Do you love the UK?

[Kimbers]

OK, so we all have a moan about the UK and taxes etc, but here's a place for you to finally find out what our members think about the UK and Emigrating.

This isn't a place to moan about life in general but a hopefully interesting poll.

I went with no and am thinking about leaving because it's true. I do love coming back to the UK after living abroad, like I have done in the past, but always looked forward to getting back to Italy, Canaries or Malaysia and the pace of life that is so totally different from the UK. I always think that people don't realise what they are missing till they move abroad for real. The pace of life in this country is a mile minute and it's nice to live somewhere that isn't so manic.

[Laura]

Kimbers, even your attempt at being positive about the UK is negative the best answer I can give calls the UK [sic]querky. Stop moaning about the place & leave will you!

[Simon350S]

I think the only things I'd miss if i moved abroad would be family and meeting up with you guys, that may sound a little sad but hey ho.

I'd go in a blink if it was up to me and there was a job offer in place. My search for work is worldwide, if the right job came along and I could persuade Lisa its a good idea then I'd go. I'm not liking much at all about living in this country any more, I can't think of one thing about the country and hows its run, that I like and can be positive about.

Thats VERY sad for sure!

[matk]

Interesting question. Do I love it? No.

But in answer to a different question, "Would I like to love it?" the answer would def be yes. I think it's quite sad that I feel unable to love the country of my birth, but unfortunately I don't. I also think its sad that all the reasons that I've fallen out of love in the UK, are reasons that are highly unlikely to ever go away.

Personally I'm finding the experience of living in a different country easier than I thought I would. I'll always love visiting the UK, and as Simon said, a lot of that is hooking up with mates here, but I can't see myself living back permanently in the UK.

A lot of people quote the tax situation in the UK as a reason for leaving. In my experience though most countries are fairly similiar in this respect. Certainly taxes in France are as heavy, if not heavier than the UK. I think most people who emigrate do so for reasons other than tax. It's more about the overall quality of life.

[Kimbers]

Laura, I was genuinely interested what other people think. I make no bones about my dislike for the way the country has gone over the last 20 years. However I also understand that people love the country and living here! I and many others are very nationalistic and would love to be happy back here (like Mat).

I thought my post above was a balanced view and my reasoning honest. Moving is on the agenda but it's not me that makes the final decision and unltimately my home, and heart, is with my wife and kids (sod the rest of the family they can fly over to see me).

[red vtec]

I agree with Kimbers, and am looking at moving abroad.

I am in two minds as I feel it is awaful that I should want to leave the country of my birth. But I do fear for the future if the last 15 years is an indicator then I really should get out.

Firstly I need somewhere I can take the Esprit.

[Loose Cannon]

I went for option b but in reality if an opportunity to live abroad did come up I would take it. Travelling abroad a little has made me appreciate our country, and that there are probably lless places I'd like to live than I thought, but would still do it just for the life experience. I do feel the country has gone downhill year on yaer since the mid 90s, how much of that is to do with global effects, vs how much to do with blithering Blairite policies, I'm not clever enough to work out. I'm deeply sad that all the things I feel proud of in this country are basically historical ones.

[ramjet]

I find it funny how we think about where we live.

To a large degree, I envy you in the UK. You can cross the channel and be in another country with access to many other different countries and cultures etc. Some of which I can only dream about visiting and certainly not regularly.

I can travel 4,000kms and I am still in the same country. Think about that. We're talking approximately 6 days in a car or 4.5 hours on a plane and I have only changed states in the same country. Same language, very similar architecture, very little history of the age of where you live.

Things will always look better somewhere else or more desirable somewhere else, but sometimes I think we need to make the best of what we have.

Ultimately, every place is run by politicians so nothing really changes that much.

[Jonathan]

I did leave once for a short while, to California but came back. I do love the British Isles (thats all the countries) and I'm growing very fond of the continent.

I think people have their place in certain areas - I went back to the motherland (wales) and Hereford last year and the microsecond I got there I felt at home, very strange feeling.

I also spent a long weekend in Pork pie country (Melton Mowbray) and Grantham recently and was chilled to the max. Our France trip was quasi utopia.

Sadly my house is on a main road, right outside a bus stop with all the school kids and slowly getting worse - I want to move but stay in the country, possibly up north or somewhere central.

Probs with the UK are the weather (all you foreigners might laugh !) but it is either sunny or shite here, and I am very much solar powered (wtf move to wales then ! nutter).

Govnt is also absolutly useless - hopefully someone will shake it all up soon and rid us of the nanny state but who knows.

To those thinking of going - great, no probs but living and working is totally different to holidaying - might be spelling the obvious but the amount of people I know who move back when the novilty wears off, esp once the medical bills come tumbling in.

[Guest mkelite]

I love England. i am NOT a Royalist but love our history, our culture, our ability to understand and embrace others. i am a typical eccentric Englishman and love all that is, has been and will be British. England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland are to me all that is British in the true sense of the word. we've made mistakes - who hasnt? - but we've always tried to help others. we are physically a small country with relatively a small population in real terms, yet historically and presently have plenty to be proud of. the only negatives to British culture is we do not shout about our achievements enough, are currently not patriotic enough and sometimes the summer never comes!

[Kimbers]

Are we allowed to be patriotic? Isn't that either racism or discriminatory?

[Simon350S]

Sounds about right Mr K

[Guest mkelite]

'are we allowed to be patriotic'. ? that sounds a strange question. YES we are and fly the Union Jack too! the problem with any discussion is that it ALWAYS goes off in different directions. regards guys. DC.

[Kimbers]

Sorry Dave, but my kids have been told their aren't allowed to bring flags into school during the world cup this year because it will make non English children feel left out and that could lead to fights.

So no, you can't fly the flag.

But you are correct, we are digressing.

[Paul C]

OK, so we all have a moan about the UK and taxes etc...

You do mate. There are forum pages full of it.

If you were going to leave you'd have done it by now. The thing that ruins this country is people moaning about how shit things are, swearing they are going to get out, and never doing so. Who wants to hear all that? Why would they? Year after year? The same old maon over and over with the impotent threat of doing something about it. Utter tosh.

I wish there was a boat to take all the disgruntled brit haters away to some utopian paradise i really do, this country would be far richer if we binned all the moaners and replaced them with smiling, hardworking and happy to be here europeans. People who maon about their lot and bang on about a solution they never take are only interesting for a very finite amount of time.

Maybe build a big catapult and fire these guys into rural France?

Or the sea.

[Advantage]

Mat lives in rural France. I'm sure he'd just LOVE a bunch of whinging Poms cluttering up the place.

[Vicki]

Into the sea it is then! Any preference on the body of water we aim for?

I feel compelled to point out that it should be "quirkiness" and not "qwerkyness". How I lament the declining standards of written English. Tsk! Maybe if you had paid more attention in school rather than taking flags in then your spelling would be better? Just a thought...

If ever "thinking about moving" transforms into "doing something about moving" do be sure to keep us updated.

[Paul C]

If ever "thinking about moving" transforms into "doing something about moving" do be sure to keep us updated.

Vicki is very, very wise.

The people that whine endlessly about leaving the UK and never doing it, have nothing to say, and they are saying too often and too loudly.

GKP, you make a fair point, although parisians have all passed an exam on being rude and letting their tiny dogs poo everywhere, the rural french are nice folk. Perhaps a catpult would not suffice...

...a cannon would be best, always my favorite anyway, fill the barrel with these moaning yet geograpically static folk, and rather than poison some other country with them, just point the barrel down and fire them into the ground.

Wait a year or so and it would be great soil for tomato plants, just look round the culverts of any sewerage treatment works.

[wayneb911]

A question i dont think i will ever have the answer to. Always thinking about going abroad but would it be for the better. At the end of the day i know where my home is and would i miss it i reckon so. Guess that answers my question.

[Günter]

can't vote for it, as I'm not an UK citizen (or *ex*-UK citizen) ...but from impressions out of 3 visits in three different years (and even in different centuries.. ) would say there are places in the world who are more worst to live than that.

Prices of food are competitive (based from my discount market standards), petrol is cheaper, people are more friendly and tolerant , nice small towns in the countryside, the sea is always near, more liberal vehicle-safety laws, ...and believe it or not -there is sunshine in the UK ...'sometimes' (have got a massive red-hot burned skin in Donington ...in the mid 90th.. )

Sorry Dave, but my kids have been told their aren't allowed to bring flags into school during the world cup this year because it will make non English children feel left out and that could lead to fights.

So no, you can't fly the flag.

But you are correct, we are digressing.

really ? that makes me wonder .

... does it makes sense , I think no! As I would be surprised if the GB soccer-national-team (or every other GB international sports competition-team) is fully recruited out of 'white skined, tartan wearing blokes'... .

Every international sports competitive event is commercialised nowadays -so there is used what is available on 'human sources' within regional teams. And I don't think all have an passport of the corresponding nation they start for.. . So why should someone be felt 'left out' -as it is meant to support a team , nothing else. Those children who are in the shool, based on exchange programs -or comming from your colonies- could support there own national-teams, and nobody should be allowed to shout them for that .

PS. ..Kimbers, the *Mark Brandenburg* region is known for being tolerant if it comes out on 'British' & proud ..must me something with the Prussian bloodline !?

Edited January 30, 2010 by G

[Laura]

Just for the record, we don't have a team GB Gunter; our football teams are divided on to countries so Kimbers is referring to supporting England in the world cup and his children waving a St. Georges cross. Unfortunately the flag has recently become associated with far right groups and less so with being patriotic. More chavs looking to start a fight than football fans seem to carry a flag come world up time.

[Paul C]

Kimbers is referring to supporting England in the world cup and his children waving a St. Georges cross.

Who carried an England flag to school for the world cup? How mental is that? Whats next? Bobble hats and rattles? Are England playing the match on the school sports field or something? Not allowing kids to carry flags into school is just good and obvious common sense, why are they at school? The only 'right' they are exercising is the right to be stupid.

Yes Gunter, the last world cup saw this country full of French, German and Japanese cars all with little St George flags clipped to their doors. They were everywhere such was our patriotism. They were not that well made though, and in time the motorway verges and country hedgerows had bits of patriotic litter all over them where the odd flag or two had come off a car. If you took the time to pick up on of these flags and look down the side of it's cheap white plastic stem, you would read 'made in china'. It is quite a sight on the motorway though, enough to make you gush with pride really.

God save the queen! God save her i say!!!

[Advantage]

I would imagine the school's real reason is to stop a load of chavvy football supporters from boring the rest of the school for 6 weeks. The flag excuse is a diversionary tactic.

[Loose Cannon]

the last world cup saw this country full of French, German and Japanese cars all with little St George flags clipped to their doors

Edited January 30, 2010 by LooseCannon

[s4simon]

Nice place for a holiday.