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.

And certainly wont pay the levels of benefits given in the uk

@drspouse I would go not because I hate the UK, but because it's something I've always wanted to do. Not sure why @Readingismyfirstlove would laugh at me having a child with a disability, though. She has DS and very complex needs. There's no way she would be able to move abroad with me.

@Dontlletmedownbruce
By comparison, my friend is from a place that is booming economically and has become popular with tourists. But she grew up during a horrendous war and the poverty of the aftermath, it leaves her unsympathetic sometimes and drives her mad when people gush about how beautiful her homeland is, she says they deserve it don't they after what they endured

Is that Vietnam?

My son lives in Finand. They have rising unemployment.

Eight pages and OP hasn't been back to tell us their proposed destination!

Journalist?

You object to rising immigration into this country, and yet you are encouraging your children to be immigrants to another country?

Our daughter has CP, my husband has a physical disability, we left the UK a little while ago, it was a huge decision. The care and support for both of their disabilities is far superior to what it was in the UK. In the UK we were given a sheet of paper and sent on our way, here our daughter has regular high quality supervised physio, just one little example. My husband hasn’t had to fight for any adaptations at work, or even worry that his disability might make it harder to find work.

@Barbadossunset No, its in Eastern Europe. But I imagine you could say the same about Vietnam, and many other places too. It's amazing the difference between one generation and anothers experience of the same place.

That's one thing that really grinds my gears...the let's go and live abroad when we retire...20/30 years of not doing anything for the British economy, not paying any taxes here...then they get old and ill and storm back to use the NHS!

Exactly!

The UK is broken. 54% of the UK pay no tax.

How many of these are pensioners? We have an aging population

This utopia sounds wonderful - where is it ?

Perhaps I could move and get the therapy I am still waiting on.

Those who don't have their own oil and gas are screwed. Norway will probably be fine.

54% of the UK pay no tax.

Not true.

"What proportion of people do not pay income tax today?

While we already have taxpayer data for the 2024-25 fiscal year, the population data is more delayed. The most recent data from the ONS, as cited above, showed there were 55.8 million people aged 16 and above in mid-2023.

Comparing that with the 2023-24 taxpayer data, which showed 36.2 million income tax payers, it implies that 35.11% of adults did not pay income tax that year.

If stripping out those of pension age we are left with 27.9 million income tax payers out of a population of 42.9 million people who are aged 16-64. That means that among those aged 16-64 around 34.91% of the population did not pay income tax."

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/institute-for-fiscal-studies-office-for-national-statistics-gov-uk-people-tax-b2637292.html

Meanwhile crime just increases.

Not true.

"As of 2024, violence, burglary and car crime have been declining for 30 years and by close to 90%, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) – our best indicator of true crime levels"

theconversation.com/most-crime-has-fallen-by-90-in-30-years-so-why-does-the-public-think-its-increased-228797

Will you be eligible for health care/ schools etc?

Eligible? If you have the money, of course!

Nothing comes free in life.

Your options are limited if you don't have an EU passport or US Green Card.

And I certainly wouldn't want to move to the US right now.

And in the UK disabled people are being shamed and reduced to starvation 🙈

Can you share why you feel this is better than the UK what are the major benefits ( other than sunshine ) 😊

I was going to say go for it but then read this and yeh you have a point.

Op the pp is right, moving requires a positive attitude. Go for it if you think you can set up a new life.

We didn't leave because the UK is "shit", everywhere has its problems. We left to get our EU freedom of movement and other rights back, especially for our son.

Having lived abroad in EU for 20 years - it's all a bit same shit different country. All countries have their issues. In Belgium we have huge amounts of tax and high living costs. That is mitigated by cheap child care and health care maybe but it's still racist, there is still knife crime. If you don't speak the language managing the high level of bureaucracy and even simple things like getting your hair cut is much harder. Poor provision for SN education or disabled people. We have talked about retiring to Italy or Spain. We once thought of rural France but came to realise that is such a bad idea as rural France is nice for 2 weeks holiday but not to live. A lot of southern Europe is starting to really suffer the effects of climate change - flooding, fires, extreme temperatures etc. And Italy and Spain will tax you even more. Netherlands has a housing crisis and a lot of far right shit. We want to buy a retirement house and in fact UK is currently top of the list.. Back to family and life long friends. And Marks and Spencer, country pubs, whelks by the sea, real food diversity...It's not perfect of course not, but nowhere is perfect. Healthcare is the one thing that puts me off. Here we can get a same day GP appointment, easy referrals, see a dentist etc From what I can see, it very much depends where you live in UK if these things are good or terrible.

Exactly - would abroad want to have you?

Where did the OP go?!

YANBU to consider this, you are possibly BU to believe that another country would want you! It’s just not that simple, however much wishful thinking is involved.

The uk is still the 6th largest economy in the world and 2nd in the EU. Plus I’m English, I was born here, I live here it’s my home… when the going gets tough and all that…