Seriously thinking about leaving the UK - AIBU?

[HonoraBridge]

I love the UK in many ways but it has been going downhill for at least 20 years and it feels as if the speed of the decline is accelerating. I no longer see a happy, or particularly safe, future here. For the first time in my life, I am very seriously thinking about leaving the UK and that feeling gets stronger day by day. When I mention this to friends, many are feeling the same way. YANBU - you are right to think seriously about leaving the UK. YABU - the UK is a still a great country to live in and you are being unreasonable to want to leave.

Croatia, Monte Negro, Poland etc. The average salary in most Eastern European countries has risen to 2000 euros per month but the average rent for a central flat in a big city is 500 euros. You do the math

I live in the US and I know people, who can afford to, are buying houses in the UK. Anyway there are a LOT of people here in the US who want to leave but where would we all go?

Food in Croatia is hugely expensive. I would say approaching twice what it is in London.

I wouldn’t want to be moving to Poland atm, with Russia breathing down their neck.

Because you want a better life for your kids than the UK can offer ?

I love the U.K. I live in a very pretty part. I do a job I love. My kids are safe and loved. I have lakes on my doorstep and mountains to climb. I love visiting London and really believe it’s one of the most amazing capital cities out there I find our country funny and quirky and steeped in history and interesting things to visit and look at. I have lived abroad. Europe, the far east and Australia. Loved that too but it’s not home I think life is what you make it and I also think the English like to moan. Go and live elsewhere by all means but do it because it’s an adventure not because you want to go on and on about what a shit country it is. Believe you me, we are very lucky in many respects

YANBU if that’s how you feel but I won’t be going because I don’t think the grass is greener in other countries.

I had 4 years living in another country. It didn’t feel like home.

Where in Canada do you live? We’ve in Canada and don’t recognise your comments.

It doesn't have to be terrible here to want to experience life in another country, so get planning.

FWIW, I think the future for many in UK is pretty bleak.

The same is said about the USA, yet few leave, and a lot more are hoping to get in. I have thought about moving in the last decade, but there is no where that's better and plenty that are worse.

I don't think that any country is going to be a utopia. All countries have pluses and minuses, so the best one can do, if they really wish to move, is to find a country that seems to have the most of what you want and fits your belief pattern and try to see if they would take you.

Yes. Those who think like this make me wonder if I want to live here. By all means encourage your DC to become migrants. Which countries might they migrate to? Will they be welcome?

There was a shooting by my home yesterday as school children were leaving school, some ran into local shops for cover. A woman got raped by me at 8am on a Monday morning in the local woods. There are stabbings regularly and I don’t feel comfortable going into my home city centre anymore. In all honestly I feel like an unwelcome foreigner in the country I grew up in. I need to get away, I don’t want my children growing up around this. So no you’re not being unreasonable.

Where do you live?

the expression : Grass could be greener on the side springs to mind… as my dad would say the water bill is probably higher too! Best of luck

“Go figure”? It’s really not that difficult: the people who want to leave are those paying high taxes and getting nothing for it (terrible nhs, education, council services, everything overpriced, etc, etc) and those desperate to come want to sponge off the tax payers to get free housing, benefits, education, nhs, etc despite never having paid a penny into the system. We really are a joke.

Two out of our three children (professionals working in London) are in the process of leaving the UK to work abroad, the third is hoping to follow.

For the first time ever we are also thinking of returning to my home country for retirement, primarily because it has zero inheritance tax.

Considerations

• Do you speak the language. Can you write it? To a level to gain decent employment
• Will your previous employment record/qualifications be recognised
• What are the entry requirements...I watched a YouTube video suggesting countries worth moving to, most require hefty savings and investment in the country
• Kids education, how good is it, could they start in a completely from scratch and without the language
• Is medical treatment affordable until you have insurance in place
• Could you adjust to the culture. Moving to Europe is one thing but to the far East or india
• How do you feel about leaving family behind, if parents get ill it's not a case of jumping in.the car

Really? You live in Canada and don't know about the housing issues, medical issues, or the opioid epidemic? I'm on the East coast but you would have to be living under a rock to be unaware of this. it's in the news every day.

I haven’t voted (super annoying as I can’t see how others have voted!) - because I can see both sides.

I hate that things seem so bleak here, that the cost of living has taken joy for so many or worse pushed people into poverty. Diseases like rickets have no place in a civilised society. I hate that there’s nothing to choose between our political parties- this week labour have really taken over as the really nasty party!

However I’d caution that the grass might not be greener - imagine living under trump the narcissist, issues in france, germany, tension in lots of war in the middle east, mexico, canada and greenland being bullied by america, ukraine etc.

Some areas have problems but it’s no where near as bad as some US and UK cities.

There's a really weird tone to this thread- a lot of "Britain is fucked because of all the immigrants so I want to become an immigrant myself" It has descended to the kind of sludge you'd scrape off the floor after the Reform conference has spaffed its last. Utterly nihilistic and joyless.

Strange, because if anything would make me want to leave the UK it would be pasty faced indigenous "Eng-er-land!" types setting fire to bins and ripping their shirts off to try and start on the plod 🙄.

But there is so much cool about this country- bluebells, folklore, public footpaths- probably the kind of thing the joy suckers pay no attention to while they're giving their nets a twitch or getting in the Range Rover to drive to the retail park, looking forward to their two minutes hate at the sight of a woman in a headscarf.

But I'd still like the opportunity to live elsewhere, to discover the unique quirks and joys and landscapes and people of other lands. Shame the dementors have made that impossible for us with their small minded hatred of "furriners" isn't it.

I probably spend 4 to 6 months out of the UK. If I had my time again I would become resident in Spain. Too old now. My child has emigrated to Oz recently.

After seeing the way some fb acquaintances are living then hard agree with this. No incentive to work for some. I have multiple conplex health issues and feel like an absolute mug working and saving for the smallest of breaks. I know that doesn't apply to everyone but some are absolute ripping it and I can't believe they post what they do online.

Oz and NZ don't know what a woman is - you could have problems there, particularly with kids, that we don't yet have here.

Oh FFS!!