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..

100% Lisbon - if you have the language and ability to work there (or in Europe, it's very commutable) why wouldn't you? Low cost of living, great weather*, good schools and young population.

*Pissing down at the moment!

I love Toronto
Education, diversity, food; house prices are insane but no wonder as everyone who emigrates, comes to Toronto or Vancouver hence pushing prices up;
It’s like a mini London for me with no traffic,
Yes it’s -30c today but the summers are 30c consistently

I’m British but now live on n NZ. It’s very multicultural with similar values to the idealised UK.
Rural NZ can be a bit mono cultural but that is changing and almost everyone is friendly and accepting of everyone. Google our new PM for a good view of how liberal and welcoming we are 😊
I love living here and am so glad we moved and are raising our kids in such an awesome environment.

My problem with Canada is that it's so dull and modern and anywhere that has older buildings (Quebec City, for instance), is like bloody Disneyland, with hordes of people gawping at the old buildings (it's v. pretty, admittedly, but bloody cold in winter).

I have a good friend who always wanted to live in Canada, after spending a year there as a student. She got her wish and now lives in Vancouver and guess what? She'd love to come back to the UK, but can't, because her Canadian DH's job isn't transferable.

Be careful what you wish for!

This has been a most interesting thread. Showed it to my fiancée and it has helped us narrow down slightly. Explore other parts of the UK further or give Lisbon a test run. Since the DC are not here yet, we can do the Lisbon test run. Jobs wise we don't have to worry so much, if anything it will be great since we would actually be employing people (one would assume people are looking for work, but you can never be sure). But in terms of brexit really don't know how it would work residency wise. Guess we will know after we leave.

Trips to other major cities in the UK is pending! Do like the look of Bristol though reminds me of Hampstead in a weird way.

Birmingham is culturally diverse, buzzing with life and cheaper than most places mentioned.
It also has some very high achieving schools.

OP I think spending some time overseas might show you that, on the whole, the UK is actually a very tolerant country. I’ve lived on four continents and although I am not British born I feel more acceptance here than anywhere else.

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 actually do agree with this - I think some of the more extreme Brexiteers want exactly this. Keep those peskie forriners out and the indigenous population in, so they can't go off seeking better opportunities elsewhere and are stuck with whatever is imposed on them here (eg poor employment rights, sky high uni tuition fees). However, they are the extreme, and most people, whichever way they voted, are tolerant.

Lol at some of these comments. I live in a rural village in the Home Counties and my son has 1 black child 2 Indian children and 2 mixed race in his class alone.

Life out of London can be diverse too

I adore Lisbon!

But I do love where we live in London. Absolutely love it. Lots of green. The river towpath is right next to us. It’s amazing and I am very grateful to live where we do. Though I really dislike how ambitious and yet under-funded our local schools are. The expectations are silly, the schools are chaotic and run on a skeletal staff of burnt out, burdened teachers. So if I could change one thing in my kids’ childhood, it would be the ability to offer them a happier primary school experience. I don’t think London offers this.

I would consider moving to the Californian coast - but then I think about guns. I couldn’t live anywhere colder or wetter then London so more choice are limited.

I live in Switzerland. I absolutely love it and would happily never come back to the UK.

As for diversity, it’s what keeps me loving London.

I agree it's not the best place to be. Brexit, poor politics, declining nhs and education and shit weather etc. Scotland is even worse with the snp wrecking education and embarrassing themselves. I'd move to Norway. Everyone is educated, great employment opportunities, they look after the elderly, paternity rights are great. I'd move there if I cd speak the language.

I’m from California.
I’d never raise my kids in or near L.A. You live in a car and see the light of day through rolled up, tinted windows, stuck on the 405.
Great to visit.
Though if you could live and work in California then you’d have to explore Ventura or Ojai or Carpentaria. You’d be scoring in those places. That’s the sweet spot. Close enough to L.A. Far enough away too. Great part of California to live in.

This makes interesting reading
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/globalnews.ca/news/4150860/disability-immigration-law-a-blessing-says-father-autistic-child/amp/
Canada has been far from welcoming to families with a member who is disabled, they have a shocking record. This looks like a step in the right direction but far from liberal imo

I don't mean to be thick or insulting but I don't understand this:

DC will be black so USA is off the table on that front

Why is the USA "off the table" if you're black?

This is going to be left field but one of the most tolerant areas is, IMO, Croydon and there are some lovely parts to it and a lot of good Victorian houses. I had a black student, a mum, who said Brixton was too black but now she was happier living in Croydon. Her husband was black and so were her children. I like the fact that in Croydon you see mixed race couples, white black Asian, but it feels the norm rather than the exception.

im valleys of south wales we get none of what your talking about

Have you tried Astrocartography.

Sound a bit woo but I think there is something in it.

Years ago we had stopped off in a town abroad.
Despite it being really not a very nice or safe place to live I immediately felt at home.

DP thought I was mad when I said I could live there.

Came to Astrocartography a couple of years ago.

Best place I should live is the particular town I had said I felt at home.
.Never felt at home in the UK.
Astrocartography reads that I shouldn't live here. No matter where I live it is not good at all.

Friends Astrocartography has a Mars line running straight through the coastal line of Portugal. The Mars line means war or attack type influences. She was amazed as she has been to Portugal 3 times and each time had ended up being attacked.

My Dd has gone to live in Canada
She loves it and all I hear is how wonderful it is
But it’s so far away and I miss her and although I’m happy that she’s happy I wish she had settled somewhere in the uk, or even Europe, I won’t tell her thou

I 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

Have you ever actually travelled outside London??

It's not just a case of thinking that you might want to go elsewhere, you also need to find out whether you would be eligible to go to that particular elsewhere, if you're serious about it.

Also, I would highly recommend going and spending a decent quantity of time at the place you think you would like to go, before you up sticks.

We were given the choice of the UK (South East), America (Denver), and Canada (Toronto). We took the US off the list straight off the bat - no thanks, our politics etc are not going to be conducive to happy living there. We thought we'd be most likely to love Toronto. We went there for a month. Two days in, I knew there was no way I could live there. Everyone else was 48 hours behind me. UK, we spent two months here. I last lived here 15 years ago, and never thought I'd be living here again. But here we are.

We're from NZ. In an ideal world, we'd still be there, but reality got in the way. Our kids have been heroes, the way they have buckled down and adjusted. I'd definitely recommend, if you do decide to relocate to do it either before kids, or when they are younger. Ours are teens, and it's been so hard on them.

It's all so subjective. One person will love a place, another person will hate it.

I live just outside Glasgow and although quality of life is great and you have quick access to beautiful scenery it is very rainy. I love Edinburgh and would live there in an instant. I have only ever visited London , which is an amazing place but very different to Scottish cities.
If I could live anywhere I would move to Singapore .

Tor I could be wrong, but I can't imagine the Welsh valleys being particularly welcoming to a mixed race family. Correct me if I'm wrong though.