Aibu in thinking the average British person would be too selfish to send money abroad to family if they needed it.

[icedbunlover]

Just read a thread in money matters where the op met more vitriol over her Dp sending money abroad than rtb on a council flat.

Surely its a choice on what people, even those on low incomes spend their money on, if you want to forego drink or sky tv or nicer food or Netflix to help your family abroad, why the questioning? Why the disbelief?

So am I unreasonable to think the average British/English person would not help continually in this way as too selfish and that it's a cultural difference, i.e the eastern Europeans, African, Asians and Afro Caribbeans etc, who do so every month without a background glance, do so because it's normal in their cultures?

Yes Velour I'm aware and I'm meaning the Brits that seemed so certain that it was wrong to send money to family abroad.

I have not come across this view in other cultures and there does seem to be a clearer separation in British culture that immediate family is seen as including husband/wife and kids whereas other cultures see the immediate family to include the parents (and some include both parents and siblings.)

Yeah but that's not a very successful backtrack is it. You said the 'average British person' not 'the average Brit who seems certain it's wrong to send money abroad'.
Because obviously that would be redundant.
Then identified certain ethnic groups as exemplifying an opposing culture where the specific implication followed that people with links to the African and Asian continents are not contained within the category of 'average British.'
And reinforced that implication by using the phrase 'British culture' to oppose 'other cultures' - presumably those Asian and African cultures you praise in your OP. What's British culture? Is it defined as 'culture shared by those who live in Britain - with the caveat that they begrudge sending money abroad'? Is this the well-known definition?
Very lazy wording.

The problem with sending money abroad, is that that money leaves the economy forever. If it is spent here it stays in the economy.

@HeresMe some countries economies rely on foreign workers sending money back home. It is a sort of foreign aid.

My family is very close, I disagree... but on a whole I’d say you’re possibly correct.

@HeresMe
Hmm... Do you have an issue with people buying German cars or Spanish fruit? A good chunk of money spent on these products also "leaves the economy forever".

YY crax
Should people not go on foreign holidays, have second homes in France, fund their kids' uni education at foreign unis, go on Erasmus years, invest in overseas projects, donate to overseas charities, be expats and pay tax in their host countries? No ok they can do all that because they're not 'other', but they can't send relatively small sums of money abroad to support relatives that would seriously struggle without it. Right.
And of course it's not at all compensated by foreign students spending insane amounts on British school/uni fees, holidaying here etc etc...

The problem with sending money abroad, is that that money leaves the economy forever. If it is spent here it stays in the economy.

I don’t think people sending money home are particularly anxious about the repercussions of money leaving the economy . They are more likely thinking about their loved near deaths door who can’t afford to see a doctor. Elderly parents who won’t eat if the money doesn’t arrive, or young children who will be kicked out of school if they can’t pay for their uniform, pencils and writing books.

Hmm... Do you have an issue with people buying German cars or Spanish fruit? A good chunk of money spent on these products also "leaves the economy forever

No it doesn't people are buying these cars and fruit and taxes are paid upon it eithier directly, or in directly, someone selling fruits is still paying UK tax.

My parents (British) gave financial help to my grandmother for years.

I don't (at present) do the same for my parents as they are much much wealthier than we are, so don't need it.

Whether or not the people recieving money are anxious about the above. The question was why don't British people want money sent abroad.

Unless their families live in HK or Australia, I don't think families"back home" understand the immense pressure this expectation puts on people, to cover their housing costs and send money home too. Most people in the UK have parents that are adequately housed, often in far nicer areas, or bigger houses than they themselves can afford.

With today's society I often wonder why families don't pool their resources and live together, so no child care fees and no care home fee's
Who exactly is going to do that child and elderly care, Cambridgeanaglypta , when in most families both adults are working just to afford housing?

Thanks to everyone for their views. I'm not sure if it was lazy writing on my part but I did want a response and to see if the views that I came across were general or just a small subset of opinions.

@HeresMe The Brits sending money abroad care very little for the reason you have given. It is the least of their worries. It is a shame that the Brits worrying about money leaving the economy are so ignorant about the plight of others that this is the first thought that enters their minds and perhaps confounded why others can’t see it. They can.

Heres think you're being a little contradictory. Take farmers producing Welsh lamb losing out on business because UK supermarkets prefer to stock e.g. New Zealand lamb. So much so that the Welsh government has in recent years launched a (fairly successful) marketing campaign (HCC) to sell Welsh lamb in France and I believe also Germany. You could calculate a much larger projected profit if the British lamb currently being pushed in France was being sold in Britain because the competition had its wings artificially clipped to some extent. No one's saying that this venture is not lucrative or economically worthy, but it's not the same as if the product was being produced and sold in the same economy. At first you seemed to suggest that a closed economy was best and now you're saying that it's ok if at least some proportion of production costs are recouped even if supported by subsidies in this case. But if the latter is the case then what beef (sorry) can you have with people sending much smaller sums abroad? Would you rather they brought their relatives over here (so they can buy imported NZ lamb in supermarkets)?

PhiloDox - You’re right. Families back home usually do t u defstand the pressure put on those here to survive AND send money money. What perhaps what you also don’t appreciTe is the desperation back home, the investment they have put in for that one relative who is now in the U.K. some parents borrow or ploughed their last savings to send their loved one abroad to the U.k etc I order that may all not perish. It’s that desperate. As far as they are concerned, you have fresh water to drink, you have electricity, you wear clothes! Not torn rags, your dc go to a government funded school, you have healthcare! YOU have a million times more than they will ever have.

It’s difficult for them to understand that the U.K is not paved with streets of gold or thedifferent hardships you face here or the cost of living.

Brits sending money abroad care very little for the reason you have given. It is the least of their worries. It is a shame that the Brits worrying about money leaving the economy are so ignorant about the plight of others that this is the first thought that enters their minds and perhaps confounded why others can’t see it. They can.

People keep missing the question in the original post, which I am trying to answer, which is why Brits don't want to send money abroad.

If you are happy to see your pensions future livelyhoods, schooling ect affected by this fair enough, as less money spent Inuk means less taxes coming in.

The majority of money earnt in UK should be spent in uk(holidays withstanding ) its what keeps the economy going, money spent outside has a detrimental effect on local businesses.

But Brits do send money abroad
Unless you mean Brits whose ancestors never procreated with anyone born off-territory in which case who are they selflessly resisting sending money to, in their droves? Retired expat parents in Normandie?
No point insisting this particular social group within the umbrella of British has some sort of finely tuned nationalist conscience which precludes their allowing any funds to cross borders.
What, their mum's dying across the sea for want of adequate medical care and they go...ah shit we'd really like to help but it's the UK economy you see, we've got to maintain our livelihood because all money earned in the UK's got to be spent in the UK, sure you'll understand because you're British too and it's the homeland wot counts?

No it doesn't people are buying these cars and fruit and taxes are paid upon it eithier directly, or in directly, someone selling fruits is still paying UK tax.
Well, tax was also paid on the money sent abroad. Payroll, NI, pensions.
I am one of those evil people paying for my grandparents' residential care, and for my parents' medical treatment abroad. I paid over 60% marginal tax on this "extra" money.

The Brits in Normandy should access the French system.

Ah we have to got to being accused of racism here sure you'll understand because you're British too and it's the homeland wot counts? It's nothing to do with that do you not want the UK to do well, and yes I want to look after my future don't you?

And still most aren't answering the origin question

Heres original Q has been addressed, mainly viz. 'branding "the British" as uniformly selfish is bollocks' HTH

While I didn't mention racism myself, I don't think what I was saying was exaggerated unless I've grossly misinterpreted you. You're saying that 'Brits' are selfless when it comes to constructing the nation, which necessarily entails selfishness when it comes to needy family abroad. I'd argue the social group you mention (Brits who've been here since before the Vikings stormed on Jorvik, apparently) have a much more strongly developed sense of family than nation, as is natural, it's just they're very lucky not to have to choose between the two. Doesn't mean you can conclude from the fact that little money is sent between related Brits abroad and at home that there is some sort of conscious nationalist impulse involved, just that the circumstances don't require it.

And er no in this very hypothetical situation I think most, regardless of where they're born, would roomshare rather than rent a studio flat for a year in order to send a few £££ back home to make sure their parent has a life-saving operation (or, more relevantly, life-saving...food). Or is pathological combined-selfishness-and-martyrdom now one of our prized British values.

And what amici said

Mostly remittances is About sending money 'home', rather than abroad, so I don't know how many British people would be affected if they have been here more than one generation.

I do know though, remittances form a significant part of the economy of many countries , and have both positive and negative effects on the countries of they are being sent to . For example Filipino nurses send money home at the cost of providing healthcare in the Philippines.