I think it's entirely possible that 'Australia vs England' is uninteresting to more than just you here

Sends me to sleep, anyway.

Yawn.

I was in Australia for a period back in the 80's & here I was thinking Canada was the big wide open spaces. What amazes me about OZ is the fact that its so big with relatively low population the cost of running the infrastructure must be huge cost per person compared to the UK. Also the distribution of wealth by state must also be wide & varied. From family that live in OZ since 1970 they tell me life is grand, way better than living in the UK. The fact that the minimum wage is over $15/hr, some things are more expensive than the UK but their money I'm told goes further. The OZ GDP is approx $67k (42k GBP) which seems a decent amount. Then again the bank rate is high as is the mortgage rates. The OZ old age pension as well as support supplements also appear to be better than those in the UK?

I understand the grass is not always greener in other places (through rose tint glasses) - that people live their lives the way they want, may at times complain &/or compare to others & other places - but in the end its whats best for the individual. After all there are (and I don't know this for sure) more ex-pats still out there than have returned back to blighty in the past 25 years.

Don't know who came up with the phrase 'whinging pom', it seems to me it has a stigma about it

All Western economies are the same, is what I should say to be more clear. My point is about the economic model, not Australia versus the UK.

It might take you awhile to settle back in, expecially if you have been away along time.
But if this is where you want to be,all you need is a big smile and a sense of humour.........

humming .... not so sure about that cos as an ex-pat (in my case) one sort of becomes skeptical

depends what it's like where they've come from though , that's worth remembering.

I guess there's not much big box shopping in Romania?

It depends whats important....we all have our own reasons for leaving and for returning...Sometimes we have to leave, to appreciate what we have left

We often get conditioned into believing we have to make do with our lot ...If its not right, change it.....Cos we can

I was living on Vancouver Island ( stunning place), was shopping in one of the Malls ....When i returned to my car ( mini cooper) i found an elderly man stood admiring my car..., turns out he was a Brit, been in Canada since the early 60's...after listening to him for about 30 mins , i said you sound like you would like to go back...he said " My dear i have been wanting to go back since the day i arrived"

the moto to that is ... 'they no longer make mini coopers like they used to' or anything else for that matter. Everyone can dream - few can make the leap of faith ... broooommmmm

At least savers are getting a return in Oz. In the UK savers who did the right thing are getting money stolen though negative real interest rates, all to bail out the reckless. Its so immoral

They'll go to 0.5% in Australia soon enough. All the economies are equally dysfunctional. Australia was protected for a time because it could sell a lot of dirt to China. Now that is over.

You cant have it both ways, you either save with lower mortgages or through higher interest rates for your savings. I think most people that are paying off a house would vote for lower mortgage rates.