Living In London Afer Living In Bangkok

[w11guy]

Life in England is very difficult these days with unaffordable housing for those who didnt buy 10 years ago, making aspects of life that are the aspiration of many ie a family life, home and being settled extremely difficult. (These arent personal issues)

We've has 13 years of the most vile English hating government who have turned it into a Big Brother police state, the place is extremely violent, its full to the brim of all sorts of 3rd world filth and finally is in the worst recession since the 1930s .. (These arent personal issues) so please dont tell me that everything is tickityboo in the UK.

I also have met hundreds leaving the UK/Ireland as i used to own a company selling overseas property, and literally everyone that was buying to move as opposed to as an investment said the exact same reasons for leaving ...ie mass 3rd world immigation, unaffordable housing, the violence and aggression, climate, overly taxed, police state, big brother the govt etc...

Im fortunate that i work 1 month on 1 off in the oil industry making good money and not having to pay a penny in tax, so should soon be able to afford to buy somewhere in England outright, but if i was doing some 9-5 job for 25K a year (average wage) itd be an awful place to live with few prospects.

I lived in UK on a rundown housing estate and on the dole once upon a time. Life was tough, but I still had fun. It's a mental thing. Many poor people are happy and many rich people are unhappy. Hapiness, having fun, etc, is a state of mind. I have seen some really deprivation and the people are still happy. It doesn't matter how bad things are, most people have plenty to be happy about. Good health, good friends, family, etc. etc. So UK had a bad government. So what? Make your own life, fun. I don't allow others to dictate my hapiness, fun, etc. It seems like you might.

There is no mass 3rd world immigration into the UK. Most immigration is from EU countries. That is a fact. UK isn't violent at all. The climate is great (that's a personal thing anyway), housing is more affordable now than any time in last 10 years. You just seem to be repeating some kind of rubbish that The Sun or Star would print. I lived in UK for 50 years and what you say bears no resemblance to my experience there. If it was that bad, more people would be leaving and people wouldn't want to go there. It is consistently near the top of places to live in the world. You should try living in other countries. If you think the UK is worth 1/10, you will be in for a real shock if you visit some other countries. You are not looking at this objectively. You are entitled to your opinion, but most would disagree with you.

My last comment, as you obviously don't agree. No point geting into a pointless debate.

[tigerfish]

depressing!

the climate, waking up on a cold pitch black winters morning and returning home from work in the rain and dark once again. day after day. the miserable faces on the tube, the asshol_e that cuts you up or tries to barge their way in up the inside lane. the constant materialist values that most have back home about having the newest 3 series bm <deleted> w or who has the best mobile phone upgrade. who gives a toss!

yes ive had to do it on more than one occasion both before i got married and then coming back to work with my wife in london so that we could earn money to settle back in thailand. how did we do it ? i dont know , but we did. four long hard years of graft.

guess its all about your attitude to things that are around you and making the most of the situation. it aint easy though !

i used to work for a company back in london that catered to the corporate side of things, cant tell you the amount of times that i nearly told some stuck up little <deleted> in a suit to go and do one. in the end though i kept telling myself though that it would all be worth it in the end. after all was i ever going to let myself turn out to be the kind of misguided puppet that most fall for while chasing the rat race back in the u.k.

not to say that it was all bad, but that had a lot to do with what we did with our time when we weren't working. luckily enough the wife got a job in a local thai restaurant, so we were never without some of the food you get out here in thailand. plus were i live there are 4 large chinese/thai supermarkets to shop in. time was also spent with friends and family who have thai links, days out spent at the temple in wimbledon or events such as loi khrathong and thai new year. plus sponsored get togethers in battersea park and s. morden. it all helped in its own little way to make the process less painful.

having my favorite thai music on most of the time, was a god send too!

No disrespect meant, but I think the main issue is your attitude. So what if other have to have the newest mobile phone etc? Why do you care? You get people like that all over. They are nothing to do with you so why get angry/upset/irritated over it? Cold, pitch black winter mornings - it just one of the seasons, so slow down and take it in your stride. It's great snuggling up in a warm bed on winter mornings. Look for the positives. Don't graft so hard. Don't work for corporate companies if you don't like that atmosphere. You seem to dislike things but yet you put yourself in the midst of them and let them annoy you. It's almost like you are going out of your way to be annoyed. It sounds like you didn't even try to integrate. You just tried to do Thai things. It's similar to many Westerners who find things annoying in Thailand because they aren't like home. Go with the flow wherever you are and things will be fine. Look for the good and stop focusing on the bad. There is good and bad everywhere. You are lucky to be able to experience both Thailand and UK. Many people would love that experience but can't afford it. You are truly lucky but sound like you have been given a prison sentence. Stop for a minute and write a list of the good things about London. I could name 100s. You must have a few at least. Focus on them. And start to be thankful that you are so lucky to have these experiences that most in the world never have.

i respect your points and view on the situation w11guy and yes if truth be told there are many great things about london that i still love and miss dearly. sadly though these things are either things that i experienced whilst growing up in the u.k. or part of my working life that are now under threat from being totally wiped out. a classic example is a place i hold closely to my heart having worked there for most of my working life "smithfield meat market"

it seems now that in one way or another that the current regimes are intent with doing away with mostly anything that was good about what was once a great country and its made even more difficult for people like myself that feel we no longer have a voice in the future of what happens to our country. you either bite the bullet and become someone you do not wish to be ie a complete non caring self centered individual or a free loading couldn't care less kind of person and people like me get stuck in the middle without paddle going up stream.

its a decision i didn't take lightly when first deciding to settle out here in thailand, but one im glad i took, just like a lot of other people from my generation who have taken the same steps and upped sticks..

just take a look around at the amount of people either old or young that immigrated to places like oz, n.z. canada, parts of asia. the states and different parts of europe.

a very sorry and sad state of affairs!

a bit like another titanic waiting to hit a giant iceberg.

Edited September 16, 2010 by tigerfish

[w11guy]

depressing!

the climate, waking up on a cold pitch black winters morning and returning home from work in the rain and dark once again. day after day. the miserable faces on the tube, the asshol_e that cuts you up or tries to barge their way in up the inside lane. the constant materialist values that most have back home about having the newest 3 series bm <deleted> w or who has the best mobile phone upgrade. who gives a toss!

yes ive had to do it on more than one occasion both before i got married and then coming back to work with my wife in london so that we could earn money to settle back in thailand. how did we do it ? i dont know , but we did. four long hard years of graft.

guess its all about your attitude to things that are around you and making the most of the situation. it aint easy though !

i used to work for a company back in london that catered to the corporate side of things, cant tell you the amount of times that i nearly told some stuck up little <deleted> in a suit to go and do one. in the end though i kept telling myself though that it would all be worth it in the end. after all was i ever going to let myself turn out to be the kind of misguided puppet that most fall for while chasing the rat race back in the u.k.

not to say that it was all bad, but that had a lot to do with what we did with our time when we weren't working. luckily enough the wife got a job in a local thai restaurant, so we were never without some of the food you get out here in thailand. plus were i live there are 4 large chinese/thai supermarkets to shop in. time was also spent with friends and family who have thai links, days out spent at the temple in wimbledon or events such as loi khrathong and thai new year. plus sponsored get togethers in battersea park and s. morden. it all helped in its own little way to make the process less painful.

having my favorite thai music on most of the time, was a god send too!

No disrespect meant, but I think the main issue is your attitude. So what if other have to have the newest mobile phone etc? Why do you care? You get people like that all over. They are nothing to do with you so why get angry/upset/irritated over it? Cold, pitch black winter mornings - it just one of the seasons, so slow down and take it in your stride. It's great snuggling up in a warm bed on winter mornings. Look for the positives. Don't graft so hard. Don't work for corporate companies if you don't like that atmosphere. You seem to dislike things but yet you put yourself in the midst of them and let them annoy you. It's almost like you are going out of your way to be annoyed. It sounds like you didn't even try to integrate. You just tried to do Thai things. It's similar to many Westerners who find things annoying in Thailand because they aren't like home. Go with the flow wherever you are and things will be fine. Look for the good and stop focusing on the bad. There is good and bad everywhere. You are lucky to be able to experience both Thailand and UK. Many people would love that experience but can't afford it. You are truly lucky but sound like you have been given a prison sentence. Stop for a minute and write a list of the good things about London. I could name 100s. You must have a few at least. Focus on them. And start to be thankful that you are so lucky to have these experiences that most in the world never have.

i respect your points and view on the situation w11guy and yes if truth be told there are many great things about london that i still love and miss dearly. sadly though these things are either things that i experienced whilst growing up in the u.k. or part of my working life that are now under threat from being totally wiped out. a classic example is a place i hold closely to my heart having worked there for most of my working life "smithfield meat market"

it seems now that in one way or another that the current regimes are intent with doing away with mostly anything that was good about what was once a great country and its made even more difficult for people like myself that feel we no longer have a voice in the future of what happens to our country. you either bite the bullet and become someone you do not wish to be ie a complete non caring self centered individual or a free loading couldn't care less kind of person and people like me get stuck in the middle without paddle going up stream.

its a decision i didn't take lightly when first deciding to settle out here in thailand, but one im glad i took, just like a lot of other people from my generation who have taken the same steps and upped sticks..

just take a look around at the amount of people either old or young that immigrated to places like oz, n.z. canada, parts of asia. the states and different parts of europe.

a very sorry and sad state of affairs!

a bit like another titanic waiting to hit a giant iceberg.

I partly understand what you are saying but the world is a dynamic place. Things will always change, some for the better and some for the worse. As people get older I think that the ones who are disappointed are the ones that get stuck in the past. If you go with the flow you will find new things to like. I don't agree that the UK is a worse place than 10, 20 or 30 years ago. In many respects it has got better. People emigrate from all countries and too all countries (well, almost all). The UK has more people arriving than leaving, so according to your logic, it must be a good place. If it was as bad as you make out, why would so many people want to go there. I know many Thai people in London and they would never go back to Thailand to live because London offers them so much more. If it was as easy for Thai people to emigrate to the UK as it is the other way around, they would be leaving Thailand in droves. Would that prove that Thailand is going down the pan.

There are some extremely nice and caring people in the UK. If you have the opposite view then you have been hanging around with the wrong people. I have always found most people in the UK to be friendly. Yes, there are the type you mention as well, but I just ignore them. They are nothing to do with me or my life. If they want to be selfish, self-centred, or whatever, that is their choice and it doesn't affect me.

Thailand is warcked with poverted, it's extremely polluted, there are loads of loser immigrants. I could go on and on. It seems like you can list bad things about the UK but you blind yourself to worse things in Thailand. I love the UK and Thailand. They both have a lot to offer. Different people like different places. You obviously don't like the UK, and that is fine with me. But just because you don't like it doesn't make it a bad place. Millions of people love it.

[Englander]

Life in England is very difficult these days with unaffordable housing for those who didnt buy 10 years ago, making aspects of life that are the aspiration of many ie a family life, home and being settled extremely difficult. (These arent personal issues)

We've has 13 years of the most vile English hating government who have turned it into a Big Brother police state, the place is extremely violent, its full to the brim of all sorts of 3rd world filth and finally is in the worst recession since the 1930s .. (These arent personal issues) so please dont tell me that everything is tickityboo in the UK.

I also have met hundreds leaving the UK/Ireland as i used to own a company selling overseas property, and literally everyone that was buying to move as opposed to as an investment said the exact same reasons for leaving ...ie mass 3rd world immigation, unaffordable housing, the violence and aggression, climate, overly taxed, police state, big brother the govt etc...

Im fortunate that i work 1 month on 1 off in the oil industry making good money and not having to pay a penny in tax, so should soon be able to afford to buy somewhere in England outright, but if i was doing some 9-5 job for 25K a year (average wage) itd be an awful place to live with few prospects.

I lived in UK on a rundown housing estate and on the dole once upon a time. Life was tough, but I still had fun. It's a mental thing. Many poor people are happy and many rich people are unhappy. Hapiness, having fun, etc, is a state of mind. I have seen some really deprivation and the people are still happy. It doesn't matter how bad things are, most people have plenty to be happy about. Good health, good friends, family, etc. etc. So UK had a bad government. So what? Make your own life, fun. I don't allow others to dictate my hapiness, fun, etc. It seems like you might.

There is no mass 3rd world immigration into the UK. Most immigration is from EU countries. That is a fact. UK isn't violent at all. The climate is great (that's a personal thing anyway), housing is more affordable now than any time in last 10 years. You just seem to be repeating some kind of rubbish that The Sun or Star would print. I lived in UK for 50 years and what you say bears no resemblance to my experience there. If it was that bad, more people would be leaving and people wouldn't want to go there. It is consistently near the top of places to live in the world. You should try living in other countries. If you think the UK is worth 1/10, you will be in for a real shock if you visit some other countries. You are not looking at this objectively. You are entitled to your opinion, but most would disagree with you.

My last comment, as you obviously don't agree. No point geting into a pointless debate.

No you dont get off that easy.

Youre over 50 so obviously had the opportunity to buy property when it was 2-3 times average annual wages, you have ABSOLUTELY no idea about affordability, my age group have been left with the tax bill your spend free labour voting not very bright generation has left us .... no doubt youve made money from property ... well that profit is coming from my generation.

Property in most places hasnt gone down YOU ARE AWARE OF 0.5% INTEREST RATES AND QE, though it looks as if it may it still hasnt crashed, you are obviously not overly on the ball or aware of current affairs but mustn't read anything as high brow as The Sun, Star for you to come out with the LIE that property is more affordable now then at anytime in the last 10 year.

educated yourself at www.housepricecrash.co.uk/forum and you will see youre totally wrong. ... You even had the opportunity to live in a council house .... well as your generation got sold them for 1/4 of their marketl price the stock is now at a minimal and someone in a semi skilled job wouldnt get one, but again stay ignorant about this most important of issues.

The govt figures the UN analysed showed Britain to be the most violent country in the world ... i dont think its the most violent but it certainly shows you as being well not as bright as a Sun/ Star reader when making up your lie from your Ivory Tower http://www.dailymail...Africa-U-S.html

I used to own an agency based in Bulgaria and Romania, now if you were as well travelled as a Sun Star reader youd be aware the average wage of teachers/firemen/police there is about 250 euro a month, these countries are wildly corrupt and are akin to 3rd world status (though i do believe the PC word is developing country) .... besides for an example 250,000 Somalis have came to the UK in 15 years that comes frrom the BBC, just walk around to see that the UK has lost its identity ..

http://en.wikipedia...._United_Kingdom

Edited September 16, 2010 by Englander

[w11guy]

No you dont get off that easy.

Youre over 50 so obviously had the opportunity to buy property when it was 2-3 times average annual wages, you have ABSOLUTELY no idea about affordability, my age group have been left with the tax bill your spend free labour voting not very bright generation has left us .... no doubt youve made money from property ... well that profit is coming from my generation.

Property in most places hasnt gone down YOU ARE AWARE OF 0.5% INTEREST RATES AND QE, though it looks as if it may it still hasnt crashed, you are obviously not overly on the ball or aware of current affairs but mustn't read anything as high brow as The Sun, Star for you to come out with the LIE that property is more affordable now then at anytime in the last 10 year.

educated yourself at www.housepricecrash.co.uk/forum and you will see youre totally wrong. ... You even had the opportunity to live in a council house .... well as your generation got sold them for 1/4 of their marketl price the stock is now at a minimal and someone in a semi skilled job wouldnt get one, but again stay ignorant about this most important of issues.

The govt figures the UN analysed showed Britain to be the most violent country in the world ... i dont think its the most violent but it certainly shows you as being well not as bright as a Sun/ Star reader when making up your lie from your Ivory Tower http://www.dailymail...Africa-U-S.html

I used to own an agency based in Bulgaria and Romania, now if you were as well travelled as a Sun Star reader youd be aware the average wage of teachers/firemen/police there is about 250 euro a month, these countries are wildly corrupt and are akin to 3rd world status (though i do believe the PC word is developing country) .... besides for an example 250,000 Somalis have came to the UK in 15 years that comes frrom the BBC, just walk around to see that the UK has lost its identity ..

http://en.wikipedia...._United_Kingdom

That's your opinion and has nothing to do with a whether the Uk is a great country or not. Even if we assume that everything you say is true, it's still a great country to most people. Many young people are broke but still happy. You can rant all you like, but people still love the Uk and still arrive in droves on both holidays and to live. I didn't vote for the Labour government, so don't blame me. house price crash forum is just full of angry nutters. They have been talking about the same rubbish for over 10 years. I'm not interested what odd balls like that have to say.

The identity of all nations changes over time. The UK used to be run by the Romans, so what? In 100 years it will be completely different. So what? So it has changed. That is good. Change is good. Immigrants are good. If I was in charge I'd let more in. They have much more work ethic than some of the layabouts born and bred in UK. You have a massive chip on your shoulder. You can't afford a house so that means the older generation are to blame and the UK is rubbish. You are to blame. Earn some money and buy a place. There are lots of affordable places in the UK. Lots of young people have bought houses. Interest rates have come down massively, so that makes it fairly obvious that property is more affordable. It's common sense, I don't need a paper or anyone else to tell me that. My mortage payments almost halved, as have most peoples. So morgages are more affordable to everyone who has a mortgage, which is most of the population.

[RudieTheFoodie]

I'm a Londoner.

Haven't been back for years.

Love it - miss it.

But I'm lazy, and sabaii sabaii suits me just fine.

To the OP

Make a call

Its easy to live here - but you have to let go of all the west tells you.

If you can do that, then Thailand is truly a paradise.

[soundman]

Moved to General discussion forum.

[taninthai]

seems the uk is a great place to live if your a foreigner ,not such a great place for many people born and bread there .

too much cheap labour in uk now jobs not there and wages down ............

[Xangsamhua]

Its easy to live here - but you have to let go of all the west tells you.

If you can do that, then Thailand is truly a paradise.

Very interesting comment. What is that the West tells you?

[bermondburi]

Been in Thailand twelve years and I went back last May for ten days which was the first time in ten years. My mum has got cirrhosis of the liver and is in and out of hospital all the time. Not exactly on her last legs but not far off. I probably won't be able to go back until October 2011. As my dad said , " you realise this might be the last time you see your mum."

Good to see my family and some old mates as well. I guess what I'm trying to say is ; make the best out of what you have in London because you don't know how long it will be around for.

On a brighter note, SE London is such a depressing area to go back to and I was really happy to come back even if I did have to come through BKK burning ( redshirts ) to get back home.

Chin up, it could be worse.

[ExpatJ]

I don't mean to sound awful, but I think this question resonates best with two groups, group (1) - retirees that have the finances / pensions etc from a career in the West and are looking for the quiet life, not very materialistic in their needs etc, and group (2) - Less wealthy young males, who don't have the best of things in the UK anyway, limited job prospects here or there and living here is genuinely better at that level.

For sucessfull and wealthy expats it is not all that here anymore. There are limted education choices for kids - assuming that you wish your kids to receive the same quality of (private) education that you benefited from. Home ownership and the rule of law is better in the UK. A super car here costs upwards of 10 million baht vs 1 - 2 mil in the UK. But groups 1 & 2 above aren't in to the cars anyway as group 1 has grown out of them and group 2 could never have had one anyway, so this point has no relevance for most. Neither group 1 or 2 is likley to have child dependants - again, a big factor in the OP's question in terms of releveance.

Property, we can't own a big house here (freehold) and a condo that a 30 - 40 year high flyer woudl live in in the West is expensive here, circa 25 - 30 ++ mil cash. No mortgages, so cash only. Again, groups 1 & 2 above, can in group 1 buy a good condo (with a lifetimes savings) or rent, and group 2 can rent from THB 20 to 50k and even at the lower end it beats a council flat in Peckham..

So what's missing? the wealthy younger set with a caree in th eprofessions is almost non exsitent here - unlike Hong Kong or SIngapore where wealthy younger expats flourish, and groups 1 & 2 are almost non existent.

Now you may have your answer.

Disgaree abit with this regarding the 'successful and wealthy expats. Yes, there are fewer here compared to singapore and HK but thats only because Sing/HK are major financial centers. Bangkok is a great place for this group but there are just fewer of these jobs available. Schooling in bangkok is excellent, world standard infact- the education in NIST, Pattana, ISB is far superior to the public school we'd have to use back in USA. NIST is one of the worlds best IB schools. Most of the expats in this group rent rather than buy so no difference in HK v BKK (except my colleague in HK is paying 10,000 USD per month for his fairly standard expat condo compared to 110,000 baht for me in BKK). So BKK is still great to live for expat's sent from their home countries and i think many of those working in Sing/HK would jump at the chance of being transfered here!

[longstebe]

Work your nuts off mate and get back to LOS. You know what things cost in Thailand so do your sums. I've just done a 8 month stint in Isaan, now I'm back overseas earning again. Not a perfect situation being away from the wife but one she understands, thankfully she has university to take her mind off it. Can you find contract work? I don't work in London but when I do visit my brother and friends there I love every minute. If I had to work there on contract I would.

[92302]

The UK used to be run by the Romans

Now its run by the Romanians.

[Englander]

You can't afford a house so that means the older generation are to blame and the UK is rubbish. You are to blame. Earn some money and buy a place. There are lots of affordable places in the UK. Lots of young people have bought houses. Interest rates have come down massively, so that makes it fairly obvious that property is more affordable. It's common sense, I don't need a paper or anyone else to tell me that. My mortage payments almost halved, as have most peoples. So morgages are more affordable to everyone who has a mortgage, which is most of the population.

I earn more money then you have ever earned ie i earn enough to be in wealthiest 10% should i stay in this position long enough, i am lucky i can afford to buy most my age cant. But as youre some not overly aware Guardian reader and deny FACTS to get your point over, i will give up trying to educate you.

[FarangBuddha]

Hi, I moved back to London at the end of July after living in Bangkok for a year, I struggled initially being back here and felt quite down but that passed and things were getting back to normal. I'm now starting to question if I could ever be happy living here in the long term as there just isn't the same lust for life, the sanuk is lacking, I miss so many things and I feel that I'm just killing time being here.

I would love to hear about other people's experiences of coming back West after living in Thailand, the difficulties and how they got through it. My friends don't really understand so it would be great to hear from other exiled farangs.

Thanks a million,

Chopper

I think it would be helpful to know more about your personal situation. She, marriedk?, retired? Feelings about living in LOS very dependant on one's situation.

[Englander]

seems the uk is a great place to live if your a foreigner ,not such a great place for many people born and bread there .

too much cheap labour in uk now jobs not there and wages down ............

Wait for w11guy to correct you that there are jobs for life and apprenticeships for all in Britains booming manufacturing industry .... it is 1958 isnt it!

OP Get a job offshore it isnt too difficult to get into despite what the most on here will tell you, you just need something to offer an employer ... so here is a nice little tip, spend a couple of years becoming an electrician and get your rope access tickets, with perseverance someone will take you on and youll be making good money and have 6 months holiday a year once established.

[Valdezugar]

I did ten straight months in the u.k back in 2008, after living in Thailand for the best part of ten years. I can say without doubt, it was the worse ten months of my life, if living in Thailand is 10/10 and being in a uk prison is 0/10 i was at 1/10 for the whole time. I hated every single solitary second of that dark dank hellhole called Great Britain.

Most people in the world would love to live in the UK. It is one of the best countries in the world for most people. Ok, so you don't like it, but if you gave it only 1/10 I would suggest that that is down to you personally. If you can't enjoy life in the UK with all it has to offer, then I feel really sorry for you. It is one thing missing another place and taking time to re-integrate, but I just can't fathom how anyone could have such a bad time. I love Thailand, I love the UK, I love many US cities and I love lots of other places. I would have a great time living in any of those places. Some may be 10/10 and some may be 7/10. But even in some bad places I think I'd have a good time in some respects. Life is what you make it.

Most people in the world would love to live in the UK? Biggest <deleted> I've heard this month so far.

<deleted> are you smoking over there? Where can I get some?

[organic]

2 positives about returning to the UK:

- 3-pin electrics, you hardly ever get an electric shock

- internet, while often not as good as other advanced countries, works reasonably well and the price is reasonable too (depending on which ISP you use).

Other than that, I think I got the horrors by the time I got to Victoria coach station.

[w11guy]

You can't afford a house so that means the older generation are to blame and the UK is rubbish. You are to blame. Earn some money and buy a place. There are lots of affordable places in the UK. Lots of young people have bought houses. Interest rates have come down massively, so that makes it fairly obvious that property is more affordable. It's common sense, I don't need a paper or anyone else to tell me that. My mortage payments almost halved, as have most peoples. So morgages are more affordable to everyone who has a mortgage, which is most of the population.

I earn more money then you have ever earned ie i earn enough to be in wealthiest 10% should i stay in this position long enough, i am lucky i can afford to buy most my age cant. But as youre some not overly aware Guardian reader and deny FACTS to get your point over, i will give up trying to educate you.

More nonsense from you. I've never been a Guardian reader so what's the point of that remark. I don't even see what difference it makes what paper I read (none), because I make my own mind up. I'm not like you who has to be told what to think. Anyway, this is massively off topic. What you say is irrelevant. If people don't have work, money, etc it doesn't make the UK bad. What you are saying is like saying a Ferrari is a rubbish car because people can't afford one. There are poor people who can't afford things in all countries. That doesn't make those countries bad. There is plenty to enjoy. Don't you like spending time with friends and family, going for a decent meal, going to a nice bar, visting the theatre, cinema, watching world class football and other sports, travlling on pretty good (though could be better) public transport. The Uk has all of these and much, much more. I just don't see how that makes it such a bad place.

[robblok]

More nonsense from you. I've never been a Guardian reader so what's the point of that remark. I don't even see what difference it makes what paper I read (none), because I make my own mind up. I'm not like you who has to be told what to think. Anyway, this is massively off topic. What you say is irrelevant. If people don't have work, money, etc it doesn't make the UK bad. What you are saying is like saying a Ferrari is a rubbish car because people can't afford one. There are poor people who can't afford things in all countries. That doesn't make those countries bad. There is plenty to enjoy. Don't you like spending time with friends and family, going for a decent meal, going to a nice bar, visting the theatre, cinema, watching world class football and other sports, travlling on pretty good (though could be better) public transport. The Uk has all of these and much, much more. I just don't see how that makes it such a bad place.

sounds like the UK is heaven. I wonder when i can move there.

But get real the climate is shit (just as in Holland where i come from). Sure there is public transport so is there in Holland but i prefer the cheap taxi's over here. Traveling in the UK.. don't make me laugh.. its much better here. Spending time with friends and family can be done all over the world. Wow you act like the UK is the only country that has cinema's and theaters. Now its all peachy but it really doesnt make a place great its just normal. You got all that here too.. and a lot more. Sure this country has its downsides too (i nag about it enough).

[GuestHouse]

I'm a little over half way through my current assignment in Thailand, this is my 4th posting in LOS - Like the last three I'm getting towards the end and looking forward to going somewhere else. Somewhere in Europe would be nice.

My experience of going back home after a posting in Thailand, anywhere really, is that I find I'm back into the swing of life back home before I've cleared the airport. A couple of days of the usual hassles opening the house again and getting all the services set up but there after I've never had a problem resettling.

Coming back to Thailand this time I reckon it took me a good three months to settle back in again, as said above, how good, or otherwise Thailand seems has a lot to do with what alternative options one has.

[BangrakBob]

I am on a Thai Visa forum here??

It got the idea the whole point of these forums was to bitch and moan about Thailand, everyone in Thailand while having fun ripping the piss out of fellow posters!

[MrsExpat2B]

First 20 years of my life in Bangkok, and now on my fifth year (and counting) in the UK, I'm having the best time of my life so far. I can't see myself going back to live in Thailand again.

[kevozman1]

I am sorry mate but Bangkok is a dump. London is far better. I used to live in

Kentish Town, loved it. Now in Swansea............ not loving it so much.

I could understand your problem if you had been living in a nice island

in Thailand but quite frankly you should be happy to get out of that urban

cess pool.

[jackinbkk]

Its interesting that to be happy in England you have to be in the right state of mind. You have to fool yourself that you're happy.

If I had my UK income in Thailand i'd be 10 times happier. Unfortunately that can't happen right now so i'm keeping

my head down in miserable Britain until I can return to Thailand some time in the future...

You just have to keep going OP. Try to keep your mind occupied so you dont think too much and realise the hel_l hole your in now.

How you feel about things is going to change with your situation though. When I first came back after 2 years in LOS

it was very depressing. It was still cold in England, I was on the dole and my fiancee was in Thailand.

Now I have a job I love, my fiance is here with me and I plan to have a holiday in Thailand come high season.

I still have bigger dreams. I might some day get to work from overseas.

Don't give up!

[GuestHouse]

w11Guy, Well l have sat back and read your posts. You talk complete <deleted>. I visualize that you are 21 and know it all but understand nothing. From an oldy that has watched my country bend over backwards for foreigners l am quite pissed off. Change, perhaps yes but change for it's natives, which is not happening. My mum and dad passed away last year, both fuming at the way the country has gone when THEY had to fight to keep England, England. I will not argue with you here cos it's pointless but people like you make many angry.

Rants about foreigners coming to his home country and goes to live in someone else's ....... Not the sharpest tool in the box eh!

[yeesipha]

w11Guy, Well l have sat back and read your posts. You talk complete <deleted>. I visualize that you are 21 and know it all but understand nothing. From an oldie that has watched my country bend over backwards for foreigners l am quite pissed off. Change, perhaps yes but change for it's natives, which is not happening. My mum and dad passed away last year, both fuming at the way the country has gone when THEY had to fight to keep England, England. I will not argue with you here cos it's pointless but people like you make many angry.

Rants about foreigners coming to his home country and goes to live in someone else's ....... Not the sharpest tool in the box eh!

He may have a Thai wife in which case i sure you'd agree he isnt being a hypocrite as they have to live somewhere, or maybe he is highly skilled and will come here on a work visa which will expire once his contract is over, or finally maybe he is a wealthy retiree who will again come here on a visa and should he not meet the criteria of this will again be sent packing .... but he will not be subsidised by the Thai taxpayer under any of the aforementioned criteria.

Now Britain has opened its borders to 500 million Europeans many from extremely corrupt poor nations, who without doubt suppress the wages of the average British worker, and then there is the filth from Somalia and Pakistan who have no intention of integrating, furthermore 8 out of 10 Somalians are living in social housing.

http://www.dailymail...ace-hatred.html

Maybe you're not the sharpest tool in the box for needing someone to spell out the differences.

An enlightening post which has made my day.

Thought me, my mum and dad were alone in our thoughts.

A question to others. Why don't the swarms of all nationalities trying to cram into the tiny UK try and make their own countries better for THEIR people and families. .

That's why immigrants come to the UK,to do better for themselves,work,and then send the money back to there folks in the home country,thus trying to make their folks lives better in their home country

[GuestHouse]

w11Guy, Well l have sat back and read your posts. You talk complete <deleted>. I visualize that you are 21 and know it all but understand nothing. From an oldy that has watched my country bend over backwards for foreigners l am quite pissed off. Change, perhaps yes but change for it's natives, which is not happening. My mum and dad passed away last year, both fuming at the way the country has gone when THEY had to fight to keep England, England. I will not argue with you here cos it's pointless but people like you make many angry.

Rants about foreigners coming to his home country and goes to live in someone else's ....... Not the sharpest tool in the box eh!

That is the silliest thing l have read all day. You have NO idea why l am here.

It doesn't matter a jot why you are here, the fact that you are living in overseas while complaining about foreigners moving to your own country is indicative of a mind set - not a very bright mind set.

[GuestHouse]

An enlightening post which has made my day.

Thought me, my mum and dad were alone in our thoughts.

A question to others. Why don't the swarms of all nationalities trying to cram into the tiny UK try and make their own countries better for THEIR people and families. .

That's why immigrants come to the UK,to do better for themselves,work,and then send the money back to there folks in the home country,thus trying to make their folks lives better in their home country

And in doing so provide a stark comparison to the millions of Brits who are content to put their hand out and live on welfare payments.

[GuestHouse]

Then we must continue to disagree cos you REALLY don't know why l am here and your assumption is quite arrogant. . .

It simply does not matter why you are here - You are here and you complain about foreigners going to your country - At the very least that makes you a hypocrite.

It's not an assumption, arrogant or otherwise, it's an observation of self evident hypocrisy.