To be seriously considering leaving this country?

[User135644]

I've lived here all my life l, have all my family and friends here but I feel desperate to get out now.

Brexit was national self harm in itself (and has made it harder to leave) but I am done with Tory island. They have destroyed everything over the last 12 years.

Had it now. Country heading for collapse.

The only person calling it a shithole on this thread is someone saying bye, so what if it’s a shithole (apropos on nothing, by the way), so many people are coming in.

By OP’s standards it is a shithole 🤷🏻‍♀️ Everywhere is to someone, it’s not a personal insult directed at an individual.

I’ve said my husband and I are leaving because we can have a better quality of life elsewhere. It’s true, we can. That also can get people’s backs up.

Granted I don’t know where you live, maybe that’s your experience

I also never hear stuff as on here. People are busy living happy lives (personal sadnesses notwithstanding)

So no I don’t agree it is

By all means go though hopefully you’ll be happier 😀

I’ve said my husband and I are leaving because we can have a better quality of life elsewhere. It’s true, we can. That also can get people’s backs up.

I really don't understand why it gets people's backs up. Without knowing personal circumstances, no one can judge. We experienced the same attitude in NZ if we dared to say our quality of life in the UK greatly surpassed what we had living in NZ.

Oh, I live in a ‘nice’ area, but for what we pay for housing here can get us something five or six times the size elsewhere, and that’s without trading down in terms of healthcare and/or access to amenities you’d expect any first world country to have.

it doesn’t have to be a shithole for you. I said it is by OP’s standards, and that’s her judgement call to make.

Anyway, I’ve already emigrated from the UK. I’m back temporarily due to my husband’s job. He accepted a posting that meant we have to live her for approx 5 years. Hence having a leaving date.

Yes, yes - bash the 'rich' - again.

The super rich and super powerful are systematically screwing the economy,screwing public services and dramatically widening the poverty gap to a point that most working people, even middle class, are going to be hanging on by a thread and people will die. How is it 'bashing them' for ordinary people to want to point this out and even want to torch the place to the ground if that's what it takes to make them stop?

The rich already pay huge amounts of tax out of their earnings. Is it not enough for you?

For a start many do everything they can to avoid it. And no it isn't bloody good enough when ordinary people are working just as hard, miserable and potentially going to lose everything and the rich are being made even richer. It blows my mind that there's anyone on the planet that can't see how unfair and corrupt this is. I don't know what is more vile, that the Government are doing this without an ounce of shame or challenge or that the public continue to allow it.

Is anywhere else really any better, we have the choice of - anywhere in the EU, USA, Australia but not sure May country is really that much better…

‘The rich already pay huge amounts of tax out of their earnings. Is it not enough for you?’

oh fuck OFF do they. Properly wealthy people spend more money than most of us pay in taxes to wealth managers and companies that allow them to be ‘tax- efficient’ ie Avoid paying taxes.
I have a mate who sole job is managing the money of one family ( mum, dad, kids) just in the U.K. they have other accts looking after their money in other countries.
they pay fuck all tax, one way or another.

What are your feelings on inheritance tax?

Its really low in the UK compared to many other European countries. In France for instance, its 60% from zero. (obviously more complex than that but thats the starting point).

Thats a lot of tax that the UK is potentially missing out on, and generally those in the UK with heavily communist/socialist ideals are remarkably averse to bringing in higher taxes on unearned inheritance but generally very keen to take the money that people actually work for and earn via income tax. A strange disparity of attitude.

Is that not enough for them? Why does the UK need to take out a Wonga loan to make them richer?

DP and I earn around £200k, and pay our full tax. We’ve been told we’re fools for not finding ways of paying less tax by people who think that if you’re lucky enough to be doing well, you should pull the ladder up and sod anyone else ‘below’ you.

I'm with you. You see maybe I'm too simple minded but I actually can't imagine being that fussed about being taxed heavily if I was earning so much. I'm not a communist by any means but I would accept that too extreme a wealth gap is simply unfair. Also I actually want to be proud of the country I live in and feel safe walking its streets and IMO a large determinant of this is good healthcare and education. The problem with being so fixated on money is that nothing will be enough. I think the country has become so conditioned to hate each other that we forget that the entitled a'holes lording it up on the top of the scale actually do a lot more than the ones just trying to survive at the bottom.

Do a lot more damage I meant*

But not one person did that.
All were grateful they could cope now and concerned about the future.
Its the aggressive negativity described above.

There are things worth more than money. If you're moving to a country where you will have to learn a second language then you will always be an outsider. You don't get the jokes

If I was your age I would go and give it a good go. If it does not work out you come back, but back hopefully to better times.
We are planning to retire abroad next year. Luckily we can at 55 as I have honestly seen a massive decline in living standards over the last 51 years.
There are many good things about living in UK. Human rights, not living under a tyrannical leader, rights for gay and minorities.
But I never thought in my lifetime I would see people who have good jobs going to foodbanks, total breakdown of public services, knife crime and gang culture extreme, total breakdown of supporting those with mental health and disabilities ( the report on mental health hospital appalling and shocking) greedy top tier creaming off at the expense of others. Poor prospects, kids with no aspiration as they cant afford to be independent/ afford car insurance. Education so bad ( teachers are leaving in droves as some kids are feral without consequence) I could go on but the care has gone. Where else can you be compared the scourge of society for alledgedly jumping a state queue, or elevated as a saint because you queued for 12 hours with the plebs- yes looking at you Holly, Phil and David)
A country obsessed with celebrity crap, bad housing and no sense of proportion.
We have a failing judicial system and consequence free punishments for people who blight our society.
If I was under 40 I would run like my hair was on fire from this place and have told my kids the same.

Yeah, I disagree.

I've just paid £400,000 CGT - on top of the massive amount of tax I already pay. How much tax have you paid in the last 5 years? Do you use the NHS? If you have kids, send them to school? Supported in any way by benefits?

(I'd like to add I will ALWAYS advocate to help those that cannot work for any number of genuine reasons and I'll always look out for and look after our most vulnerable and elderly, you know before that argument gets trotted out.)

I don't use public health services and have not put my children through the state school system, why? Because I can make the choice to pay for it, leaving more resources for others.
And yet even though I take nothing out of the system and I pump more into the system than the vast majority that complain about the 'rich', I'm vilified and judged. Please!

Good post BecauseICan22

It’s not just money that motivates people to leave though.

And having done it more than once, I can say it’s perfectly possible to learn another language well enough to understand jokes, and be accepted as part of the community.

I fully agree with you. I’ve lived in different countries and am now in the UK, as an immigrant.

The UK might not be perfect, but I’m always amazed when people call it laughing stock, shit show and so on and praise other places as if they were perfect, well organised and open to everyone.

As far as I know places like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the USA have very restrictive immigration policies. Several countries within the EU where Freedom of Movement applies also have a rather critical attitude towards immigration.

Right wing views seem to be gaining power in places like Sweden, Denmark, Italy, France - while some Brits seem to think that the Brexit vote (and I’ve never been pro-Brexit) somehow shows that the UK is one of the most xenophobic places and the EU countries are all progressive and tolerant.

And having done it more than once, I can say it’s perfectly possible to learn another language well enough to understand jokes, and be accepted as part of the community. One thing which is awful about this country is our poor attitude to learning languages. I tried my best teaching French to primary age children. Sadly foreign is funny. Of course the children of the people on this thread who are -aren't- leaving will be fine because they will be immersed in the language at school. The parents not so much.

Sounds like you're doing really well. So why do you need the UK taxpayer to take out a high interest loan in order for you to have more money?