not2old

not too many places for the working age people to go to Chris - much all are the same with similar debt, wealth (or the lack of it), taxes and unemployment. Utopia is hard to find & besides government in general & corporations are all crooks IMO.

As for those ex-pat's getting on in years or retirees considering or having returned back to the UK I would think these are a minority to those that are still living abroad.

As a retired person, i've been looking not just at the UK but also at Malta & Eire as other options to spend retirement years. The world is a small place

The BE forums are a wonderful source of information & discussion reading peoples lives & events they share.

the puppet on a string yes

sans

Bless ya hun....We only have posh trees in North Linc's ......Our pussy cats bury there own poop and youth offenders scrape gum off the pavements Theres a big sign at Dover saying GO AWAY.. we are full

But peeps keep on coming in..and they dont seem to want to leave, for the life of me i carn't think why.....

martinw01908

I was just illustrating the level of debt in the UK and how the economy is built upon it. A bit of facts and figures never hurt anyone, and I thought it was interesting reading.

martinw01908

I would agree that these countries all have high debt. Not every country looks like a basketcase and could in time, pay it back. Eire possibly by exit from the euro and re-issuing of punts and devaluation. I don't know what will save the UK after the housing bubble has been blown up again. Is there any money left for yet another bail out?

not2old

I thought the rest of the world was as bad if not worse than the UK?

On saving the UK - just wait for the next change of government, it'll be a whole new set of issues for folks to bite their teeth into and whinge about.

Zen10

Household debt in relation to GDP ratio is 147% in Australia, and 172% in the United Kingdom, so worse in the latter. Both are dangerously unsustainable and kept from collapsing only with voodoo Ponzi economics.

TheEmperorIsNaked

If I put collar up and trilby down, I might make it past Dover..

I know this one!!!!! Honeymoon phrase, and rose tints

TheEmperorIsNaked

So? Australia 1 UK 0. Got it.

Olympic gold for PTFurthest...

chris955

Yes, spot on with both points.
Some love their links so here is a good one, Australia appears to have the highest level of household debt in the developed world.
http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2013...bt-manageable/

TheEmperorIsNaked

...................just preempting...

So? UK 1 Australia 0. Got it.

I already awarded the gold. I should have waited until the 137th page...
Still; it's all good fun innit?

Giantaxe

I will still argue that "all debt is not the same". Debt is inevitably higher in countries where home ownership is more common. And unsecured debt is more risky than secured debt. For example, Germany has relatively low rates of home ownership so its debt to GDP ratio is low for household debt. That's why I think it's important to understand the ratio of mortgage debt to property values in different countries: the higher that ratio then obviously the more risky that debt is. And I certainly agree that in Britain, at least, we're seeing the government attempt to prop up property values via its loan scheme. I see that the IMF isn't exactly impressed with this and it could all end in tears as others have pointed out.

Zen10

I see very few differences between Australia and Britain in terms of any of the big money factors like household debt per GDP, housing Ponzi schemes, etc. Australia is a much richer country, but that wealth is not used to "under-write" the nation, and simply pours out of it via private ownership of the very weakly taxed mining companies.

Giantaxe

Well, Australia versus England is uninteresting to me (outside of cricket...) so I was making a more general point here about the difficulties of comparing levels of household debt between countries.

Caruthers

Basically its all a ponzi, world over to which we are players. Each country that can has sought to attract as many immigrants as possible to prime the pump.

Now there is a period of selection as the issue has become more politicized, until it starts all again. Its all cycles.

Caruthers

Basically its all a ponzi, world over to which we are players. Each country that can has sought to attract as many immigrants as possible to prime the pump.

Now there is a period of selection as the issue has become more politicized, until it starts all again. Its all cycles.