To panic about the dire state of the UK?

[moveblues]

So... all things considered... aren't we up sh-t creek?
-gas and electricity prices
-covid (masks? Pfft completed Covid mate (in England))
-council tax hikes
-inflation
-food shortages
-Brexit
-petrol

Sounds like something out of a dystopian nightmare. I'm worried dear reader, and 'keep calm and carry on' doesn't help.

Yes so now can we stop saying that we could have kept Covid out as Aus did ;

I heard about the ambulance crash that’s awful.

It was a bit crazy yesterday as cars blocked traffic but seems better today.

The British government at the moment is all about fire fighting. There’s a crisis they throw money at it. Another crisis they throw money at it. Another crisis .... and so on. There’s no forward thinking.

I assume covid has exacerbated this but it seems to be that every government only gives a shit about short term issues and then walk away leaving their successor with the rest of the shit to wade through.

I'd love to leave. Where are we allowed to go to?

Whatever country will have you. Most countries restrict immigration to those who have the skills and experience to add to their economy. I got visas for Aus and Singapore easily. I have several friends in the US and Canada, 1 in Norway.

If you're asking which country will let you go there and live off the state, then your options will be limited.

Ireland. We could live and work in Ireland. Beautiful country.

I lived in the Netherlands in the early 2000s and in some ways it was cleaner than the UK. I don’t remember much litter, and the Dutch liked to keep their windows sparkling. Dutch public transport was great too.

But I HATED the smoking. Most of the Dutch people I knew were smokers. They smoked in the workplace and they smoked on trains. The Netherlands was definitely behind the UK in that respect. There was also a lot of overt racism in the Netherlands, especially towards black people. We could definitely learn a lot from the Netherlands, but it’s not a utopia.

Panic doesn’t do anyone any good, have you seen people lately? What’s the point in losing your shit, just roll with the punches and it’ll be fine.

@pontypridd

No-one has to stay in uk you know, if it's not good then I am sure there are plenty flights out to greener pastures

I'd love to leave. Where are we allowed to go to?

There are currently 193 UN member states. Are you really looking for us to choose for you? You'd need to narrow it down a bit if so.

They haven't been laying mines in the English Channel, you're still allowed to emigrate. I've got a cousin working in Switzerland and a colleague of mine is preparing to move to Spain. An aunt and uncle are now back from Hong Kong following retirement and I've known people leave for Australia, Canada, Brazil, Norway, and the US.

I live in a northern English town and in my opinion the north/south divide in this country is just getting worse (don’t want to give my location online but a good comparison would be somewhere like Washington in Tyne and Wear). The effects of nhs and public service cuts are so visible here, it really is a dump and has become more so in the past year. Terrible problems with homelessness and poverty; I am a primary school teacher in a deprived area of town and the number of children who live in genuine poverty is appalling. Lots of high-density home occupation here and not enough social housing - the council estates are spilling over and the conditions there don’t seem legal. We are meant to be a first world country but the standard of living here is really not first class. My eldest DD, 20, has told me and DH that she will be moving away, down south, after uni as she doesn’t see any opportunities for her here. Many of her peers plan to/have already done the same, and I have to agree with them and actively encourage DD to go and look for work elsewhere. There are just no jobs here, and so many people I know lost their jobs during the pandemic.
Our whole family lives here or in the vicinity, and before now I never considered moving away. However, DH and I have recently been discussing moving somewhere else after retirement, and once we no longer have our parents with us. I’m not generally a negative person but I have to admit my worldview has changed in the past few years and I have become quite hopeless about the future of the north. I am open to hearing people’s differing opinions and experiences though.

@Draggondragon Yes I work. I am very lucky to have an incredibly fulfilling job in a highly competitive field.

Great for you although not convinced.

PA?

@tearsforfears72 I am a Londoner and thought that Manchester (city) seemed very vibrant and doing fairly well. Of course there aren't as many jobs as in London but based on what I found from the stats, salaries in manchester are above the national average.

Haha. Not a PA. happy to Dm you the details.

@tearsforfears72

I live in a northern English town and in my opinion the north/south divide in this country is just getting worse (don’t want to give my location online but a good comparison would be somewhere like Washington in Tyne and Wear). The effects of nhs and public service cuts are so visible here, it really is a dump and has become more so in the past year. Terrible problems with homelessness and poverty; I am a primary school teacher in a deprived area of town and the number of children who live in genuine poverty is appalling. Lots of high-density home occupation here and not enough social housing - the council estates are spilling over and the conditions there don’t seem legal. We are meant to be a first world country but the standard of living here is really not first class. My eldest DD, 20, has told me and DH that she will be moving away, down south, after uni as she doesn’t see any opportunities for her here. Many of her peers plan to/have already done the same, and I have to agree with them and actively encourage DD to go and look for work elsewhere. There are just no jobs here, and so many people I know lost their jobs during the pandemic. Our whole family lives here or in the vicinity, and before now I never considered moving away. However, DH and I have recently been discussing moving somewhere else after retirement, and once we no longer have our parents with us. I’m not generally a negative person but I have to admit my worldview has changed in the past few years and I have become quite hopeless about the future of the north. I am open to hearing people’s differing opinions and experiences though.

Everything you say applies to the south too. Rising violence and homelessness, lack of opportunities, savage cuts to services and rocketing council tax and bills. No social housing, people crammed into HMOs. That doesn't help people in the north of course, just please don't fall for the "it's better down south" bullshit. Your DD would be better off staying put in the long run, down south we just have the same problems but with more outrageous prices for renting/buying a home.

@HarrietsChariot for a young person, there are more jobs down south. I mean, my SIL lives up north and her rent is a fraction of our mortgage but DH and I earn maybe 10 times of what she earns as the only work she can get (with a masters degree) is freelance work. She is now immigrating as she doesn't want to live down south and she knows the situation up north is not tenable in the long term. The israeli government has given her a full grant to do an internship in tel aviv and would also give her money to help set herself up in Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv is more expensive than London but at least the weather is better!

Chuckling about being a PA. I would be the world’s worst!

That was to @Draggondragon by the way.

[quote RugCarpet22]@Tealightsandd The thing with freedom of movement is that it was done in a way way more liberal way in the UK than EU required, or most EU nations chose to follow.
The UK opened its doors, schools, GPs and hospitals to any EU citizen staggering out of a plane or a bus. If you could make it to UK soil, just go get a NI number and you're all good.

The other EU nations never did that. They protected (and still are) their national interests by allowing job seekers in the country for 3 months self-funded, and only if they paid income tax in the pot first, could they reap the benefits of the society. So basically, find a job in 3 months or you're out.
The UK chose to interpret the freedom of movement in its own unique (disastrous) way, and here we are..[/quote]
Exactly and it really hasn't helped

[quote onlychildhamster]@HarrietsChariot for a young person, there are more jobs down south. I mean, my SIL lives up north and her rent is a fraction of our mortgage but DH and I earn maybe 10 times of what she earns as the only work she can get (with a masters degree) is freelance work. She is now immigrating as she doesn't want to live down south and she knows the situation up north is not tenable in the long term. The israeli government has given her a full grant to do an internship in tel aviv and would also give her money to help set herself up in Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv is more expensive than London but at least the weather is better![/quote]
Good luck to her. We have Israeli friends (retired) who spend June July and august in cool damp Scotland every year to escape the summer heat of Jerusalem.

Wonder why pp thought PA

There are other pretty good jobs people do on here, is it due to being female and on mn

Nothing wrong if someone is a PA but seems a strange assumption

Not surprising. If so many people in the UK weren't bigoted and keen to vote against their own interest/had any critical thinking skills we wouldn't be in this mess right now.
@Sunflowers095 haven't we heard enoggh of the "leave voters are all thick racists" over the last five years? Give it a rest.

@MarshaBradyo I agree.

@pontypridd

No-one has to stay in uk you know, if it's not good then I am sure there are plenty flights out to greener pastures

I'd love to leave. Where are we allowed to go to?

No need to ask permission to leave UK. You're free free free.

But you will find a lot of nice countries won't let you in unless you have skills they want, and enough money to cover your healthcare and old age. (if you have a criminal record, don't bother asking).

@DdraigGoch

Not surprising. If so many people in the UK weren't bigoted and keen to vote against their own interest/had any critical thinking skills we wouldn't be in this mess right now. *@Sunflowers095* haven't we heard enoggh of the "leave voters are all thick racists" over the last five years? Give it a rest.

Nope. Their stupidity will never be forgotten until they somehow undo the damage they have done.

@DdraigGoch

Not surprising. If so many people in the UK weren't bigoted and keen to vote against their own interest/had any critical thinking skills we wouldn't be in this mess right now. *@Sunflowers095* haven't we heard enoggh of the "leave voters are all thick racists" over the last five years? Give it a rest.

I won't give it a rest because now we all suffer consequences of their stupidity :)

Wonder why pp thought PA

I also wondered that. Draggondragon why did you think Hdhdjejd was a PA?