Seriously thinking about leaving the UK

@ButtSurgery is spot on. Have you actually looked into this?

Most of countries where you might actually want to live have very strict immigration controls. You can’t just decide to move there.

I'm wondering if any of the people moaning about churches turning into mosques are or were regular churchgoers. Because the reason churches are closing is because congregations have plummeted. Use it or lose it- and if you don't, don't moan that another religious group is now making use of the building.

This has been going on for centuries, anyway. There's a mosque on Brick Lane that was previously a Methodist Chapel, but was originally built as a synagogue. (And if the delightful PP from East London was around 150 years ago, she'd 100% have been moaning about all the Jews instead 🙄)

How are all the people planning on leaving the UK expecting to get visas to enable this?

Are you multi millionaires who can buy access and don't need to work? Are you in the essential workers categories for all these countries?

Do you have any chronic health conditions which will need to be paid for?

Or do you all think you can just rock up in a country and not leave?

Where are you hoping to find a country that has no problems? One that will not charge you for health care or other help; one with no vandal problems; one without immigration issues; one where you will be accepted; one where you do not have to pay loads in contributions to health care; one where populist politics is not gaining ground; one where no citizens desire that the government step in to deal with problems etc...........?

It is too easy to simply diss the UK when the reality is that all other countries have their challenges that they do not shout from the rooftops and that only become apparent when you live there.

By all means emigrate (and become one of those pesky people that we all love to hate - an immigrant) but do so for positive reasons. Go to France because you love the food; go to Italy because you love the art ...... but don't just abandon the UK for negative reasons.

I have recently had two pieces of expensive heart surgery and further investigations pending that might lead to more. At no point throughout this difficult time did I have to give a fleeting thought to the cost.

The UK has some of the most beautiful scenery and countryside that is a joy to behold and is to be treasured. Every time I have been away I have come home and soaked up the green around us all and wondered why I went to the huge expense of going away.

There is a lot about the UK that is not as I might wish, but that is the same for ALL countries. You don't find out till you are there.

We nearly left for France at one point, but decided that family trumped everything. The joy that has been mine from my grandchildren is incalculable and our close relationships with them is borne of close contact. And I do not know how I might have managed during my OH's slow decline and death without my lovely DDs by my side.

Think hard ..........

I live in the East midlands.

Where have churches turned into mosques?

Excuse my ignorance. I'm in rural North Yorkshire, so haven't come across anything like this.

You do not have Sharia law anywhere in London, or anywhere else in the UK for that matter. Don't be so bloody ridiculous.

Do it, who cares.

Sad isn't it. I want to live somewhere multicultural (which is why I live in London). Not a single culture or religion...

It's becoming similar where I live. All the shops are becoming Asian grocery stores or restaurants. I've lived in the same village more or less all my life but it's barely recognizable from my childhood. No chance of my kids getting part time jobs because business owners only seem to employ family members or workers from their own community. Churches that my parents and grandparents went to are all being turned into mosques and temples. We are in a reasonably well integrated community but things just seem to be changing so quickly now.

I don't know about that. Some of the smartest, well-educated people I know are the most deranged.

I think it’s partly social media, but also low standards of education over the decades coming home to roost.

I decided against it at your stage of life as I felt I couldn’t abandon my DC as they navigated their 20s, or my (now deceased) parents. I also twigged that every country has its issues and the grass was unlikely to be greener. In addition, I don’t think the UK is any worse than it’s always been, it helps that I don’t listen to/watch the news and I actively avoid people!

Unfortunately, it feels as though the majority in the UK want Scandinavian levels of service whilst paying Dubai levels of tax!

social media is deranging everyone

💯 And most, have no awareness of this, nor care about it if they do. Too busy gazing at their own navel. 🤢

It is a global problem because social media is deranging everyone to the point that it's impossible for politicians to govern, and making everyone unhappy.

That said, I did move abroad (Portugal) and it was a brilliant decision for us. But so was getting off Twitter.

The UK. I live in East London. We have Sharia law in some parts round here already. The schools close for Eid etc.. there are literally no British shops on the high street...
Before you say "move" I was born here.

Do you actually qualify for visas to live in another country/have dual citizenship? Unless you are independently wealthy or highly skilled you are going to find out very difficult.

With his fluent French 🇫🇷 I hope (for his sake)

I do agree that everywhere has issues- just different ones- we lived in Copenhagen for 20 months and certainly daily life had a better quality in my opinion , used to go to Sweden a lot, same there. They are more ordered societies, but people are expected to contribute - a lot!! So you would probably moan about tax - couples are expected to both work- hence all the cheap and good childcare and quite short working hours.

I agree with you but would be cautious of moving to another country when your kids are still at Uni. Surely they may need to move home after Uni. There are thousands of graduates chasing jobs.
I have considered similar though.

This would be impossible to gauge though.

Canada’s economy is dire. The Canadian dollar just gets weaker and weaker. Taxes are extremely high, some of which goes to support our “free” healthcare (brilliant if you’re seriously ill but waiting lists sometimes years long to see a specialist, have surgery or for things like scans, MRIs. No private healthcare. Impossible to buy a home, be it house or flat, unless you’re a multimillionaire (seriously!), lots of violent crime due to drugs and poverty, extreme lack of mental health care, COL and food prices have also gone stratospheric since Covid, minimum wage is too low to even begin to cover an adequate lifestyle. My DS (21) is currently working two jobs, seven days a week. Still, preferable to the US, which is (as everyone knows) a shitshow.

Different sources says different countries but the ones that pop up the most are the Nordics and Scandinavian countries, Canada, Switzerland, Singapore, New Zealand. UK is on some of the lists but not all.