A Letter From The Uk...for Those Who Remember Me.

[chiang mai]

Of course you can!... more scare mongering.

And you can die waiting.......

regards Worgordie

I think I'd prefer waiting for a UK ambulance in an emergency than one here

I've seen recent examples of CM Ram ambulances doing an outstanding job of getting from there to here and back again in super quick time, I wouldn't dimsiss the Thai hospital/ambulance system too quickly.

[MESmith]

I think I'd prefer waiting for a UK ambulance in an emergency than one here

I've seen recent examples of CM Ram ambulances doing an outstanding job of getting from there to here and back again in super quick time, I wouldn't dimsiss the Thai hospital/ambulance system too quickly.

Depends where you live. And on traffic. The post was in response to criticism of UK ambulance service. Thai traffic generally doesn't respond to emergency vehicles. In the UK EVERYONE gets out of the way.

Edited April 23, 2013 by MESmith

[Konini]

Whist living in Australia I noticed on quite a few occasions that people (in Melbourne anyway) didn't seem to inconvenience themselves too much to get out of the way of an ambulance with lights and sirens. It never fails to dismay me.

[moe666]

geez so much moaning and groaning I would have thought Songram was months ago

[hellodolly]

Majic - my mam has had to wait more than a week for a doctors' appointment. When I've told her to kick up a fuss, she reminds me that there are only 2 doctors' surgeries in the village, and in England the other doctor has to agree to put you on to their list, so whatever you do don't p155 off the girl on reception. Last year, I was ready to take her to A&E as a way of getting her in to see somebody, but she couldn't have something like that put on her records (?). I'm still convinced my dad died after being diagnosed with the wrong disease in a rather off-hand manner, and as he lay dying, mam brought clean pyjama's for the man in the next bed who had no family and she cleaned up his vomit (her words 'the nurses really shouldn't have pretended not to notice, but they are busy you know and it wasn't nice sitting there for me so I couldn't just leave it and have that smell the last thing that dad remembered'). The NHS isn't doing so brilliantly, although I know it does good in some area's.

In relation to interviews, I've always phone interviews as a prelude to the real thing. No point wasting your time (and theirs) interviewing someone who can barely string two words together. The first contact is the main one as far as I'm concerned because you have caught the person off-guard. Every job I've been offered started with a phone call.

We left England in 1987 and it seems each year that we go back it seems to gets worse. Particularly scary (for me) is that young people aren't afraid of the police. Just the threat of 'I'm going to get the Bobby' was enough to put us in place for a good while, but now there is no respect for them at all.

Not being from England I don't think it matters when a doctor only allows you ten minutes you are not in good medical hands. In Canada to see a doctor you had to go in and have a face to face interview with them to see if they would take you.

I knew a fellow who lives in England and has had some social success in his life. In fact he has met the queen twice. We were talking about the waiting time to see doctors. He said it was not bad at all if you know the right people.

Doppa

I hope it all works out for you and that is great that the boy is fitting in. In the long run he will be a much more mature man for his experience here in Thailand. A win win situation for him.

[uptheos]

Doppa - I see David Cameron is considering a temporary withdrawal from the European human rights convention in order to finally remove Abu Qatada from Britain........what's the reaction there?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2313511/PM-losing-patience-human-rights-court-Qatada-wins-Cameron-considers-temporary-withdrawal-finally-remove-hate-preacher.html

I know the ambulances in Chiang Mai try to be efficient, but I don't believe they carry any trained staff - do they?

As good as they might be no-one gets out of the way for them anyway, only for you know who.

I have two BIG reasons to be eternally thankful to the British Ambulance service and their staff on board, who saved both my father and mother. Doppa, hang in there mate, you will do fine, I wish I could say the same about Newcastle.

[jinners]

Doppa, I also empathise. I visit UK regularly and the general cost is shocking (food apart, do miss the home comforts of Morrisons or Tesco et al), the control though is another.Form filling, total lack of identity that has been beaten out of the native population is another. As you rightly state, everyone doing a CYA action. One of the main reasons to move is of course the weather but there's a lot of <deleted> over there that I'd just rather do without. But then I've been travelling for a long time and realised long ago, there are much better places out there than UK. Latest stop is Thailand and having been here for 2 years that's not a lot I know to many on here, but am really enjoying myself.

Majic, my Mum has now to call on the phone to make appointments or to get medicine. She's 86 and after almost a week of trying on a premium phone line, to make an appointment, visited the doc's (5 work there) and was seen by a nurse, without a word of apology about the lack of customer service she was faced with, then waits almost 2 weeks for results, then a cursory 10 minute visit with the GP. If the NHS really is the largest employer in Europe, which I believe it is, then that is a negative rather than a positive issue. More managers and middle men than nursing staff. And it has been that way for years. But nobody dare mess with the sacred NHS, heaven forbid, so it keeps on swallowing enormous amounts of money while the service it is there to offer deteriorates, as do the patients.

Most, if not all vacancies now seem to go via recruitment companies, so phone vetting would make total sense.

I don't wish to be a UK knocker, but being a regular visitor don't see enough positive points to be anything else.

Thank you Thailand for being a comfortable home from home for me.

[super22k]

Doppa,the reason you have all this trouble is because of the Multi-cultural mess Britain finds its self in. People are suspicious of each other. People do not like each other. People are afraid of each other. A typical multi-racial society.This is proof it does not work.

[chiang mai]

Doppa, I also empathise. I visit UK regularly and the general cost is shocking (food apart, do miss the home comforts of Morrisons or Tesco et al), the control though is another.Form filling, total lack of identity that has been beaten out of the native population is another. As you rightly state, everyone doing a CYA action. One of the main reasons to move is of course the weather but there's a lot of <deleted> over there that I'd just rather do without. But then I've been travelling for a long time and realised long ago, there are much better places out there than UK. Latest stop is Thailand and having been here for 2 years that's not a lot I know to many on here, but am really enjoying myself.

Majic, my Mum has now to call on the phone to make appointments or to get medicine. She's 86 and after almost a week of trying on a premium phone line, to make an appointment, visited the doc's (5 work there) and was seen by a nurse, without a word of apology about the lack of customer service she was faced with, then waits almost 2 weeks for results, then a cursory 10 minute visit with the GP. If the NHS really is the largest employer in Europe, which I believe it is, then that is a negative rather than a positive issue. More managers and middle men than nursing staff. And it has been that way for years. But nobody dare mess with the sacred NHS, heaven forbid, so it keeps on swallowing enormous amounts of money while the service it is there to offer deteriorates, as do the patients.

Most, if not all vacancies now seem to go via recruitment companies, so phone vetting would make total sense.

I don't wish to be a UK knocker, but being a regular visitor don't see enough positive points to be anything else.

Thank you Thailand for being a comfortable home from home for me.

The NHS is the biggest single employer in the world. apart from the Indian railways and the Chinese army.

[dunque]

Firstly presuming you have a Settlement Visa for your wife,what copious amounts of paperwork are you talking about? Normally there are no forms to fill out once your wife has a Visa,and you do not need to check in to Immigration or the Police for the whole 2 years and 3 months Visa,and it's normal to have no contact at all with the UKBA,would you prefer 30, 60, or 90 day check ins?

Copious amounts of paperwork! could you be more specific on the nature of the forms?

12 days to see your Doctor i've never heard of such a wait,normally if you want to see a specific Dr,and he is fully booked on any one day or on holiday,then you can see another Dr in the Practice,and on the same day. Our Doctors are dedicated to their job and some of the finest in the world,to state that they are penny pinching with prescriptions as if it was their own money,is disgraceful,they do not count the cost of patients health,and their patients health is paramount,and is their only concern,and BTW patients pay £7.80 for each prescription,whether it covers the cost or not.

Form filling: every Country has that,Driving Licence,Passports,Road Tax,Insurance,NI Card,Regulations, applications,CRB checks,Background checks etc etc.

Yes the UK is more expensive to live in with the exception of Food.......Petrol,Gas,House Tax,Road Tax,TV, is more expensive,but then you get paid more in the UK to counteract it.

I have never heard of ticking the box for a Job Application over the phone!

And as for the NHS it's not perfect but is still the finest in the world,considering it has a population of around 62 Million to cater for,and as the largest employer in Europe,employs in excess of 1 Million staff, yes there are waiting lists for treatment of non urgent cases,if it was an emergency operation situation,you would get treated immediately.

Comparing the two is like comparing apples and pears.

I wish you and your wife good luck and hope you can settle back in again soon.

Well, I have just submitted the 35 page settlement visa form. As well as English certificates,3 months worth of original(not Internet print outs) bank statements passportsc(hers and mine), payslips, 6 pieces of evidence of cohabiting, I noticed just before wrapping it all up that hey wanted photocopies as well as original documents.

I also had to do this twice as the form changed in between starting my original application n sending it - 3 additional(irrelevant for us) pages and a £60 price increase.

[Chicken George]

Its a worry for a lot of Expats having to go back. Your boy is your life as you say and he will make it all worth while. Yours is a common view held by many ecpats who do actually love living in Thailand.. I would miss the freedom I have here. The weather and still how cheap it can be if you avoid the excess of beer and lady drinkies.. I have been here 11 years and hopefully will stay to the end! But not 100% sure I will be able to.

[orang37]

Poor doppa, poor orang37 . . . I wish you both all the best.

Schadenfreude.

~o:37;

[Rasseru]

Poor doppa, poor orang37 . . . I wish you both all the best.

Schadenfreude.

~o:37;

Not on my part, if that is what you are suggesting. My sympathy and best wishes were, and are, sincere. In this case, I mean. Cynicism and irony and similar phenomena are in my repertoire, indeed, and sometimes employed by me. But not here.

[Skorz]

Firstly presuming you have a Settlement Visa for your wife,what copious amounts of paperwork are you talking about? Normally there are no forms to fill out once your wife has a Visa,and you do not need to check in to Immigration or the Police for the whole 2 years and 3 months Visa,and it's normal to have no contact at all with the UKBA,would you prefer 30, 60, or 90 day check ins?

Copious amounts of paperwork! could you be more specific on the nature of the forms?

12 days to see your Doctor i've never heard of such a wait,normally if you want to see a specific Dr,and he is fully booked on any one day or on holiday,then you can see another Dr in the Practice,and on the same day. Our Doctors are dedicated to their job and some of the finest in the world,to state that they are penny pinching with prescriptions as if it was their own money,is disgraceful,they do not count the cost of patients health,and their patients health is paramount,and is their only concern,and BTW patients pay £7.80 for each prescription,whether it covers the cost or not.

Form filling: every Country has that,Driving Licence,Passports,Road Tax,Insurance,NI Card,Regulations, applications,CRB checks,Background checks etc etc.

Yes the UK is more expensive to live in with the exception of Food.......Petrol,Gas,House Tax,Road Tax,TV, is more expensive,but then you get paid more in the UK to counteract it.

I have never heard of ticking the box for a Job Application over the phone!

And as for the NHS it's not perfect but is still the finest in the world,considering it has a population of around 62 Million to cater for,and as the largest employer in Europe,employs in excess of 1 Million staff, yes there are waiting lists for treatment of non urgent cases,if it was an emergency operation situation,you would get treated immediately.

Comparing the two is like comparing apples and pears.

I wish you and your wife good luck and hope you can settle back in again soon.

You're either being deliberately argumentative/patronising or you're just a fool. Job interviews always take place over the phone first in the UK (unless you personally know the employer).Secondly what on earth is a settlement visa? Have you ever actually gone through the process of repatriation to the UK with a Thai spouse ? I seriously doubt it. No such thing as a settlement visa. It's called nationalisation and it takes 3 years, after you've done the unlimited leave to remain which follows the spouse visa, which usually follows the water testing tourist visa. People like you really grind my gears.

[Skorz]

Firstly presuming you have a Settlement Visa for your wife,what copious amounts of paperwork are you talking about? Normally there are no forms to fill out once your wife has a Visa,and you do not need to check in to Immigration or the Police for the whole 2 years and 3 months Visa,and it's normal to have no contact at all with the UKBA,would you prefer 30, 60, or 90 day check ins?

Copious amounts of paperwork! could you be more specific on the nature of the forms?

12 days to see your Doctor i've never heard of such a wait,normally if you want to see a specific Dr,and he is fully booked on any one day or on holiday,then you can see another Dr in the Practice,and on the same day. Our Doctors are dedicated to their job and some of the finest in the world,to state that they are penny pinching with prescriptions as if it was their own money,is disgraceful,they do not count the cost of patients health,and their patients health is paramount,and is their only concern,and BTW patients pay £7.80 for each prescription,whether it covers the cost or not.

Form filling: every Country has that,Driving Licence,Passports,Road Tax,Insurance,NI Card,Regulations, applications,CRB checks,Background checks etc etc.

Yes the UK is more expensive to live in with the exception of Food.......Petrol,Gas,House Tax,Road Tax,TV, is more expensive,but then you get paid more in the UK to counteract it.

I have never heard of ticking the box for a Job Application over the phone!

>>And as for the NHS it's not perfect but is still the finest in the world,considering it has a population of around 62 Million to cater for,and as the largest employer in Europe,employs in excess of 1 Million staff, yes there are waiting lists for treatment of non urgent cases,if it was an emergency operation situation,you would get treated immediately.

Comparing the two is like comparing apples and pears.

I wish you and your wife good luck and hope you can settle back in again soon.

You're either being deliberately argumentative/patronising or you're just a fool. Job interviews always take place over the phone first in the UK (unless you personally know the employer).Secondly what on earth is a settlement visa? Have you ever actually gone through the process of repatriation to the UK with a Thai spouse ? I seriously doubt it. No such thing as a settlement visa. It's called nationalisation and it takes 3 years, after you've done the unlimited leave to remain which follows the spouse visa, which usually follows the water testing tourist visa. People like you really grind my gears.

And, while I'm at it ''Majic' it does take 12 days or more to see a doctor in the UK, you may have never heard of such a thing 20 odd years ago, but by the tone of your massively patronising response

Edited April 24, 2013 by onthedarkside
insult removed

[chiang mai]

Firstly presuming you have a Settlement Visa for your wife,what copious amounts of paperwork are you talking about? Normally there are no forms to fill out once your wife has a Visa,and you do not need to check in to Immigration or the Police for the whole 2 years and 3 months Visa,and it's normal to have no contact at all with the UKBA,would you prefer 30, 60, or 90 day check ins?

Copious amounts of paperwork! could you be more specific on the nature of the forms?

12 days to see your Doctor i've never heard of such a wait,normally if you want to see a specific Dr,and he is fully booked on any one day or on holiday,then you can see another Dr in the Practice,and on the same day. Our Doctors are dedicated to their job and some of the finest in the world,to state that they are penny pinching with prescriptions as if it was their own money,is disgraceful,they do not count the cost of patients health,and their patients health is paramount,and is their only concern,and BTW patients pay £7.80 for each prescription,whether it covers the cost or not.

Form filling: every Country has that,Driving Licence,Passports,Road Tax,Insurance,NI Card,Regulations, applications,CRB checks,Background checks etc etc.

Yes the UK is more expensive to live in with the exception of Food.......Petrol,Gas,House Tax,Road Tax,TV, is more expensive,but then you get paid more in the UK to counteract it.

I have never heard of ticking the box for a Job Application over the phone!

>>And as for the NHS it's not perfect but is still the finest in the world,considering it has a population of around 62 Million to cater for,and as the largest employer in Europe,employs in excess of 1 Million staff, yes there are waiting lists for treatment of non urgent cases,if it was an emergency operation situation,you would get treated immediately.

Comparing the two is like comparing apples and pears.

I wish you and your wife good luck and hope you can settle back in again

soon.lockquote>

You're either being deliberately argumentative/patronising or you're just a fool. Job interviews always take place over the phone first in the UK (unless you personally know the employer).Secondly what on earth is a settlement visa? Have you ever actually gone through the process of repatriation to the UK with a Thai spouse ? I seriously doubt it. No such thing as a settlement visa. It's called nationalisation and it takes 3 years, after you've done the unlimited leave to remain which follows the spouse visa, which usually follows the water testing tourist visa. People like you really grind my gears.

And, while I'm at it ''Majic' it does take 12 days or more to see a doctor in the UK, you may have never heard of such a thing 20 odd years ago, but by the tone of your massively patronising response

Why the agro, not necessary!

A couple of points on your posts however:

I was in the UK last month for about ten days and I walked into a doctors surgery and made an appointment for about two hours later that same day, this was for a skin rask so not exactly life threatening.

Also, we've/Ive applied for and recieved'a UK Settlement visa for my Thai partner two years ago, that's what we asked for and that's what they called it!

[Postmaster]

doppa. I'm thinking of those cold NE winds coming over the North Sea from Russia and Scandanvia to Northumberland...... bbrrrr cold cold

Wish you the best. Think Magic a bit unfair to you in his first reply.. I can reflect on everything you said in your inaugural post.

[uptheos]

Quote Post 46 "Why the agro, not necessary!

A couple of points on your posts however:

I was in the UK last month for about ten days and I walked into a doctors surgery and made an appointment for about two hours later that same day, this was for a skin rask so not exactly life threatening.

Also, we've/Ive applied for and recieved'a UK Settlement visa for my Thai partner two years ago, that's what we asked for and that's what they called it!"

I was back last year visiting my daughter. I'm still registered with a doctor's office. Walked in asked the receptionist if my doctor was free tonight.......yes, appointment at 5-30 pm. He said "I haven't seen you for a while". I replied "no I've been in Thailand" and asked him if he would check something for me and also put some copies of MRI and other stuff on my file......no problem. Didn't even bother with the fact I hadn't seen him for ages and I had medical stuff done in Thailand. There's still a lot of nice people in the UK and a lot of sympathetic doctors, who care about people in their later years and not big fans of the way the NHS has been handled.

[h5kaf]

Majic - my mam has had to wait more than a week for a doctors' appointment. When I've told her to kick up a fuss, she reminds me that there are only 2 doctors' surgeries in the village, and in England the other doctor has to agree to put you on to their list, so whatever you do don't p155 off the girl on reception. Last year, I was ready to take her to A&E as a way of getting her in to see somebody, but she couldn't have something like that put on her records (?). I'm still convinced my dad died after being diagnosed with the wrong disease in a rather off-hand manner, and as he lay dying, mam brought clean pyjama's for the man in the next bed who had no family and she cleaned up his vomit (her words 'the nurses really shouldn't have pretended not to notice, but they are busy you know and it wasn't nice sitting there for me so I couldn't just leave it and have that smell the last thing that dad remembered'). The NHS isn't doing so brilliantly, although I know it does good in some area's.

In relation to interviews, I've always phone interviews as a prelude to the real thing. No point wasting your time (and theirs) interviewing someone who can barely string two words together. The first contact is the main one as far as I'm concerned because you have caught the person off-guard. Every job I've been offered started with a phone call.

We left England in 1987 and it seems each year that we go back it seems to gets worse. Particularly scary (for me) is that young people aren't afraid of the police. Just the threat of 'I'm going to get the Bobby' was enough to put us in place for a good while, but now there is no respect for them at all.

I returned to the UK 18 months ago after 15 years in LOS. Doppa has got it spot on, and I am amused at the attempt by Majjic to champion the UK. I live in the so called "rich southeast" and I have had to go to see the doctor on three occasions. The quickest appointment I got was 16 days forward. It is true that if you think it is an emergency you can phone for an ambulance but much of the time this is what you need a doctor to decide. Also you must hope that the local ambulance service is not overstretched or the wait could be long. The horror stories of patients waiting in A&E on stretchers is not fantasy - the NHS is stretched to breaking point with doctors and nurses worked to their very limits.

The whole scenario here is one of 'Political Correctness' taken to ludicrous proportions. The politicians here are little different from those in LOS with power and re-election being the two most important issues to them. They talk a good story but the real situation is as Doppa describes - but WORSE. If the politicians were in charge of the weather we would be told it is mid summer and hot whereas in reality it is almost summer and bloody cold.

Sorry to be a bit of a wet blanket on this forum - must go, my next dose of anti depressants is due.

[h5kaf]

Its a worry for a lot of Expats having to go back. Your boy is your life as you say and he will make it all worth while. Yours is a common view held by many ecpats who do actually love living in Thailand.. I would miss the freedom I have here. The weather and still how cheap it can be if you avoid the excess of beer and lady drinkies.. I have been here 11 years and hopefully will stay to the end! But not 100% sure I will be able to.

Hi George - Thrush here - you are right mate stay there as long as you can. It's hard after a while to appreciate the freedom you have in LOS unless you return here and are battered by political correctness everywhere. Had to come back for the sake of the little one, and the fact that in LOS they put my health insurance premiums up by 300+ %.

The worst thing here is the cold. It gets into your bones and then life can be pretty miserable. Still I get lots of laughs on this forum reading the comments on most topics - the best comedy forum on the internet!!

[kevvy]

GEE. i thought you moved to Australia!!! sounds the same .

good luck with your NEW life

[chiang mai]

Quote Post 46 "Why the agro, not necessary!

A couple of points on your posts however:

I was in the UK last month for about ten days and I walked into a doctors surgery and made an appointment for about two hours later that same day, this was for a skin rask so not exactly life threatening.

Also, we've/Ive applied for and recieved'a UK Settlement visa for my Thai partner two years ago, that's what we asked for and that's what they called it!"

I was back last year visiting my daughter. I'm still registered with a doctor's office. Walked in asked the receptionist if my doctor was free tonight.......yes, appointment at 5-30 pm. He said "I haven't seen you for a while". I replied "no I've been in Thailand" and asked him if he would check something for me and also put some copies of MRI and other stuff on my file......no problem. Didn't even bother with the fact I hadn't seen him for ages and I had medical stuff done in Thailand. There's still a lot of nice people in the UK and a lot of sympathetic doctors, who care about people in their later years and not big fans of the way the NHS has been handled.

That was pretty much my sceanrio also, I hadn't been to that particular doctors surgery in ten years but my records were still there on their computer system and when I explained that I was living in Thailand, nobody was concerned and the doctor was most helpful - if anyone cares to check I even posted about this event elsewhere in the forum because of the discussion I had with the doctor at the time about the differences between the UK and Thailand in treating diabetes.

[MAJIC]

Firstly presuming you have a Settlement Visa for your wife,what copious amounts of paperwork are you talking about? Normally there are no forms to fill out once your wife has a Visa,and you do not need to check in to Immigration or the Police for the whole 2 years and 3 months Visa,and it's normal to have no contact at all with the UKBA,would you prefer 30, 60, or 90 day check ins?

Copious amounts of paperwork! could you be more specific on the nature of the forms?

12 days to see your Doctor i've never heard of such a wait,normally if you want to see a specific Dr,and he is fully booked on any one day or on holiday,then you can see another Dr in the Practice,and on the same day. Our Doctors are dedicated to their job and some of the finest in the world,to state that they are penny pinching with prescriptions as if it was their own money,is disgraceful,they do not count the cost of patients health,and their patients health is paramount,and is their only concern,and BTW patients pay £7.80 for each prescription,whether it covers the cost or not.

Form filling: every Country has that,Driving Licence,Passports,Road Tax,Insurance,NI Card,Regulations, applications,CRB checks,Background checks etc etc.

Yes the UK is more expensive to live in with the exception of Food.......Petrol,Gas,House Tax,Road Tax,TV, is more expensive,but then you get paid more in the UK to counteract it.

I have never heard of ticking the box for a Job Application over the phone!

And as for the NHS it's not perfect but is still the finest in the world,considering it has a population of around 62 Million to cater for,and as the largest employer in Europe,employs in excess of 1 Million staff, yes there are waiting lists for treatment of non urgent cases,if it was an emergency operation situation,you would get treated immediately.

Comparing the two is like comparing apples and pears.

I wish you and your wife good luck and hope you can settle back in again soon.

Well, I have just submitted the 35 page settlement visa form. As well as English certificates,3 months worth of original(not Internet print outs) bank statements passportsc(hers and mine), payslips, 6 pieces of evidence of cohabiting, I noticed just before wrapping it all up that hey wanted photocopies as well as original documents.

I also had to do this twice as the form changed in between starting my original application n sending it - 3 additional(irrelevant for us) pages and a £60 price increase.

All of us, me included who has previously got a Settlement Visa for wife (Now Citizenship) ,have had to do the same,it's not easy,and why should it be? if you want your'e Partner with you,this is what Immigration requires! have a good whinge on TV,by all means,it will not change anything,just the same as we moan about obtaining Thai Visas and the the hoops we have to jump through, same same beurocracy!

[robertson468]

Khun Doppa, you list the majority of reasons I left the good old UK and came to Thailand, not to mention political correctness, health and safety which in their place are good, but unfortunately have now gone way over the top. I returned to the UK two years after I came to Thailand and was waiting for my Thai Wife to be processed through the no-UK Passport Holders (which was quite some queue), when an African Englishman came up to me and asked, "are you an alien"? I first checked the top of my forehead for any give-away antenna and replied, "I am Scottish, if that qualifies". Sadly he didn't have quite the same off the wall sense of humour as myself. Strangely enough, I did very much feel like a stranger and could not wait to get back to friendly Thailand, with it's warts and all.

[MAJIC]

Its a worry for a lot of Expats having to go back. Your boy is your life as you say and he will make it all worth while. Yours is a common view held by many ecpats who do actually love living in Thailand.. I would miss the freedom I have here. The weather and still how cheap it can be if you avoid the excess of beer and lady drinkies.. I have been here 11 years and hopefully will stay to the end! But not 100% sure I will be able to.

Hi George - Thrush here - you are right mate stay there as long as you can. It's hard after a while to appreciate the freedom you have in LOS unless you return here and are battered by political correctness everywhere. Had to come back for the sake of the little one, and the fact that in LOS they put my health insurance premiums up by 300+ %.

The worst thing here is the cold. It gets into your bones and then life can be pretty miserable. Still I get lots of laughs on this forum reading the comments on most topics - the best comedy forum on the internet!!

In spite of the whinging,everyone knows when it's time to go home and get some free treatment,on that terrible NHS Service!

[doppa]

Doppa - I see David Cameron is considering a temporary withdrawal from the European human rights convention in order to finally remove Abu Qatada from Britain........what's the reaction there?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2313511/PM-losing-patience-human-rights-court-Qatada-wins-Cameron-considers-temporary-withdrawal-finally-remove-hate-preacher.html

I know the ambulances in Chiang Mai try to be efficient, but I don't believe they carry any trained staff - do they?

As good as they might be no-one gets out of the way for them anyway, only for you know who.

I have two BIG reasons to be eternally thankful to the British Ambulance service and their staff on board, who saved both my father and mother. Doppa, hang in there mate, you will do fine, I wish I could say the same about Newcastle.

there doesn't seem to be much reaction to it at all, it's sad in a way that the country has to go to this extent to deport a person who blatantly abhors everything the west has to offer, i'm dam sure thailand wouldn't tolerate it, this is the sorry state of affairs that uk and europe have found themselves in, they just don't know what to do in situations like this, due to laws introduced for all the right reasons, but unfortunately taken advantage of by the minority through major loopholes created by the very same people who created that law.

[bumpkin]

This is a common experience. We can return to the same physical place, but never return to the same times we remember. Places are fixed but time marches on.

If you return to CM after a few years away, you will be surprised. The Greeks had a word for it " you could not step twice into the same river".

Things are never as bad as they seem , or as good !

Good luck in that beautiful corner of the UK.

[doppa]

Quote Post 46 "Why the agro, not necessary!

A couple of points on your posts however:

I was in the UK last month for about ten days and I walked into a doctors surgery and made an appointment for about two hours later that same day, this was for a skin rask so not exactly life threatening.

Also, we've/Ive applied for and recieved'a UK Settlement visa for my Thai partner two years ago, that's what we asked for and that's what they called it!"

I was back last year visiting my daughter. I'm still registered with a doctor's office. Walked in asked the receptionist if my doctor was free tonight.......yes, appointment at 5-30 pm. He said "I haven't seen you for a while". I replied "no I've been in Thailand" and asked him if he would check something for me and also put some copies of MRI and other stuff on my file......no problem. Didn't even bother with the fact I hadn't seen him for ages and I had medical stuff done in Thailand. There's still a lot of nice people in the UK and a lot of sympathetic doctors, who care about people in their later years and not big fans of the way the NHS has been handled.

That was pretty much my sceanrio also, I hadn't been to that particular doctors surgery in ten years but my records were still there on their computer system and when I explained that I was living in Thailand, nobody was concerned and the doctor was most helpful - if anyone cares to check I even posted about this event elsewhere in the forum because of the discussion I had with the doctor at the time about the differences between the UK and Thailand in treating diabetes.

on one visit to the uk, i visited my doctor who told me they couldn't treat for the very reason that i had been living in thailand for more than a year, so inconsistency rules ok.

[NanLaew]

Firstly presuming you have a Settlement Visa for your wife,what copious amounts of paperwork are you talking about? Normally there are no forms to fill out once your wife has a Visa,and you do not need to check in to Immigration or the Police for the whole 2 years and 3 months Visa,and it's normal to have no contact at all with the UKBA,would you prefer 30, 60, or 90 day check ins?

Copious amounts of paperwork! could you be more specific on the nature of the forms?

12 days to see your Doctor i've never heard of such a wait,normally if you want to see a specific Dr,and he is fully booked on any one day or on holiday,then you can see another Dr in the Practice,and on the same day. Our Doctors are dedicated to their job and some of the finest in the world,to state that they are penny pinching with prescriptions as if it was their own money,is disgraceful,they do not count the cost of patients health,and their patients health is paramount,and is their only concern,and BTW patients pay £7.80 for each prescription,whether it covers the cost or not.

Form filling: every Country has that,Driving Licence,Passports,Road Tax,Insurance,NI Card,Regulations, applications,CRB checks,Background checks etc etc.

Yes the UK is more expensive to live in with the exception of Food.......Petrol,Gas,House Tax,Road Tax,TV, is more expensive,but then you get paid more in the UK to counteract it.

I have never heard of ticking the box for a Job Application over the phone!

And as for the NHS it's not perfect but is still the finest in the world,considering it has a population of around 62 Million to cater for,and as the largest employer in Europe,employs in excess of 1 Million staff, yes there are waiting lists for treatment of non urgent cases,if it was an emergency operation situation,you would get treated immediately.

Comparing the two is like comparing apples and pears.

I wish you and your wife good luck and hope you can settle back in again soon.

Well, I have just submitted the 35 page settlement visa form. As well as English certificates,3 months worth of original(not Internet print outs) bank statements passportsc(hers and mine), payslips, 6 pieces of evidence of cohabiting, I noticed just before wrapping it all up that hey wanted photocopies as well as original documents.

I also had to do this twice as the form changed in between starting my original application n sending it - 3 additional(irrelevant for us) pages and a £60 price increase.

All of us, me included who has previously got a Settlement Visa for wife (Now Citizenship) ,have had to do the same,it's not easy,and why should it be? if you want your'e Partner with you,this is what Immigration requires! have a good whinge on TV,by all means,it will not change anything,just the same as we moan about obtaining Thai Visas and the the hoops we have to jump through, same same beurocracy!

Strewth MAJIC, don't you ever pipe down? The OP mentions copious paperwork and you say otherwise and allude that it was all a walk in the park. Now you say UK Immigration processes are not easy and acting as some sort of apologist for the arcane and discriminatory UK Immigration rules as well as carrying a torch for the hugely inefficient and morally bankrupt NHS.

What colour of glasses are you wearing?

[MAJIC]

Firstly presuming you have a Settlement Visa for your wife,what copious amounts of paperwork are you talking about? Normally there are no forms to fill out once your wife has a Visa,and you do not need to check in to Immigration or the Police for the whole 2 years and 3 months Visa,and it's normal to have no contact at all with the UKBA,would you prefer 30, 60, or 90 day check ins?

Copious amounts of paperwork! could you be more specific on the nature of the forms?

12 days to see your Doctor i've never heard of such a wait,normally if you want to see a specific Dr,and he is fully booked on any one day or on holiday,then you can see another Dr in the Practice,and on the same day. Our Doctors are dedicated to their job and some of the finest in the world,to state that they are penny pinching with prescriptions as if it was their own money,is disgraceful,they do not count the cost of patients health,and their patients health is paramount,and is their only concern,and BTW patients pay £7.80 for each prescription,whether it covers the cost or not.

Form filling: every Country has that,Driving Licence,Passports,Road Tax,Insurance,NI Card,Regulations, applications,CRB checks,Background checks etc etc.

Yes the UK is more expensive to live in with the exception of Food.......Petrol,Gas,House Tax,Road Tax,TV, is more expensive,but then you get paid more in the UK to counteract it.

I have never heard of ticking the box for a Job Application over the phone!

>And as for the NHS it's not perfect but is still the finest in the world,considering it has a population of around 62 Million to cater for,and as the largest employer in Europe,employs in excess of 1 Million staff, yes there are waiting lists for treatment of non urgent cases,if it was an emergency operation situation,you would get treated immediately.

Comparing the two is like comparing apples and pears.

I wish you and your wife good luck and hope you can settle back in again soon.

You're either being deliberately argumentative/patronising or you're just a fool. Job interviews always take place over the phone first in the UK (unless you personally know the employer).Secondly what on earth is a settlement visa? Have you ever actually gone through the process of repatriation to the UK with a Thai spouse ? I seriously doubt it. No such thing as a settlement visa. It's called nationalisation and it takes 3 years, after you've done the unlimited leave to remain which follows the spouse visa, which usually follows the water testing tourist visa. People like you really grind my gears.

What on earth are you talking about?