To ask why people flee the UK?

[seasonalsparkler]

I haven't posted in a while and have name changed. In light of recent events such as brexit, royal drama and suicidal behaviour- I can't help but to pick up on a troubling undercurrent. So I guess I am asking for anyone to shed light on why you have fled the UK or why you might consider doing so?

I love living here, and would never ‘flee’. I’ve travelled a lot, but still believe our country to be safer and fairer than a lot of places I’ve visited. I lived in South Africa for a while and so appreciated living here so much more when I returned.

It has changed beyond recognition and with every week that passes the lessons of history are forgotten more and more

Completely agree, UK has always been v racist but now its open season.

We left as the benefits of working and living in the U.K. were more than offset by trying to balance this with difficulties and expense of raising a family. It wasn’t working for us anymore and I had no desire to become a name on a foreigners list (I don’t trust the Home Office). We went to Germany but others I know have gone to Switzerland and Canada. I will always be grateful for the years we spent in the U.K. but we are very unlikely to ever return.

Who do you think is 'fleeing'?

Unsure what you think Brexit, "royal drama" and "suicidal behaviour" have got to do with each other, or fleeing?

I didn't "flee" (to me that says not having a choice, which I am lucky enough to have).

But for me it was the cost of living, and knowing I wouldn't be able to afford to buy a home in the UK. And childcare costs.

The amazing weather in my new contry (which has led to a whole new outdoor lifestyle of camping, kayaking, hiking almost all year round) has been an added bonus.

We left for a good expat package, including private schooling and a more relaxed lifestyle in a cheaper country whilst maintaining the same income all whilst my DP becoming SAHP. After living over a decade in the UK and a higher earner the stress levels became unbearable with no upside really. When the opportunity came we looked back and we were leaving behind about 3-4 friends whom we were seeing only a handful times a year as life had turned into constant non-stop work-errands-sleep-repeat. I felt I was treated as a second class citizen due to my accent (from a non-EU European country) and dealing with UK immigration was becoming ridiculous- having to explain why a grandmother should be allowed to visit her grandchildren was just humiliating and energy/time draining. Ridiculous 2 (or3?) tier educational system impossible to navigate for outsiders felt like 1st and a 3rd World Co-existing in the same country. Ridiculousness of class society in the 21st century. General unfriendliness, relentless competition. At the end I felt like there was no light at the end in a tunnel, no joy. So when opportunity came to relocate we haven’t looked back

@BertieBotts

May I ask where you live?

I'm an EU citizen and I'm planning to go home after living in the UK for the past 13 years. I don't like how it's changed since the Brexit vote, and I generally feel that we would be happier in my home country, and I feel that my son would have a better life there. I'm apprehensive though, as we have built our lives here and might struggle to find work in my home country, and also I worry about how my British husband would cope with moving to a different country. Tricky.

I'm moving to the UAE basically because of tax, but also because I have found it a cleaner, safer, more efficient and more welcoming country. It has its flaws for sure, but I find large aspects of British culture to be unbearable.

Southern Germany, but a lot of North European countries are similar (maybe with less nice weather than this particular part!)

Honestly from the outside, the UK is starting to look extremely stuck in the past. Similar to how you think of ex-Soviet countries, it's quite depressing and a bit frightening, to be honest.

@PleaseStopCallingMe - "moving to UAE because you find large aspects of British culture to be unbearable." Care to expand on those? Would it be rule of law, a fair and open justice system or something approaching equal rights for women and minorities

Palavah “ Unsure what you think Brexit, "royal drama" and "suicidal behaviour" have got to do with each other, or fleeing?”

I’m curious about this too. And I can’t imagine royal drama making people want to leave the country unless they were involved!

Bertie “ Similar to how you think of ex-Soviet countries,”

I’m interested to hear more about this.

FLEE.....get a bloody grip. That's what people do when they grab their kids and run barefoot leaving their homes ablaze.

People have always moved in search of a better life. Good luck to them. I hope they find what they are looking for.

@PleaseStopCallingMe, you’re moving from a democracy with problems to a superficially-westernised dictatorship with a heavily-censored press and an appalling human rights record, increasingly towards its own citizens? Good luck with that.

OP, I can assure you that ‘royal drama and suicidal behaviour’, or bad weather have not factored into my decision. I’m an EU citizen who has lived here for 25 years and planned to remain in the UK, where I did my postgraduate degrees at Oxford, worked and had my child. But Brexit, as well as itself being a monumentally stupid idea, has unleashed some unpleasant xenophobia and racism, doing the kind of research I do in a university setting got increasingly difficult, and the current government is loathesome. So we left in December.

a fair and open justice system.
Yeah, right. Tried using the justice system recently? It's broken, and the Government expects it to operate at a profit.

Oh come on people ... we all know what OP means by fleeing. Lets not argue the word. Geeze...!!!
I think its:

1. Weather,...
2. You work 8 days a week but with taxes and bills you never feel you'll get ahead,...
3. The class system alive and healthily kicking (hence the never getting ahead)....
4. The more things change the more things stay the same ...
5. Britain lacks a "can do" spirit that other countries seem to have that makes real change feel really possible.

I am in the process of leaving the UK. Mainly due to brexit. It was my retirement plan but now I have to go while I still have the right to sadly I am relocating our business to the EU , meaning lots of redundancy. They don't know yet and that's the awful part, I have amazing staff and they will be losing their jobs :(

1000, which countries do you feel have a can-do spirit please?

We have a 5 year plan to leave, mainly because DH Is from an non EU country and we can, and the educational stage of our children will be easiest to go then.
We are moving for better housing, cheaper cost of living, reconnecting with family and friends there. We aren’t fleeing, we have the option to move globally and an adventure awaits.
Ideally I would live in a village in Italy with lemon trees in the garden ready for my G&T but that will never happen now with Brexit. Arse.

I have no idea what you are talking about

Autumn... any of the countries that people on here have mentioned... UAE, Parts of EU, Asia etc. Might not be your cup of tea but the perception that things can and do change is critical for any country to keep moving forward.

Sadly Britain which should be leading the world given the talent we have is sadly embroiled in Brexit, xenophobia, racism and an entrenched class system that is all about looking backwards, which doesn't feel like a 'can do' country at all.

Honestly ...You tell me if you think the UK feel's optimistic?

We left for better opportunities for our future children in Canada and now pregnant with twin boys. We didn't have the finances to provide the life we wanted for our kids in the UK and can give them a better quality of life here. We do love the UK however and I'm so proud to be English and where I've come from , I hope our boys will be too just sad life there didn't really work out for us ! We are embracing our new Canadian lifestyle and loving it here !

It's a tragedy that in the blink of an eye the UK has changed into a country that those who have a choice choose to leave. And yet still we plough on to the far right and a no deal or close to it next year.