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

“Being at home from dusk to dawn as if you venture out on foot during these times you could invite a passer-by to stab,kick or use some other form of sport on your person.”

Dougal, where on earth have you moved to? I thought you were supposed to be in Scotland but you seem to have gone south.

I’m still in France. I like it very much. But I also visit Northern Ireland several times a year and that’s great too. My family have had good experiences with the NHS there. People are generally very friendly and considerate towards others. The towns are generally clean and litter free. The food is good (better and more adventurous than France to be honest).
Yes, modern life and having to do everything online and not being able to speak to a human is a major pain in the a*se but it’s the same everywhere, France included. At least when I DO get through to a human in the UK they’re unfailingly pleasant.

It’s hard to know sometimes which aspects of life are genuinely worse than before and which bits only seem worse to me because my best years are behind me. Presumably every generation goes through this.

Can you go back to Spain or were you curmudgeonly there too?

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

My thoughts - exactly!

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

C;early it is a different process when returning home from SPain than from anywhere else in the world as in my 20 years on BE I have never heard of anyone else having to destroy their paperwork before returning to live in the UK, no matter where they were coming from!

I'm wondering that too! I have friends and relatives in many parts of the UK and none of them are scared of going out between dusk and dawn (except possibly my elderly mother, but she lives in the middle of nowhere and s is worried about falling over a sleeping sheep!

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Poor Dougal. I hope he perks up soon.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Why did he have to destroy his paperwork? Was it destroying Spanish residency papers?

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

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I wish someone would do me a favor and destroy most of my paperwork. We’ve got several filing cabinets full of it in the under stairs cupboard.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

I'm trying to decide what to do with papers and books. 20+ years into the internet/digital world they seem far less essential than they used to. In the past we would keep printed items as that was the only way to easily re-access the information, but now most things are available digitally. I'm thinking I could cut my book collection in half (at least) without shedding any real tears.

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

To answer some more of your questions- Yes I probably am just as grumpy.But for much of my adult life,after the AirForce,I have run my own business in Scotland,England south coast & Midlands & lastly in Spain until I retired.You quickly learn that your success depends on your ability to provide a competent satisfactory service for your clients.In fact,you can go under despite this as so many have discovered.Maybe my family were lucky.But when we arrived which was prior to Spain joining the EU(& that´s so different to later times)our competitors were mostly established non-British enterprises.My experience was that other Northern Europeans are much smarter than us which you may dispute no doubt but maybe some of that rubbed off on us as we prospered despite starting from scratch,just the correct licence to operate in place.Perhaps wrongly,I expect others especially Govn ones,to deliver the service properly that is needed & not give some lame excuse when that does not happen.3 years ago without warning my pension in my Spanish Bank was stopped by DWP.Later ,after numerous phone calls & a personal letter sent to T.Coffey requesting an explanation,it was credited & re-instated but still waiting for that explanation.Helen,I did originally stay for a few months in Scotland because once my papers were gone I had no ID left,no Bank card so had to carry cash.Then I had to find a suitable place to isolate which would take cash & it so happened,in the places I knew,it was Scotland.Couldn´t even buy a coffee on the plane which only took card payment but saved by kind flight attendant who helped.Perhaps this gives you an insight into why I find our Govn.are idiots. Many more other details getting there including when I tried to open a Bank account,another idiotic scenario, but to answer Shard´s query.Yes it was my residency that was cancelled.The green foolscap page(no longer for Brits the original plastic card which showed our thumb print) our "certificado de registro de ciudadano de la union" & authorised our "Numero de Identidad de Extranjero"(NIE).Now replaced after Brexit with TIE.The old meaning stated(& I can´t truthfully now say where I had that)"You have the full security & protection of the EU",the new one after Brexit simply "You are a National of a non-EU member"the reason that British Nationals now can only depend on Britain ,the EU has been blocked out.When I left on Jan.30th 2021 no Brit.that I knew had been re-issued their promised health card which had been invalid since previous Dec.31st.I could have had my Covid 1st jab done in my town but no-one could say if we were going to be charged as "private patient".I´m sure that by now it´s OK though.Likewise for the shipping companies.Mine was,like all from EU,shunted to the side as British Customs hadn´t known about the new paperwork.The Company I used says they are giving up coming to UK they can get plenty of business around europe without the hassle.And this was a legal British firm!

Re: Dougal03's views on UK after returning
 

Dougal03,
Could you please insert paragraphs in your long postings - would make it so much easier to read....