Lmao Tockalosh I think you have swung it for me!! I'm a Manchester lass but lived in Wigan before I left! At least the damp house that I live in here is big enough to regularly swing my cat around in!

I think we can probably all agree that Wigan is best avoided, just as I'd advise new immigrants to America to avoid Newark, New Jersey ;-)

Love it! Hahahaha! Sallysimmons you evoked a memory - I think back to growing up in the UK...after leaving London, moving to a normal house on the Devon coast featuring splending ocean and country views, the sun streaming in the windows in the living room and the family dog (a beautiful golden retriever) dozing in the warmth the sunlight provided. I would disturb her to take her for a walk to the (one of two) village Pub, past the gothic revival church and the old post office, sit in the beer garden watching the sunset over the rolling fields while enjoying a nice pint. Meanwhile the dog would enjoy playing with the pub landlords labrador...

I think Tockalosh just lived in a miserable part of the UK. However, perhaps I am looking at my nostalgic view of the UK through expat-rose tinted spec's.

Florida cannot compared to that memory though!

Give me one of those "boring [extremely fuel efficient] diesel cars" here in the US please! :-)

From Jeff Randall, one of the better economic columnists IMHO.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/e...drunkards.html

In response to many of the posts above I wonder if we are, as a collective, just kicking the can down the road and preparing a life of enforced austerity for future generations.

From that article:


chris955 - you weren't interviewed for that Sky news documentary by any chance?

No.

I think some here are being hard on Bud just as a reflex reaction.

Can anyone deny that most "first world" economies are very precarious and surviving on debt figures that would make anyone's eyes water if they had a clue what they meant. Who knows what a trillion is? I saw a representation of it once that was so scary I decided I didn't want to know.

We are all living as we do because we keep taking on more and more debt, and yes, future generations are going to live less well because of that. They already are, like the hiked university fees and the lack of jobs for young people.

None of this is against the UK, however. It's international.

I'm in favour of ignoring it because there doesn't seem much we can do about it, so Bud's efforts are wasted on me. But no need to harrass him just for the fun of it.

Bev

I struggle to get more than 70 miles per gallon from my little boring VW Polo and the low band road tax, low insurance and fits in my UK garage is so tiresome .

Actually Canada is in pretty good shape compared to all other western economies..esp Alberta where i live..apparently it is the number one province/state in all of North America in terms of the economy and debt (doesn't really have any) and future economic outlook..which makes the decision to come home even more difficult.

Well thank you. But rest assured, I don't feel harrassed or that I am being treated harshly. I enjoy civil discourse, humour and banter. By simply being part of a forum and posting on it I have to accept that there will be those that disagree with my points of view via intelligent reasoned arguement and those that offer little more than one liners with little or no substance. Such is the anonymity of the internet.

The main reason I visit this part of the forum is that I have been looking to retire since 2008 and moving back to the UK is just one of the options I'm considering. However, as most people know, there have been dramatic world changes since then, both economical and culturally, that have made the possibility of retirement a date that I have had to postpone.

I am genuinely pleased that those who have returned and are happy have found what they have been missing during their overseas adventure. I do feel however, that the MBTTUK forum is way too lopsided in opinion biased towards making life back in the UK seem like a problem free utopia surrounded by majestic beauty and enviable comraderie. I realise that people who wish to return are seeking the positives, and I'm always reminded of the line in 'The Boxer' - " A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.", but in all fairness,especially to those who are still undecided about a move back, shouldn't the negatives that people have experienced be given a fair exposure without being shouted down?

Not everyone returns under the same circumstances, not everyone returns with the same expectations, but everyone should be able to hear as many different points of view as possible.

Well said that man.

We all enjoy different things and find pleasures in different bits. No where is the Utopian ideal, but good luck to all who are finding pleasure where they are.

Agree! Everyone thinks that the US is the land of big cheap cars and cheap fuel! However for the money that my petrol Smart car cost me to buy, run, "tax" and insure here in the States, I could buy a couple of year old Diesel E Class Mercedes, run, tax and insure it for less in the UK! (It is depressing really!)

Gone are the days of the US being cheaper than the UK for many things!

We are finding the exact same after living in Australia for many years, it used to be MUCH cheaper there than it was here but those days are long gone it seems. It is cheaper for us to run a family size hybrid car here than it was a small car in Australia. The only cheaper aspect of the equation was the fuel itself.