AIBU to think that the UK is no longer an attractive place to live

[Elloduckie]

NC here for this one. DH to be and I are getting married next year and we were looking to set up and be based here. But with everything going on, the UK does not seem that attractive to live.

Currently London based, we want/need to be somewhere that is diverse, have no patience bigotry etc. Though living in London doesn't make you immune from that!!

But to raise kids and work, it just doesn't seem like the UK is the place to be anymore. Does anyone else feel like this?
Thing is, we would we move to? Both are very mobile career wise and speak a few languages so that will not be an issue. Money wise should be fine too. Its literally a question of where else is good, diverse to raise kids and not colder than the UK (ruling out the Scandinavian countries).

Suggestions please..

If it's not an attractive place to live. Why are 1000s of people risking their lives to live here ? Free education, free NHS, opportunities to work, liberal values, state benefits including pension, votes, women's rights. Lots of countries don't have these things...

Isn't Lisbon currently in the news for its problems with ghettoisation and police brutality against black people?

Most UK cities are pretty diverse and on the whole the UK is a pretty good place to live, with its problems like everywhere else. I wouldn't personally bring children up in London with the current rise in violent crime.

why can't you raise a family in London?

just don't want them (DC) to deal with heaviness of being the only black family in the village which is why I didn't consider anywhere else outside of Greater London area. Maybe we were too quick to write off the UK in its brexit light.

Christ on a fucking bike.

Yes, here in the east we hide when we see black people. It's all terribly scary...

Canada is fantastic - cold winters though.
I've heard great things about Budapest.

I love this country. I love living here!

I’m in the north though, close to the lakes and Pennines and I would say from experience people up here seem so much more happy, laid back and just seem to have a greater quality of life than down south.

P.s. we also have black people, what an odd thing to say!

Denmark is amazing! I'd move there in a heartbeat.

I think we are one of the more diverse & tolerant countries. The cost of living in the SE & the related socioeconomic issues is a problem though.

I'd love to live in Germany. I studied there for many years and it was the best place I've ever lived.

To be fair to the OP...it's not that weird a thing to say.

Until about 2 months ago there were no black or Asian families in the two villages I'm in (Hampshire). A family just moved in behind us who have a black father and so mixed race kids.

They've made friends with the kids a few doors up from us (it's lovely to see all the kids out playing in the road!) so hopefully no-one has raised an eyebrow but I haven't spoken to them about it so I don't know for sure.

I would say it's actually a pretty liberal area here though, remain voting, lots of people who commute to London, etc.

I live in Bristol. I love it. We have multi-culture. Never heard of St Pauls Carnival?

I also grew up in Anglesey. I think that where I truly feel I belong if pushed.

My parents and my sister have lived and worked all over the world for huge periods of time - they've always returned to the UK with delight.

My Dsis recently returned to the UK to live from Asia. She nearly cried when she had the BBC and Iplayer at her fingertips.

But to raise kids and work, it just doesn't seem like the UK is the place to be anymore. Does anyone else feel like this?

No, I couldn't disagree more. I love everything about this country.

Hope you find the grass greener where you move to - many don't.

I know exactly what you mean.

I am not British. I lived in the U.K. for a couple of decades and really wanted to go back...until Brexit and the rise in racism, zenophobia and nationalism. We used to live in rural areas in the north and they were already racist, it must be a lot worse now.

We are considering Germany, probably outside Munich.

For those thinking of moving to the Netherlands, I hope you have factored in the popularity of the far right freedom party led by Geert de Wilders. This is the second largest party in the Netherlands and might have been even stronger had the ruling party not itself moved to the right. There might be an anti Wilders coalition at the moment but the populist parties in Europe have not disappeared. See also what is happening in Belgium (Vlaams Blok), France (Le Pen) and Germany (Afd).

There is a lot wrong with politics and society in UK - but the grass on the other side of the fence is not any greener.

YABU.

have you ever lived abroad? It's not some fabulous paradise. Everywhere has problems.

A real mixed bag of views here. The main things for us is as long as its somewhere were we can give them the best of everything for the kids along with the values we instil in them we are happy. Many things people mentioned here today I have taken for granted. Rights - though post brexit who knows what these rights will be, freedom of expression, NHS (best thing this country has in my opinion would be a real shame to see it privatised) and just the way it's so interconnected (for now). But..... This uncertainty is doing my head in, I can't plan. Fiancée is happy with wherever I choose.

I’m not sure about the Netherlands suggestion - freezing winters! I agree about not going any further north OP. The only places I’d consider moving to outside of London would be NYC (if absolutely necessary) or San Francisco / San Jose / Monterrey and that part of the California coastline. But NYC has bitter winters and the humidity of August can be too much.
Will you be looking at state or independent schools? For private, stay in London. For state, find a good school and see what you can get in the catchment.
There is Sydney, I guess? Basically, nowhere is without issues and, despite Brexit, most places have far far greater issues with bigotry than London, so you may as well stay put. SW London is a bit greener and better for kids imo.

Have lived in Lisbon, Paris, Zambia and in the UK London and Nottingham before

@Darnsquirrels I've often wondered about living in the US, as we love to visit. Could I ask what you particularly like? Does living without services such as the NHS cause problems?

The UK is indeed a less than ideal place to live. Imo this was the intention of Brexiteers, to make our country shit enough that people don’t want to come here and just leave it to the natives. I’ve heard people refer to it as a price worth paying if it stops immigration.

I'm with you OP.
I can't wait for me and my husband to retire so I can go home.
I don't dislike the UK, but I can't get used to how things are here, especially such as healthcare, employment and education rules.
It's hard to explain.

I would definitely investigate Bristol as a very multi cultural place. It's very family friendly too. I now live in east Anglia and it is not very diverse at all.

Looking at Private, school funding these days is worrying me! I'm in the education business so I see it first hand. Though I think with the right instruction kids should be OK in any type of school. But I don't want them to just be OK if that makes sense. We have previously looked in the Kingston/Wimbledon areas before. Just feel so ripped off by those house prices 😂 but I guess it's the price to pay I suppose. If we were to go further afield probably Guildford and Weybridge at a total stretch! But need to spend more time around there to make a more informed decision.