To want to leave the UK

[vickisponge98]

Am I the only one that wants to leave this country? My salary hasn’t increased more than 1% per year in the last 7 years… I hate that the UK voted Brexit… I read today the financial shocks of the autumn budget are worse than the 2008 crash?! Why aren’t we more angry?!!

Better to stay and fight.

Tory mismanagement, ideology and venality has wrecked this country.

We're the only g7 country still behind pre-pandemic gdp, we're paying the highest taxes, our healthcare is the worst in Europe.

We've become the poor man of the west.

I'm furious. Just hanging on to kick the Tories out.

My electric costs are pretty much the same as my friends who live in the UK, which electric company are you with to be paying so much more? Also, did you not receive the energy relief money? The measures have been put in place to help German citizens with paying their electric bills so you should have received this.

My DD is one of these... pity more don't moan, the ones that don't are the problem here... they let the gov do as it pleases... as they don't complain & then vote them in again.

Jeez even the govt acknowledges low pay in the NHS.... PiP accessor jobs are being advertised at 37k 9 till 5 for former AHP/Nurses.

You need the tax burden met and currently it falls on top centiles. Any government, including Labour, needs to work out how to keep high burden tax payers on side.

Starmer is better than Corbyn for this but we’ll see. Blair was good at it, in fact top rate was lower than now.

I know people think things will change brilliantly when Labour get in, I hope they are right actually as we can’t go higher with taxes and benefits.

I can see a lot of tinkering with headline policies that don’t do much but strike to the appeal for some (private schools and Lords etc) but it’ll take more than that economically.

My preference would be for Labour to run on joining the SM and let’s have a debate on it, although they’ve ruled it out and backed this up just recently on LBC.

My advice to people is always the same:

By all means leave, tell yourself it'll only have to be for a year or so and see how you go. Speculating long term can really upset people when the reality isn't what was expected.

Don't sell your house in the UK, rent it out.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

@MarshaBradyo I agree we need to be back in the SM but I think too many will be outraged by it.

The tax burden isn't shared equally though, it's very focused on income & not wealth which is a huge disincentive to young people. Plus ever increasing taxes are here to stay because of the countries demographics & the lack of growth.

I live in Spain. A cup of coffee is around €1.50. A 3 course meal including wine is often less than €10

I'm so sad that brexit has prevented people from enjoying the lifestyle that I have.

The UK is so expensive compared to my adopted country. And we have excellent state healthcare , free train travel , excellent state education

The lowest deciles pay a much higher proportion of their income in tax compared to the higher deciles. Income tax is only part of the picture. Council tax is profoundly regressive and VAT impacts low wage people much more than those on high wages.

I absolutely agree with your point. Lived in other countries, love UK but can't stand the current government. They absolutely don't give a shit about us ( ordinary people). They are making all these life changing decisions on our behalf's and we are facing the consequences of that.

I don’t see how Labour will break this without more change, and face the outrage. And yes there would be a lot but as people keep linking polls that state many regret Brexit then they could go with that and run on the mandate.

Labour could pay more from the state so some people feel they are getting more but Labour plus Brexit, ageing population and not so appealing to those paying top tax burden sounds different to the nice Blair years. Higher benefits will just be a doom spiral.

Actually there isn’t much in it anyway - current decisions on benefits meeting inflation and WFT are pretty close to Labour and more borrowing and higher tax is out. Probably why policies are so light touch from Labour.

What would help everyone us Ukraine war ending and hopefully soon. This is a big inflationary pressure.

@username8888 or a laziness mismatch

@MarshaBradyo the war will not end soon , too profitable for Lockheed Martin, etc arm manufacturers.
responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/10/19/defense-contractors-eye-long-term-profits-from-ukraine-war/

Only Russia can end the war & if you look at their previous war record, they tend to go for the long term.

Its got nothing to do with LHM or BAE etc they of course will profit but cannot stop the fighting, thats on the Russians.

Tax burden on the wealthiest can go far higher here in the UK, tax burden on the rich is one of the lowest in Europe.

Times report say its the Tories looking for a SM/Swiss resolution to the EU situation, that will be awkward for Labour.

Though why the EU would want another awkward half in/out partner is another matter.

Even now, according to a link I have, Germany has the highest electricty costs in the world.

Can we see that link please?

They may well do but is that before or after any help?

www.reuters.com/business/energy/germany-cap-electricity-prices-households-industry-govt-draft-2022-11-01/

From Nov 1st electricity is capped at 40cents per kwh for the first 80% of basic usage.

Far more generous help to business, 13 cents kwh, can't believe how many long est pubs i'm seeing close down.

We need this sort of scheme to encourage less use and to ensure the wealthiest pay to heat their swimming pool (MrSunak)

I remember reading about several mayors in Germany looking at how they were going to cut their energy costs this winter. They talked about closure of public buildings, cancelling events, etc. Sensible actions I thought. There was also a poster on here saying that a music festival had been cancelled because of the energy shortages. The Germans just accepted it as a necessary evil. But if that had happened in the UK, the papers would be calling for a general election. It would be the govts fault, chaos in admin, a strike at human rights,etc. Half the problem in this country is that people feel cross all the time so overreact to everything because of the bloody media we have.

That depends where you live in Spain. We cruised round the coast and Barcelona, for example, was cheap but other areas were really expensive. Fruit cost three times as much in some towns than in others. In most places Burgers alone cost €10. And you can't get MaccyDs thick shakes out there. How is that living?

Sadly I’ve missed the emigration boat.
Many of my former colleagues and half my family have left the UK permanently for Canada, Switzerland, US, Cayman, New Zealand, Australia etc.
Im a few years past 40 so not eligible to go to many countries and now I have a chronic illness.
I wish I had gone for many reasons, my job would have allowed a transfer. I really wanted to go when the kids were pre school age when my ex could have worked nearly anywhere in the world and we would have been paid to relocate amd had good health insurance.
It was never about money though, it was about living somewhere different, I wanted a much more outdoors lifestyle and more open spaces.
My overseas colleagues have great health insurance or access to better healthcare generally amd I’m jealous of that. The standard of NHS care I have received means my health os deteriorating irreversibly when it shouldn’t be. That’s frustrating.

Actually, it had little to do with immediate energy costs, it was about conserving gas, to refill storage facilities, ahead of winter, as you say v sensible.

Remember, many (inc in the media) called for the Govt here to introduce energy saving measures, our govt refused as it might harm economic growth wtf!!! appreciate we don't have storage but it would help bills.

Now, rumoured to be considering it again... FFS lead!!!! stop bloody following & this goes for Labour too.

So its got nothing to do with the media, its how the two countries are governed, i don't see Germany with 5 leaders in 6 years.

Actually, it had little to do with immediate energy costs, it was about conserving gas, to refill storage facilities, ahead of winter, as you say v sensible.

It was about cutting energy usage to get them through the winter. Which is what I said.

So its got nothing to do with the media,

I disagree. Our newspapers stir everything up with outrageous headlines that make people scared and worried. Hence the national grid say that they see stocks lasting through the winter but are preparing for the worst case scenario, not envisaged to happen, of power cuts. Cue massive headlines, power cuts will happen this winter! It gives people a false perspective of what is happening.

I live in the most expensive place in Spain. You will be in the tourist hot spots if you are paying that. And trust me no Spaniard would be seen dead with a maccys shake;) They only do fresh, local good ingredients. Plus port towns/cities Increase their prices when the ships are in ;)

So wait you don’t actually live in Germany? The way you spoke about our electric prices being so high I thought you actually lived here.

As I said before, my bills are comparable to family members and close friends in England, mine are slightly more than theirs. However, I have small children and my home is larger.

This is an interesting read concerning what the German government is doing to help the citizens here. We have already received payments to supplement our bills as they are higher than previous years, but not outrageously higher.

www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/news/third-relief-package-2123130

As another poster mentioned Germany is taking measures to curb the use of electricity that is not needed. For example, in the town I live they have turned off all unnecessary lights such as lightly statues or castles. Also, I don’t know for certain but the supermarket lights seem a lot dimmer.

All in all, I am happy to have left my home town in England and moved here. Would highly recommend Germany to anyone. Especially if you work in Nursery’s as we are short staffed!

Lighting statues not lightly statues….

...yes Germany is a great place, used to kayak in the southern alps most years.

...the facilities they have for the populace has to be seen to be believed.... they govern for normal people, sure they have issues but their GDP is 33% higher than ours and way better on a per capita basis... yes they'll go into recession but they are starting from a far better place.