People leaving London and now the UK for good

[Musicaldilemma]

We are in Outer London. Ten sets of friends have moved out of London to other parts of the U.K. over the summer. Now many other families are in the process of emigrating to The Middle East, various part of Asia, 2 NZ families who have been here 20 years trying to go home and 3 Aussie families (1 parent Australian). It is definitely much more than usual. It seems everyone who is rich enough and able to is trying to leave the country for good. It got me thinking to when I was a young successful professional - I think I may have tried to leave too. I am worried we are going to end up with an unhealthy, elderly population with all the young, successful people propping the economy back gone. I think the latest rounds of news have broken quite a lot of people I know who have international options, it looks worse than immediately after Brexit. Is it just my friendship group and the people I know at work? (Lawyer?) Or are others observing this too?

@BelleSausage

I see the Brexit bots have turned up

Everything you don't agree with is a bot, yes, of course

Work in a company of around 45 people with a very diverse set of employees, at least 12 different nationalities. One person went back to home country a year or so ago... that’s it.

I’d leave I think if I had any other options. The UK feels like it’s in decline

@trulydelicious

I say it as I see it. Just like you do.

[quote trulydelicious]@PrincessNutNuts

If her husband were unemployed you wouldn't call her ungrateful

But he isn't unemployed, and that's the point.[/quote]
If his employer couldn't find anyone British good enough to do the job presumably we should be grateful that he stepped into the breach.

Truly, why are you so incensed by all this? Why not just close the thread and walk away and start a rousing chorus of Rule Britannia at the breakfast table?

I’ve seen about 10 houses come up for sale on my London street in the last 4 months, which is unprecedented. All of them have gone under offer in about a week - it’s been like hot cakes! So although some people are moving out of London, there’s no shortage of buyers.

@PrincessNutNuts

Still the PP should be grateful for the opportunity in my view

A record 1.3 million immigrants left thr U.K. last year and 700,000 were from London. The biggest exodus since WW2

So why are more and more houses being built?

Perhaps some of those moving will be replaced by Scots. Think there will be an influx of higher rate - and possibly middle rate- Scottish taxpayers (if you will have them) if it looks like Scottish independence will be a realistic prospect. The 6 - 8 per cent of Scottish taxpayers who pay higher rate Scottish income tax ( set at a higher than the English rate of income tax) won’t want to suffer the enormous increases that will have to happen to keep Scotland afloat post independence. That cohort are also the most ‘mobile and could easily live/ work from London or elsewhere. There are only 5.5 million people in Scotland a(compared to over 9 million in Greater London alone) .... the sums don’t add up as we spend far higher per head of population due to poverty etc than in England already and post covid, can’t imagine will be easier!

@minkfondant

why are you so incensed by all this

It's admirable how others can keep their cool when those born in the UK (or those who chose to come an live here because they thought it would be advantageous for them) shamelessly bad-mouth the country at every opportunity.

It's amazing actually. How do you do it?

Clearly to put the UK down as usual and to push dubious agendas.

Why is talking about high house prices & too much concentration of everything in the SE mean you have an agenda or bashing?

@Baileysforchristmas

You’ll know when things are really bad when refugees are leaving the UK, crossing the channel in small boats, to get to France.

That's always the thing I simply can't understand. People trying to get to the UK illegally from France and Germany. Are they mad? They're sitting pretty in a wealthy EU country and they somehow think the UK is better?

I think people exaggerate about the UK being terrible and as for the quality of life being shocking - well I guess it depends where you live. It's ok where I am. But if you are coming from somewhere like Syria or Iran, why on earth would you want the UK over Germany? It can't just be because of language.

If I could, I would absolutely leave the U.K. for good. But I can’t, I have no other passport and I don’t have an internationally in-demand job.

I would leave because of the way the government have handled Covid and because of Brexit.

Imagine how they’ll handle the climate crisis when that shit really hits the fan... they’ve been ignoring it thus far, so...

@Sunplanetearth8
Where would you go?

@wellardwoof

Why is talking about high house prices & too much concentration of everything in the SE mean you have an agenda or bashing

If you read some of these posts carefully (and more importantly the OP) you will realise that these are not the main points they are focusing on (which are valid by the way)

@MooseBreath

I am Canadian, with a British DS and a young baby. If it weren't for DH's job that doesn't exist anywhere else in the world (at the moment), we would be out of the UK like a shot. The political situation here is dire. Quality of life here is unbelievably low for a first-world country and Brexit is only making it worse. I do not want my son to grow up here, as I have lived elsewhere and it is better.

Are you working? Or enjoying being a SAHM while your dh does a job that only exists in the UK?

What’s the relationship between working/SAHM and wanting to leave the U.K.??

What job would only exist here?

@TonMoulin

What’s the relationship between working/SAHM and wanting to leave the U.K

Probably having it easy and still whining regardless?

I’ll be glad when people so unhappy go. Lower levels of whining.

@trulydelicious, I can see why you are taking that as a personal attack.

I’d say that people who are immigrants or want to go somewhere else have basically a much better idea that things can be vastly different in other places. That whatever you do in one country, your country of origin, isn’t always best or the only way to tackle issues.

I know that before moving to another place, I was taking for granted many many ways to do things or look at problems. Living in other places taught me that there isn’t ONE way to live and be. But before experiencing that, it’s hard to even imagine it can be different.

The NHS is a great example of on a lot of people in the U.K. think it’s amazing whilst a lot of people who have experienced better and/or worse will tell you it’s actually pretty crap but better than nothing.

However, the bottom line is. It doesn’t matter where you go. If the place you live is using rules that you don’t agree with, you are going to struggle. If the disagreement is a profound ethical one. You won’t change your mind or learn to see things differently.

Basically, when people want to leave, it’s nothing personal.

But why is it so enraging to you @trulydelicious? Genuinely don’t understand. I was born here, and it’s all fair comment as far as I can see.

It seems very strange to have a red mist kneejerk patriotism response to perfectly valid complaints about quality of life, opportunities, outlook and so on. I’m not leaving, but it doesn’t diminish me or anyone else if others feel they’re better off doing so, and explain why in unvarnished terms.

[quote trulydelicious]@TonMoulin

What’s the relationship between working/SAHM and wanting to leave the U.K

Probably having it easy and still whining regardless?[/quote]
I still can’t see the relationship with wanting to move. Surely, if the issue was just ‘winning whilst having it easy’, then she would do that in any country??

(That’s wo the fact that being a SAHM isn’t always easier - I’d rather have been working than a SAHM when the dcs were little. Much easier to deal with imo)

And some of us are coming back! Serial expat here who has decided to come back for good with my family. This virus situation has sharpened my mind in remembering that the UK has a lot to offer (not least my friends and family but other stuff too) that the Middle East and Asia at least cannot.
I know many many expat families who for the same reason are making their way home in the next year or so.

@TonMoulin

I see what you are saying and I agree to an extent.

I have experienced life in other places too (my view is far from blinkered). That's why I find these attitudes all the more hypocritical (apart from offensive and disrespectful)

when people want to leave, it’s nothing personal

But they don't leave, do they? They just stay, reap the benefits, fuel discontent and keep on whining!