I live in Dubai, ask me anything

You won't be flying anywhere on any aircraft if the airport has a massive crater in it and the terminal building is under fire. Private or commercial.

I would love to see people like this give up their passports. Bet you wouldn't as you want the back up saftey.

Do you think it's possible for all Brits in Dubai to answer questions honestly under the threat of arrest if say anything about the military situation being bad or concerning or are critical of the UAE government in anyway?

Hmm, interesting point - maybe that's why the OP dodged answering the question someone else asked and then quoted and answered with another question instead!

Is all this money in your name?

cos under Dubai law if you split he retains all assets in his own name. There’s no 50:50.

he will also be the legal guardian of the kids, even if you have custody.

Yes but if independently wealthy why go to that God awful place, surely you'd just live off your investments and interest?

They have to pay. My friend has when she's returned for long summers.

In the UK nobody has to pay to be treated in A&E.

OP I will just say you may have less than two weeks to formulate an emergency plan should you need it. Don't pretend differently.

The Emir of Qatar has said and I quote: “Our duty is to always strive for the best, but we must also be prepared for the worst-case scenarios, and everyone, institutions and citizens alike, must take responsibility.” Qatar is more diplomatically neutral, regarded as stable and rich.

This isn't Westerners back home with over bloated or distorted understanding of what is happening far away from the media. This isn't tabloid click bait fodder. This is a leader speaking of genuine concerns for Qatar. It's highly unusual and wouldn't be done lightly because of it's own implications to the country for doing this so publicly. This speech in itself is destabilising and damaging to the region as a whole.

This marks a massive difference to decades of instability in the middle east. This is next level. He's saying there is a substantial risk of the entire region being dragged into warfare, economic depression, famine and political instability. Openly and explicitly.

And UAE is in a bigger potential pickle than Qatar due to it's diplomatic ties. This should be taken as seriously as if the UAE authorities were saying the same. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worse. Anything less is foolish.

I sincerely hope you have at least got extra bottled water and food in the house, have documents handy (and duplicated if you can), a torch, a wad of cash (yes OP make sure you have cash) and a have a planned route overland IF you need. Be able to survive days in a blackout to give yourself time. Even a few days worth of time is really important. Hopefully it doesn't come to that.

Keep in mind your millions in the bank in pensions and investments won't mean shit if the internet is down, you can't assess it and you can't buy food. All the money in the world, good contacts will be worth the sum total of fuck all if shit really hits the fan. Have a practical low fi, simply rough and ready escape plan or bunker down and ride it out plan.

It’s ’Ask me Anything’ so the topics are steered by those asking the questions.

Yes, the philandering expat DH who stays on for part of the summer while his wife and kids escape the heat in their home country was pretty much a cultural staple.

Of course, adultery being illegal in the UAE, the OP could file a formal complaint against her DH as the affected spouse. However, as he would almost certainly be deported even if he avoided jail, and the OP and her children obliged to leave with him, as their visas are appended to his, the goose that lays the tax-free golden eggs would be dead, and the OP would find herself back in Peterborough or Croydon or Leamington Spa with Cheating Pete.

Personally I thought the OPs response to my second post about mortgages was interesting.

It was an odd post to give this response to but not to comment further.

Apart from the Fairmont getting hit and people getting injured and losing their lives in other incidences.....
I guess if you were safe though then 'nothing happened'.

I don't know where you got this information but it's categorically wrong. In the UK nobody has to pay for an ambulance. Nobody has to pay to be treated in A&E either. Only secondary healthcare i.e. hospital inpatient or outpatient is chargeable for visitors.

I think she may not have grasped your irony.

I'm sorry but there is another side to the construction workers. For some, they might not be shackled at the ankle, but their passports are taken the moment they arrive and they are indebted to the company that employed them. It's a debt that can rarely be paid as its then compounded with rent costs.

They do not have decent working conditions and very little in the way of health and safety. They work all year long in extreme heat - the site managers really don't care if it's a bit too hot. They also have dreadful accommodation.

I know this as I used to live in Dubai and worked for a construction company. Of course not all are like this and I'm sure many people enjoy a better quality of life, but that's certainly not all. Like everywhere, it's got a shiny side, but it's also got a very unpleasant side to it too.

The OP is giving some really interesting responses and as I always say, look out for the omissions too as they tell their own story.

I actually think the OP is more worried than she's letting on. She's living the good life and doesn't want to give it up and go back to the life she had in the UK. There's also a pile of reasons why it's difficult to 'just leave'.

And that's what it comes down to.

Reality may stage an intervention.

The British media made it look like Dubai was on fire and that everyone was trying to escape.

If Dubai was on fire and everyone was trying to escape you would not be able to tell us so I will take the British media over your testimony. We all saw reports of expats being imprisoned for posting video clips of missiles & bombing.

Hopefully Labour will no longer be in power in five years.

Is it a gated community? Is it a case of "I can wear my gym kit out and about" (like you said upthread) when you're in your own little bubble, but if you step outside of it into the "real world" you have to cover up more?
So a case of "I'm treated OK if I stay within the confines of my cage so that's alright?"

I'm sure she'll be relieved.

The op is typical of westerners in Dubai. It's all bling and lovely, who cares about Iran, slavery or dodgy laws.

It is tax free. That seems to be all they're able to come up with.

She'll be in very good company.

A sunny place for shady people.

A great phrase originally coined by Somerset Maugham who said that the French Riviera was not just a sunny place for shady people.

When were you there Hans? My brother has been working in that sector in the Congo-Caspian belt for 25 years, and tells me that conditions in DXB are now very much improved than they were at the start of the century. Part of his job is looking at workers accommodation.

It didn't seem very westernised when I was there about 10 years ago. I didn't see any beer in cafes as alcohol was only available in swanky hotels.