Record Number Of People Leave Uk

[mark100]

Perhaps these British Expats who bleat on about the UK should be invited to recind their citizenship and rights to ever go back.

(Sadly they can't do that)

I for one am sick of hearing them droan on about the UK and what ever their particular gripe is - OK they have a right to say what they want. but I'd appreciate if they at least tried to come up with something they thought up for themselves.

I guess it never occurs to them that if they had been born in Thailand they'd like as not be sitting on a street corner trying to make a living as a Motorbike taxi driver.

As it is the UK gave them education, health care, the oportunities and work while the boom in the UK ecconomy (and property market) has given them a chance to live where they like.

It says your from Saudi so maybe you don't appreciate how difficult life in the UK has become, unfortunately we aren't entiltled to be given a house free of charge by the state as is this case in some arab countries, we have to work ###### hard for everthing we get!

Contrary to popular believe the UK is not a wealthy nation anymore, we have a health system which at best is second rate, MRSA is a major issue in 99% of hosipitals and the majority of health trusts are in financial crisis.

The education system has been stripped to the bone, my son can no longer play football at his school because the goverment sold off the playing field !!

The department of health and social security is at breaking point because we have a country full of immagrants and asylum seekers living in plush houses provided by the goverment, and ultimately the tax payer, me !!!!

The United Kingdom is a ghost of its former self, the quality of life for your average person is a liitle bit over poor. People who do have money normally work bloody hard for it, they don't have it as a birth-right.

Spend a bit of time there and see what you think !!

[sukanyacondo]

Ecconomic Migrants

.

The recent immigration to the UK has, as noted above, been from the New EU states from Eastern Europe. They come to the UK using their rights under the 'Treaty of Rome' (The same treaty my wife and I used to go live and work in Italy) and the same treaty many many British expats use to live in France/Spain and other parts of Europe.

Britain is doing rather well out of this 'circulation' in people, it is certainly doing very well out of immigration from Europe.

The building boom that has hit the UK is being facilitated by a ready supply of young workers from Eastern Europe, the same is seen in the service industries and as I have said before, in the professions.

Rather than the UK being in a sorry state, the ecconomy is booming, services are improving and standards of living are rising.

As for these rumours of being banned from returning to the UK for medical treatment - Once again FROM MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

A British Citizen who produces proof of Citizenship CANNOT BE DENIED ENTRY TO THE UK.

Once ANYONE is in the UK they are entitled to FREE MEDICAL TREATMENT AT THE POINT OF NEED.

So you show up, you go to the hospital and they treat you.

I DID EXACTLY THAT MYSELF.

I have to comment on the influx of foreign workers in the building trades. Yes they are coming in droves from Poland etc local plasterers are losing jobs hand over fist to them as they work for peanuts live in dirt cheap accomodation and send a lot of there money back home.

[GuestHouse]

It says your from Saudi so maybe you don't appreciate how difficult life in the UK has become, unfortunately we aren't entiltled to be given a house free of charge by the state as is this case in some arab countries, we have to work ###### hard for everthing we get!

If you'd looked last week I was in the UK a few weeks before that I was in Italy (While I am an expat, my base is the UK) - Yes I know how hard it is to make a living in the UK.

Free House!

I don't want free anything (I know its a lie)

Contrary to popular believe the UK is not a wealthy nation anymore

The facts are against you, the UK is one of the richest nations in the world.

,we have a health system which at best is second rate, MRSA is a major issue in 99% of hosipitals and the majority of health trusts are in financial crisis.

The education system has been stripped to the bone, my son can no longer play football at his school because the goverment sold off the playing field !!

99% !!! Are you sure?!

The department of health and social security is at breaking point because we have a country full of immagrants and asylum seekers living in plush houses provided by the goverment, and ultimately the tax payer, me !!!!

If you took the foreigners out of the NHS it would collapse..... I pay taxes in the UK too.

The United Kingdom is a ghost of its former self, the quality of life for your average person is a liitle bit over poor. People who do have money normally work bloody hard for it, they don't have it as a birth-right.

Spend a bit of time there and see what you think !

Well I was living there, working and paying taxes just two years ago - Have things changed that quickly?

I was back there before I came here, things looked pretty good to me, friends and family seemed to be doing very well (and happy to tell me so). Lots of money about, my local medical practice was much improved with two more doctors and a staff nurse added these past two years.

Maybe my eyes and ears deceived me.

Oh and my brother, who employs 60+ staff in in his company was singing the praises of the three Polish lads he had recently taken on (The ecconomy and consequently his business is doing well) - 'Well educated, hard working and proactive' was his comment.

Strangely no British people applied for the jobs - and no he's not paying 'desperate immigrant rates.

Edited August 22, 2007 by GuestHouse

[mark100]

Ecconomic Migrants

.

The recent immigration to the UK has, as noted above, been from the New EU states from Eastern Europe. They come to the UK using their rights under the 'Treaty of Rome' (The same treaty my wife and I used to go live and work in Italy) and the same treaty many many British expats use to live in France/Spain and other parts of Europe.

Britain is doing rather well out of this 'circulation' in people, it is certainly doing very well out of immigration from Europe.

The building boom that has hit the UK is being facilitated by a ready supply of young workers from Eastern Europe, the same is seen in the service industries and as I have said before, in the professions.

Rather than the UK being in a sorry state, the ecconomy is booming, services are improving and standards of living are rising.

As for these rumours of being banned from returning to the UK for medical treatment - Once again FROM MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

A British Citizen who produces proof of Citizenship CANNOT BE DENIED ENTRY TO THE UK.

Once ANYONE is in the UK they are entitled to FREE MEDICAL TREATMENT AT THE POINT OF NEED.

So you show up, you go to the hospital and they treat you.

I DID EXACTLY THAT MYSELF.

I have to comment on the influx of foreign workers in the building trades. Yes they are coming in droves from Poland etc local plasterers are losing jobs hand over fist to them as they work for peanuts live in dirt cheap accomodation and send a lot of there money back home.

How can you possibly say the economy is booming in the year ending 2006 the national debt was £35.4 billion that is the amount coming in over the amount going out.

General debt for the year ending 2006 was £571.8 billion.

With the influx of non-tax paying immigrants into this country the situation will only worsen. To say that the housing boom was facilitated by eastern europeans is nonsense if that was the case would'nt the prices go down because of the cheaper costs.

[mark100]

It says your from Saudi so maybe you don't appreciate how difficult life in the UK has become, unfortunately we aren't entiltled to be given a house free of charge by the state as is this case in some arab countries, we have to work ###### hard for everthing we get!

If you'd looked last week I was in the UK a few weeks before that I was in Italy (While I am an expat, my base is the UK) - Yes I know how hard it is to make a living in the UK.

Free House!

I don't want free anything (I know its a lie)

Contrary to popular believe the UK is not a wealthy nation anymore

The facts are against you, the UK is one of the richest nations in the world.

,we have a health system which at best is second rate, MRSA is a major issue in 99% of hosipitals and the majority of health trusts are in financial crisis.

The education system has been stripped to the bone, my son can no longer play football at his school because the goverment sold off the playing field !!

99% !!! Are you sure?!

The department of health and social security is at breaking point because we have a country full of immagrants and asylum seekers living in plush houses provided by the goverment, and ultimately the tax payer, me !!!!

If you took the foreigners out of the NHS it would collapse..... I pay taxes in the UK too.

The United Kingdom is a ghost of its former self, the quality of life for your average person is a liitle bit over poor. People who do have money normally work bloody hard for it, they don't have it as a birth-right.

Spend a bit of time there and see what you think !

Well I was living there, working and paying taxes just two years ago - Have things changed that quickly?

I was back there before I came here, things looked pretty good to me, friends and family seemed to be doing very well (and happy to tell me so). Lots of money about, my local medical practice was much improved with two more doctors and a staff nurse added these past two years.

Maybe my eyes and ears deceived me.

Oh and my brother, who employs 60+ staff in in his company was singing the praises of the three Polish lads he had recently taken on (The ecconomy and consequently his business is doing well) - 'Well educated, hard working and proactive' was his comment.

Strangely no British people applied for the jobs - and no he's not paying 'desperate immigrant rates.

The NHS is at breaking point and has been for a number years, that is a fact !

[endure]

I can remember having to go and sign on about 10 years ago in Uk. I'd been working out of the country but owned a house, had a wife and kids. I was asked by the Indian lady behind the counter at the dole office in Aberdeen why I was comming to live here????

How do you know the lady was Indian? Did she show you her passport? Was it Indian or British?

[Rinrada]

Used to be a time when immigrants did the jobs that locals didnt want...

now they do the jobs that the local cant do..

More native born scroungers living off (their) state than all of the hard working "nuvo arriveees"any day......gawd bless "em

Recon we need at least another million more otherwse we will never finish the bleeding Olympics Gmes building site on time...and Cross -rail...and a New Heathrow Airport..and a new East coast Railway..and... the 3 Mil new Gaffs we need over the 20 years.....anddddddddddddd......we have enough dosh to pay for them......

[Robski]

Guesthouse's vision of Britain, might be true of the leafy lanes of Oxfordshire where he's from, but the reality is it's just a dusty old record that he is unable to change.

The OP shows some pretty solid statistical data that Brits are leaving in their droves, and I don't think it's because they are so altruistic to be doing it so foreigners can come in and have great opportunities/help boost the economy. I've seen in my own trade immigrants taking the jobs of British guys that were perfectly willing to do that work, the immigrants work for less and Brits have virtually no employment rights and that's the truth of it.

1in4 in the UK live in poverty, a fact that although true gets boo'ed off by some as 'not being real poverty' , and immigration is keeping wages down while the cost of living continues to rise.

Politics are not only one party, but increasingly authoritarian and inherently corrupt, British industry is virtually non exist, all major companies are foreign owned, prices on many things are overinflated, the economy consists of and is dependant on services and property, and house prices are out of reach to all but the wealthiest.

The education opportunites that GH so praises are generally substandard for many sections of the population, and job opportunities in terms of training for real skills virtually non-existant for school leavers, the healthservice is lamentable unless you are willing to pay for private healthcare and on top of that there's tax, well I'm sure I could write a small book about the increasing tax burden, not only on the average citizen, but also on investments, and well cherry on top of the cake is we don't even get any decent weather in the Summer.

Yes I have family here and I can earn a living, but as GH is always so fond of warning 'don't burn your bridges' always assuming that people are going to be in dire straights without the UK, so I ask, burn my bridges to what exactly? I can always get on a plane and see my family and always pick up the phone to get some work, what else is there that I might be missing out on, that may be so essential to the quality of my life that I shouldn't burn my bridges to it?

Britain as a land of opportunities has passed by for most natives and it is only a land of opportunities to those coming from much more impoverished states, that are able to make something from the much smaller margins available.

Edited August 22, 2007 by Robski

[mark100]

Guesthouse's vision of Britain, might be true of the leafy lanes of Oxfordshire where he's from, but the reality is it's just a dusty old record that he is unable to change.

The OP shows some pretty solid statistical data that Brits are leaving in their droves, and I don't think it's because they are so altruistic to be doing it so foreigners can come in and have great opportunities/help boost the economy. I've seen in my own trade immigrants taking the jobs of British guys that were perfectly willing to do that work, the immigrants work for less and Brits have virtually no employment rights and that's the truth of it.

1in4 in the UK live in poverty, a fact that although true gets boo'ed off by some as 'not being real poverty' , and immigration is keeping wages down while the cost of living continues to rise.

Politics are not only one party, but increasingly authoritarian and inherently corrupt, British industry is virtually non exist, all major companies are foreign owned, prices on many things are overinflated, the economy consists of and is dependant on services and property, and house prices are out of reach to all but the wealthiest.

The education opportunites that GH so praises are generally substandard for many sections of the population, and job opportunities in terms of training for real skills virtually non-existant for school leavers, the healthservice is lamentable unless you are willing to pay for private healthcare and on top of that there's tax, well I'm sure I could write a small book about the increasing tax burden, not only on the average citizen, but also on investments, and well cherry on top of the cake is we don't even get any decent weather in the Summer.

Yes I have family here and I can earn a living, but as GH is always so fond of warning 'don't burn your bridges' always assuming that people are going to be in dire straights without the UK, so I ask, burn my bridges to what exactly? I can always get on a plane and see my family and always pick up the phone to get some work, what else is there that I might be missing out on, that may be so essential to the quality of my life that I shouldn't burn my bridges to it?

Britain as a land of opportunities has passed by for most natives and it is only a land of opportunities to those coming from much more impoverished states, that are able to make something from the much smaller margins available.

Could'nt agree with you more.

[Kimera]

Perhaps these British Expats who bleat on about the UK should be invited to recind their citizenship and rights to ever go back.

(Sadly they can't do that)

I for one am sick of hearing them droan on about the UK and what ever their particular gripe is - OK they have a right to say what they want. but I'd appreciate if they at least tried to come up with something they thought up for themselves.

I guess it never occurs to them that if they had been born in Thailand they'd like as not be sitting on a street corner trying to make a living as a Motorbike taxi driver.

As it is the UK gave them education, health care, the oportunities and work while the boom in the UK ecconomy (and property market) has given them a chance to live where they like.

Well said

[Kimera]

It says your from Saudi so maybe you don't appreciate how difficult life in the UK has become, unfortunately we aren't entiltled to be given a house free of charge by the state as is this case in some arab countries, we have to work ###### hard for everthing we get!

If you'd looked last week I was in the UK a few weeks before that I was in Italy (While I am an expat, my base is the UK) - Yes I know how hard it is to make a living in the UK.

Free House!

I don't want free anything (I know its a lie)

Contrary to popular believe the UK is not a wealthy nation anymore

The facts are against you, the UK is one of the richest nations in the world.

,we have a health system which at best is second rate, MRSA is a major issue in 99% of hosipitals and the majority of health trusts are in financial crisis.

The education system has been stripped to the bone, my son can no longer play football at his school because the goverment sold off the playing field !!

99% !!! Are you sure?!

The department of health and social security is at breaking point because we have a country full of immagrants and asylum seekers living in plush houses provided by the goverment, and ultimately the tax payer, me !!!!

If you took the foreigners out of the NHS it would collapse..... I pay taxes in the UK too.

The United Kingdom is a ghost of its former self, the quality of life for your average person is a liitle bit over poor. People who do have money normally work bloody hard for it, they don't have it as a birth-right.

Spend a bit of time there and see what you think !

Well I was living there, working and paying taxes just two years ago - Have things changed that quickly?

I was back there before I came here, things looked pretty good to me, friends and family seemed to be doing very well (and happy to tell me so). Lots of money about, my local medical practice was much improved with two more doctors and a staff nurse added these past two years.

Maybe my eyes and ears deceived me.

Oh and my brother, who employs 60+ staff in in his company was singing the praises of the three Polish lads he had recently taken on (The ecconomy and consequently his business is doing well) - 'Well educated, hard working and proactive' was his comment.

Strangely no British people applied for the jobs - and no he's not paying 'desperate immigrant rates.

Well GuestHouse for the seccond time well posted. The UK is as it was and I am SURE it will always be, a great country for those who are willing to give it their best

[Robski]

Well said

If you stick around long enough you can hear him say it again and again, in fact any thread that has anything to do with the UK will undoubtedly have a post or two from GH extolling the virtues of the UK and demeaning the opinions of those that don't agree with his view that the UK is a chaste utopia that we should all be grateful for. It is and forever will be a ThaiVisa cliche.

[Kimera]

Well said

If you stick around long enough you can hear him say it again and again, in fact any thread that has anything to do with the UK will undoubtedly have a post or two from GH extolling the virtues of the UK and demeaning the opinions of those that don't agree with his view that the UK is a chaste utopia that we should all be grateful for. It is and forever will be a ThaiVisa cliche.

Seems like if we stick around long enough we will hear you say your bit again and again

[Robski]

Are these yours?

[Lucifer]

I agree with what you're saying Guesthouse but there's a few relevant points here. Yes we got our education, health care and during the boom years had work but the UK is in a pretty poor state now.

I, and I expect quite a few others on here, served time in the forces, for their country. Should we, and everyone else who contributed to the system, not be entitled to return to our homeland any time we please without having to suffer the third degree from some civil servant. Immigrants turning up in the UK from any European nation have more rights, and benifits, than we do.

I can remember having to go and sign on about 10 years ago in Uk. I'd been working out of the country but owned a house, had a wife and kids. I was asked by the Indian lady behind the counter at the dole office in Aberdeen why I was comming to live here????

The country has gone to the dogs.

Two comments. First, I hope the Thai's treat you the same way you seem to treat people who have migrated to the UK.

Second. No the UK hasn't 'gone to the dogs'. In fact the UK hasen't had it so good.

Pay, as well as standard of living has gone up. If you've bought property, then the value has gone up. The average house price is about 200k.

The only reason I'd like to leave is the weather (not much anyone can do about that) and value for money/quality of life in Thailand.

England is still great. Only the losers say otherwise.

[Robski]

Pay, as well as standard of living has gone up.

Perhaps you could find some statistics to substantiate that claim.

England is still great. Only the losers say otherwise.

Nearly 4,000 Brits leaving the country permanently every day would seem to disagree with you, are they all losers too?

Edited August 22, 2007 by Robski

[howtoescape]

England is still great. Only the losers say otherwise.

My brother left the country, he has a 2:1 from a top Uni, ACCA and CFA qualifications, works for a top accountacy firm, has a beautiful gf, a charming personality he will be devastated to hear he is a loser.

If money was no object the majority of this nation would leave, we cant all be wrong.

I loved GH comment about being able to live anywhere, you obviously dont know what it is like for people with families earning 25-35K a year.

The average house is now 8 times the average salary., the goverment are building 200,000 houses a year for the next 10 years but with 349,000 arriving last year these are gone immediately.

Edited August 22, 2007 by howtoescape

[draggons]

Lucifer. Where have I indicated my attitude TOWARDS immigrants? Some of my good friends come from East European countries. What I said was that they have more rights turning up in UK that we do were we to return.

Oh and sorry. "Lady of Indian descent"

[taxexile]

Exodus as 1.8m Britons leave the country

By Philip Johnston, Home Affairs Editor

Last Updated: 7:34pm BST 22/08/2007

More people are leaving Britain than at any time for almost a century, new figures show.

The number emigrating in the 12 months to July 2006 reached 385,000, the highest figure since current counting methods were introduced in 1991.

The proportion of babies born to a foreign parent has risen to 25 per cent

This is almost certainly the greatest emigration since before the First World War.

Nearly 200,000 of those leaving for a year or more were British citizens - one every three minutes - and the rest were foreign nationals returning home or going elsewhere.

Cumulatively since 1997, 1.8 million British nationals have left the country and about 900,000 have returned.

At the same time, more than three million foreign nationals have arrived and about half that number have left.

The departure of so many Britons is exacerbating the demographic and cultural changes that have been wrought by high levels of immigration.

Little research has been carried out on the reasons for the migration, though retirement, work opportunities and "quality of life" issues are the main drivers.

Despite this exodus, the population is rising - because emigrants are more than balanced by immigrants, with 574,000 arriving over the same period.

In the 12 months to July 2006, the population rose by 350,000, to nearly 60.6m and is projected to reach 65m by 2020.

It has risen by a similar amount - the equivalent to a city the size of Bristol - every year for five years.

Net international migration from abroad remained the largest factor in the increase, contributing 55 per cent of growth, compared with 45 per cent due to natural change.

A study last year by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) suggested that one in 12 UK nationals may now be living abroad.

There are 250,000 second homes owned by British nationals in France alone, though Australia and Spain are the two favourite destinations for the British diaspora.

Surveys indicate that another one million are set to pack their bags for good over the next five years and a further 500,000 live abroad for part of the year.

Not only do more British live abroad than any other nationality, they are also more spread out.

There are 41 countries with more than 10,000 British living there and another 71 countries with more than 1,000.

The levels of emigration are now back to those last seen in the late-1950s and early 1960s, when the "£10 Poms" left in their droves for Australia, enticed by subsidised travel and settlement.

They are even higher than the last great exodus before 1914, when the outflow was running at 300,000 per annum and more young men were leaving the country every year than died on the battlefields of Europe.

Also, far from being pensioners looking for a retirement in the sun, many leaving today are young and highly skilled. The IPPR study showed that four in 10 are in managerial or professional occupations, followed by the middle-aged, retired or semi-retired, who are investing in foreign property.

As Spain and France become more expensive, the British are moving eastwards. There are 10,000 living part-time in Bulgaria.

Liam Clifford, a former immigration control officer who set up globalvisas.com, a consultancy firm, 12 years ago, said the internet and cheap air travel had made emigration easier.

Just last month, his firm had 50,000 hits from new visitors looking to leave.

Mr Clifford said: "The last 20 years have seen such massive changes in globalisation. It has taken off. Countries are competing for skills.

He added: "They do not believe that the services and the system can cope with the number of people coming into the UK at the moment.

"Even fairly rural areas and villages seem to be coming under the threat of having an increased population and lack of services."

David Nicholson-Lord, of the Optimum Population Trust, which campaigns for a ''sustainable" population, believes many are leaving because the UK is too crowded.

He said: "Out-migration has been climbing for several years now and survey evidence strongly suggests it is driven by a perceived decline in UK quality of life, with congestion, queues, overcrowding and general 'lack of space’ a key element in people’s decisions to move."

He added: ''More and more people are opting for a more spacious and less fraught existence overseas, in countries where there are simply fewer crowds and more room to breathe.

''England is by some measures now the world’s fourth most densely populated country and the overall population increase shows that this is going to get worse.

''Over the next six decades the UK population is forecast to rise by another 10 million.

"Given that many of the people leaving will be skilled professionals, the figures suggest that unsustainably high population levels in the UK may already be causing significant economic damage."

Edited August 23, 2007 by taxexile

[Captain Chaos]

Nowhere's perfect ...

... in the UK we moan about the cost of housing, taxation, the NHS, the weather, losing to the Germans at football (again) ...

... in Thailand we (expats) moan about ever changing visa rules, inability to find well-remunerated jobs, and, shall we say, "cultural differences" ...

... and in Singapore we (all) moan about ... guess what?! ... the cost of housing!!!

... but it occurs to me none of these places are exactly failed states and the opportunities are there for those with application and intelligence, wherever they come from.

CC

[mittheimp]

The proportion of babies born to a foreign parent has risen to 25 per cent

Really?????? is this true? i find that very very hard to believe!!

maybe has risen 'by' and not 'to'......

[mittheimp]

anyway.... this thread seems to rehash exactly the same nonsense is did last years thread on the 2006 immigration figures.. Robski clearly hasnt developed his argument any further...

is there any point in pointing out that these are the highest immigration figures ever largely due to long term immigrants returning to their country of origin (india, pakistan, poland etc)?

[Prakanong]

Nowhere's perfect ...

... in the UK we moan about the cost of housing, taxation, the NHS, the weather, losing to the Germans at football (again) ...

... in Thailand we (expats) moan about ever changing visa rules, inability to find well-remunerated jobs, and, shall we say, "cultural differences" ...

... and in Singapore we (all) moan about ... guess what?! ... the cost of housing!!!

... but it occurs to me none of these places are exactly failed states and the opportunities are there for those with application and intelligence, wherever they come from.

CC

Do not get me on about cost of housing in Singapore

And tonight I will moan about Bangkok traffic when I get there

[samran]

anyway.... this thread seems to rehash exactly the same nonsense is did last years thread on the 2006 immigration figures.. Robski clearly hasnt developed his argument any further...

is there any point in pointing out that these are the highest immigration figures ever largely due to long term immigrants returning to their country of origin (india, pakistan, poland etc)?

As a mod, you notice these posts pop up every three to four months. Same old same old. Lots of Brits leaving, some coming back, a dire quote from the "stop the world so I can get off" brigade masquerading as a respectable think tank whos main goal is to stop all non-white migration.

All this article tells me is that Britain lives in a globalised world.

Australia for instance, has at least 1million (out of 20 million) of its nationals living outside of the country at anyone time. In the Australian press this is seen as something of a positive...Aussies going out to take on the world, etc etc, while at the same time we take up to about 250K new people every year, which is a lot for a country where only small costal areas are habitable and where there are strains on natural resources can be apparent (ie drought).

At the same time, migrants are viewed as hard working, and essential to the economy, having helped underwritten 16 straight years of economic growth in Australia.

My point is that the same things are happening everywhere in the developed world, but depending on how you spin it, it is either the end of life as we know it, or an opportunity to be seized on. From my time in the UK, I know the former is the default postion for tabloids and politicians. Admittedly, you guys have a creaking infrastructure, but at the same time, you don't have enough locals to fund it through tax earnings or fix it. You can't have your cake and eat it too. Restrict migration, wage pressures would be massive, with labour at a premium, the cost of living in the UK would shoot up even more, while at the same time the country would fall to bits at an even faster rate as it is now.

Japan, as a comparison, is facing a huge demographic crisis. A pretty closed shop as far as migration goes (but getting better), it has realised that there are not enough young people to replace the older generation. This means that there is no-one to pay taxes to pay for older peoples social services, less taxes to maintain the services that most people expect from government. There are less businesses around to create wealth for the country, so the economy shrinks and is less competitive. Sure, this may mean that there are cheaper houses and more room on the bus going to work, but it means that the standard of living for children will be lower than it was for their parents.

Anyway, feel free to disagree.....

[GuestHouse]

Guesthouse's vision of Britain, might be true of the leafy lanes of Oxfordshire where he's from, but the reality is it's just a dusty old record that he is unable to change.

Since I'm not from the leafy lanes of Oxfordshire (wrong againg Robski), I guess you might be wrong about me needing to change my record.

[chinthee]

At least you brits don't have Inland Revenue chasing you all around the world like the IRS, with global for-life taxation on anything you make, even in Roi-et. And even though NHS is not perfect, millions of Americans have no health safety net whatsoever. I'd say you're a pretty lucky lot.

[Creeper]

My Brother came to Thailand some years ago, he stayed for 7 years, then it was goodbye money and headed back to UK, he had a terrible time trying to get back on his feet, he went to a local doctor and was given a prescription he had to pay for, when the east Europeans, Africans etc come to England get everything for free from the start.

He was denied any social security help as he had been out of the country for too long, he had to remain for 3 months before he was entitled to any assisstance, I can understand this system, but when non English speaking people who have never paid anything at all into the British system can go to UK and immediatley get assisstance, it tends to piss the locals off, especially when they have paid tax and insurance in the past.

Another guy I knew took some contaraband with him, turned himself in at customs, was arrested, taken to court, given 6 weeks in Jail and was then back in the sysytem straight away and entitled to everything, including money when in Jail and a trip to the social security office to pick up a Giro as soon as he was released.

I know people take chances and you have to be accountable for your own actions, but I think that UK's policy that tends to favour Non British people ruffles the feathers of those Brits that have paid Tax for years and have no chance at all of getting housing, when a Family can arrive for some far off land and be put in a Hotel at tax payers expense till they are housed.

[a2396]

I don't think the UK is in danger of serious population decline. Many retired people in expensive western countries are going to be relocating to cheaper places, due to the high cost of living in their home countries.

[pointofview]

.....and he can go back home and build a big mansion ,....at any time ,....

That is the most ignorant point of view i have read so far on this forum. You have a total insular view (through poor education) of the real world. Most young professionals in the UK cant even afford to buy a house of any kind. Ferangs are not rich - just more educated, in general - and the cost of living is relative i.e. 20,000 baht in the UK isnt worth quite as much as it is in Thailand. Try to educate yourself before making such ludicrous statements

[mikethevigoman]

Musical chairs=,....polish in brits out!,.....in out ,in out shake it all about ,....do yhe hokey kokey knees bent arm strecth ra ra ra .....

Thats what its all about !