I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not particularly happy about all my personal details being shared with these vultures - hours before being sued, the UK government released details of data sharing contracts with Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Faculty and Palantir. Links to each contract provided. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/un...nment-releases-nhs-covid-data-deals-big-tech/
My step son is chief engineer with a major connstuctor... he says social distancing is not happening on site... impossible to maintain. Worrying for us as he currently is the only extended family member not working from home
The Govt handling of the pandemic looks to have further influenced people: "Nearly two thirds of Brits living abroad have vowed never to permanently move back to the UK, a new survey has revealed. About 62% respondents said that they would never relocate back to Britain, according to the poll by financial advisory and fintech organisation deVere Group. A further 11% said they would consider returning to the UK, while 27% said “maybe.” Although the majority of respondents said they would never return to the UK, 70% said they still regularly send money back to the UK and 81% reported being able to save more in their overseas location. The “pull’ factors of living abroad — factors that draw people to overseas living — far outweigh those of the UK, despite the global coronavirus pandemic and rising economic, political and social tensions in many countries around the world, according to Nigel Green, founder and CEO of deVere Group. “Pull” factors for moving abroad include more lucrative career opportunities, lower cost of living, higher quality of life, high quality childcare and education, lower crime levels, and good weather. The UK’s “push” factors include fears over a no-deal Brexit, political issues, the cost of living, high taxes, low interest rates, a weak pound, the scrapping of some age-related benefits, quality of lifestyle, crime concerns, and the weather. These factors that encouraged people to relocate seem to have intensified for many expats, according to Green. The survey found that the primary reason for relocation was work and career, with 44% of respondents citing this as the main factor in deciding to leave the UK. The survey looked at the experiences of 754 Brits living in Australia, New Zealand, the UAE, Oman, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, France, Portugal, Hungary, Germany, Mexico, Russia, and Zimbabwe." Many of these people will be natural Tory voters too.... unhappy with ten years of Tory Govt.......
I can add a few statistics to those Yorkie. There are about 140,000 British people living in Germany - their average age is 46, 15% of them are either married to a German or are living with one in a similar relationship. The average time of residence is 20 years and one in seven have now taken German nationality. I only actually know a few British people living directly in my town - and two of them are left overs from the British army, who just stuck around for the duration. I couldn't imagine going back to live in England permanently - after 30 years it would be just as hard as moving to a completely new country. The pull factor for me was a romantic one and had nothing to do with being a career move - it follows that you can obviously practice your career better in a country where you speak the language, and I didn't speak German when I arrived in 1989. Having said that, the pull factors of Germany would be cost of living, and lower crime levels - weather and food are on a par with England. Another obvious factor is that Thatcher was in power when I emigrated - which explains a lot. The most negative aspect of returning to Britain would be that I could be surrounded by carrot crunching, monarchy loving, Brexiteers if I did. Simply too much water has gone under the bridge and I could not now live with some of the prevailing politics and opinions commonly found in the home counties. Having said that - in my normal life I very rarely speak English (which is why coming on here is a bit of a relief) - living your whole life in another language can be a strain. There are some things which I miss about England - and living abroad for 30 years without home sickness ever creeping in is difficult.
It would be interesting if another survey were done targetting Brits who have been abroad and returned, to see whether or not they regretted returning. Up until six or so years ago, I would probably have said no - but am now most definitely in the yes camp.
Nothing to do with coronavirus or football, but well worth a read. "New laws to criminalise public interest information." Laws designed to stop the media from holding the government to account - not that many media outlets bother doing that these days - and to throw a cloak of secrecy over everything it says or does. Not a world I want to be a part of. https://truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/new-laws-to-criminalise-public-interest-information/
Returning from France back to the UK was the best decision I ever made. Parts of Europe are delightful but the UK is by far the best place to live.
If you don't speak any language but English then I can understand you living in the UK The truth is that you will never really enjoy living in a country without speaking the language.
I am quite surprised that a third of Brits would consider moving back to the UK as I don"t know any who would give it a second thought, but maybe that it is because France is not an English speaking country like NZ or AUS. There is a misconception about the Brit in France when people say that we just go here to retire. 80% are actually working here. Teachers, builders, garage owners, IT specialists, farmers, the full range of jobs that you will find anywhere. Many younger people have actually grown up here, fluent in the language, and their friends are French. Most English here speak some French, and the communes run classes to help. Certainly some of the older people miss contact with family, especially grandchildren, but it is amazing how many have suddenly with a bit of help become literate in using the internet to actually see and speak to them. Speak to an English person here and they will all tell you that they feel much safer here with proper policies in place to control the virus, rather than the disjointed approach displayed in the UK, where we now see the experts saying that government lack of action has cost thousands of people their lives. That is nothing short of criminal. The fact that would be top of the list as to why people want to stay here is quality of life. Nowhere will always be perfect, but I would rather be here than in the UK. It is only when I have to go back for a short while that I notice just how rundown parts of the country have become. What were once lovely market towns have disappeared and replaced by empty shops and graffiti. And don't mention the traffic. Two hours to get out of a car park after a football match after the last home game I went to. Total gridlock. In that time I could be halfway to Paris.
To be fair there are also lots of grotty parts in France and wonderful market towns in England. I know many Brits that have returned from France. Many older people do not trust the French care system so return before they think it is needed. Recently friends of ours with their two daughters came back to England to look after the wife's mother. Unfortunately she has died but they intend to remain in the UK. It could be down to the French not recognising trust funds as we have other friends returning in November after being in France for 20 years. There will be many expats, who rely on tourism, in financial difficulty this year. Selling their French properties could be a problem as a second home is the first luxury to be sold in a downturn, leading to a glut of properties for sale.
I am surprised that you wish to draw attention to the care system in the UK with the disaster created by the government. Still what I would say is that the quality of life here is in part having wonderful unspoilt countryside around us, with the coasts and mountains, good food and wine, and a concern for our neighbours. It is no wonder that France is the top tourist country in Europe. While we have those things to enjoy, you have friends who spend their lives worrying about their trust funds. Says it all really.
I certainly feel safer here when it comes to the virus Frenchie. Other than that I can't really compare that much because my most intimate memories of living in England are over 30 years old - I have been back quite a few times, but haven't been there since the referendum result. Also the last place I lived in England was on Exmoor which can hardly be held up as 'typical' of England. In Germany I have lived in both a big city (Hamburg) and now live in a very rural area - my overall feeling is that city life is infinitely better in Germany than its English parallel, but a rural comparison would have Exmoor in the back of my brain and so my judgement there may be different.
The problem for those returning to the UK, especially the Home Counties, is affordability. Living in areas of Europe with relatively stagnant house prices it is very difficult to return to the same areas of the UK without large cash reserves. My mother in law's ex council house in Abbots Langley near Watford, which my wife's parents bought for under £5,000, is now valued at over half a million despite needing gutting from top to bottom. If possible, it is alway better to keep a property in the UK to remain in the market, something I did not do back in 1999.
My mother in law's care home in Hemel Hempstead is excellent. She is extremely well looked after and is lucky to have lots of visits from relatives. I must say it is not something I would look forward to though.
I lived for 35 years in one of the more remote spots of Northants, and yet by the standard of where I live now it was almost urban. Today it is not the same place at all. Harry used to take his herd of milkers through the centre of the village twice a day to his shed where he would hand milk them. Imagine the outrage when new houses were built and the occupants found cow pats in the road. Today the roads are closed off from the main road as building work has started on the HS2 railway that runs through the top of the village. Because of the railway house prices in the area have hardly changed since I left thirteen years ago. It is not actually about money though. It is how you wish to live. I have picked the first of my peas today and will have them with my dinner. I find that far more of a pleasure to know that because of my labour I will enjoy them, whereas I could have bought them in a shop.
This year I have my first vegetable patch, well its meant to be just a herb garden. We have planted broad beans, lettuces, tomatoes, courgettes, some herbs and a few unknown things given to us by a friend. I don't really know what I am doing but it looks good at this stage apart from the tacky Peter Rabbit statue my wife bought yesterday.
I for one am not proud to be English... and have not been for years... the behaviour of certain of our young people in Europe.... around sport etc.. has been awful..... The crass petty bourgois nationalism that is promoted to be out British spirit is based on arrogance and false superiority.....the spoilt brats of Europe.... As you may know i worked overseas like others and even had a consular role when living in Bhutan... the ambassadorial compound in Delhi is so 'empire'...... I always looked forward to coming home but the shine of it always faded after a while... Too old to go elsewhere now and dependent on our creaky NHS... Overall I quite understand those who chose not to come back...... I wish I had gone to Canada when I had the chance or taken the £10 trip down under....
....and given that this is a CV thread..... I cant think of many developed countried i trust less than ours over the pandemic apart from the US and Sweden////
