Why do so many people talk about moving abroad like it’s just a matter of getting up and leaving?

[Ballondor]

Don’t get me wrong, I understand for some people, it is easy - those who’re mega-rich, those with a different or dual nationality. But I see it regularly on here and other social media - if this happens, I’m leaving; it’s crap here, I’m leaving; if they do that, I’m leaving.

As I understand it, post-Brexit, just upping sticks, uprooting your entire life, and rocking up somewhere is a slightly more convoluted and lengthy process. It’s not something you can get sorted overnight.

im Extremely happy my mother is Irish so I have an Irish passport. So my children can also get one it’s crazy to me that some thought Brexit was a good idea. Why would you not want the option to work and travel at ease.

We thought we'd leave the UK in retirement, and probably go to Portugal for the weather on a D7 retirement/non-lucrative visa to pay tax at c10% rather than anything over £12,500 at 20% and some at 40%, without inheritance tax on our DC. I appreciate that this makes us quite prosperous retirees, but it's all based on DC pension contributions made for the last 40 years, so earned. For health reasons, this won't/can't happen. Not because we can't afford the insurance, but because of a drug that makes DH acutely sensitive in a high UV environment. A sunny day in winter can give him sunburn; it doesn't need to be warm.

“I think you are basically advocating for trickle down economics?”

@RedTagAlan - no that is yet another Tory “dirty” word like austerity. I am advocating for efficiency. Which means productivity across all assets classes and all persons (private and public sector). It means bringing out the best in every person and every person fulfilling their work potential for as long as possible. It means far less red tape and system inefficiencies. We have huge inefficiencies in this country. It includes high earners working less and lowest earners not being paid enough or choosing not to work either. It includes inefficiencies in health, infrastructure, housing etc. and across generations. It includes short term politics above all else.

There is a bit of a problem in Western democracies now where nobody in charge wants to or can make big choices, nobody wants to be a bad guy, a lot of stuff is short termist. A lot of things that are controlled by Central Government absolutely should not be - the control they have is what is making things so short termist and inefficient. What if the autocratic model has become more efficient in this century. How can we have a model that is as efficient to stay competitive without compromising our democratic freedoms. That is the big question I have.

I think you missed her point - it was about those telling others to ‘bugger off elsewhere if they don’t like it’ that often wouldn’t be able to if I interpreted correctly - I said much the same

I moved between (European) countries at least 7-8 times in my 20s and it really was as easy as decide to go, book flight and hostel for a week, pack bag, go, start looking for rooms to rent immediately upon arrival. This was of course pre-Brexit as well as pre- having a family. Not something I’d even consider now.

I think it’s more than a tiny minority. A fair amount of Brits have an Irish granny somewhere which offers and Irish passport which then opens up the whole of Europe.
But equally, I think for the wealthy a move can be quick, not just the super rich.

In Oct, my husband was offered a transfer to the Singapore office; if he had been keen, he could have been installed there in the space of a few weeks - with all visas organised by the firm. In reality I am not ready to leave the UK but with a school gap coming up in 18 months, I could certainly be persuaded.

Thank you @mumofoneAloneandwell . It was fine really. I had a look out of curiosity after a lovely trip to Australia. Not very serious, more curious.

But actually, there are a lot of people, like me and DH, who could move overseas without much problem. We have worked, built two SMEs, employ a handful of very skilled people, paid into our SIPPs, and now, like a miracle after 35 years of daily grind, we are "worth" £2 million. And we are already 70. We don't need financial support, we can pay our way. But why would we stay here to be raped by tax? to fund the feckless. As it happens we can't escape because DH takes a drug that means we can't live anywhere sunny.

Unfortunately for many of us it's an Irish Great grandparent which doesn't count and even if you've got an Irish grandparent, you need documents to prove all of that which can be tricky - how many people have got their grandparents birth certificates!

I’m in a similar position. and so I now know that a birth cert is public property and as long as you pay, you can have a copy sent to you. It’s a while since I did it but I’m almost sure that was the case, because I remember being quite surprised when my relative’s birth cert showed up in the post without their
explicit permission or knowledge.

I think quite a few Brexiteers went down the Irish route which is a bit cheeky really but the Irish passport is incredibly handy as you have no queues in mainland Europe and the CTA between Ireland and the UK also makes travelling between those two countries very straightforward.

They’re publically accessible documents you can order. I mean, you’d expect to have to put in a bit of work to get a passport which you’re entitled to only because Ireland, with a history of economic migration, takes its diaspora seriously and recognises it wasn’t exactly a free choice for those leaving, to put it mildly, and that emigration doesn’t necessarily not involve an ongoing connection with Ireland from elsewhere .

I’ve had Brexiteers who expect me to admire their cleverness at exploiting their Irish grandparent and who complain in the next breath about how long the application process takes.

Like Ireland should set up a new government department with special responsibility for people who’ve never set foot in Ireland but want to be fast-tracked through their passport via descent application so they can go on holiday somewhere else more easily.

I didn't vote for Brexit and I hate it too! My partner had an Irish born Grandad who was raised in Scotland but when it comes to actual details of where he was born, my partner doesn't know anything, he doesn't even know what part of Ireland he was from - Ancestry DNA has helped a little. I'm very proud of my Irish DNA from Poppy, my great grandfather, there's quite a lot of history behind his family, especially one of his brothers in terms of the IRA and the Clonmult Massacre in the 1920's, Ancestry was a revelation for me.