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Voltaire,
While I'm sure many would agree with you and your observations on American culture (I used to think like you too, which is why I am living in Ireland!), I would like to point out that unless you have already lived abroad you too will certainly learn to appreciate the US as being the one of the greatest countries. (And I am certainly no flag waver!). This is something you will see after you are away from it! I can't specifically comment on Britain but I do know Americans like yourself living here that used to bash the whole American way of life and it's crime, and consumerism and general ignorance (again, me). America IS the land of opportunity and when you get to Britain or any other "free" country, you might realize that you had many more options available to you in the States. As you are young, these things might not matter to you yet, but someday they will. It's easy to bash America when you are living there (sometimes we need to build up a case for leaving) but do not "romanticize" the other country you want to move to because you will really be disappointed once you get there. I hope you enjoy your journey in Britain, if you are able to leave the US, but don't burn your bridges!
I have a question: do you think people that don't want to stay in britain just grew up there do they want out or is it a matter of taxes that middle class and underclass cannot pay easily. You seem to be fairing ok. Right? I would like to move to london personally.
R
I'm not sure Calypso, I think for a lot of people the grass is just always greener somewhere else. Maybe I am just lucky to live in a place I absolutely love but I really do like the UK, faults and all. House prices really are ridiculous ( I come from France where it's still a lot cheaper even after the Brits have pushed the house prices right up) and yes our taxes could be "run" more efficiently but all in all I do find the UK a place which suits me. I would actually love to spend 2 or 3 years in New England or Northern California or even maybe Vancouver in BC but I know for me Oxfordshire is home. It just fullfills all my need. To be honest I think a lot of people just like moaning where ever they are and some just can't adapt to other countries. I have lived in many many places and all had wonderful aspects and ALL had downsides too.
Most people who move abroad from the UK end up trying to recreate Britain which is really odd. It has nothing with them loving another country or culture but just wanting to have a bigger house in a sunnier place. I cannot believe how many people cite the weather as their reason to leave ( talking to them in the pubs, or watching shows where people are moving). Let's face it Britain isn't the sunniest place but moving to Spain or Australia because it's sunnier there and your house will be bigger seems really weird reasons to completely uproot yourself... Still people do that. Reading the papers and the news a lot of emigrants also end up coming back when their dream does not work out quite a rosy as they expected... I do have a small house but it doesn't bother me, I don't need anything bigger ( I mean I would love a Georgian rectory in the Cotswolds but I hardly need it ! ) and when it rains here is still so much to do that I frankly don't care.
I mean America has ice storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, forest fires , land slides, and really major floods so on balance I prefer to take my chances with a bit of drizzle and it's good for the garden !
My main concern here is the fact that as a left wing voter I am faced with voting for new labour ( who is almost conservative ) or conservative which is a no-no. I feel politics have moved completely in the wrong way ( Bush did not help with Iraq) and that society is moving far too much towards the me-me concept of society. Celebrity culture is fast becoming the norm and it is deemed better to be rich than happy. Success is only measured by how much cash you have in the bank. But of course this has been the norm in the US for quite a while now and US culture is now pervasive pretty much everywhere...
It saddens me to see we are all slowly becoming the same all over the world and that soon we will all have exactly have the same lifestyle...
Still the UK suits me , it's not perfect by any means and many issues should be addressed but it's hardly the hell pit some posters think it is.
I do hope that the Brits relocating to the US will get what they want out of it, but I suspect it does not work out for everyone quite as well as they think.
I personally don't like London , too big for my liking ( lots to see and do though) but if you need any more info Calypso, don't hesitate to PM me.
The funny thing is, I don't hate the United States, I know it sounds like I do, but I don't. The US is a land for oppertunity (I wouldn't say the only one though), and I am very grateful to have been born here. The problem is that right now the US is on the decline. The media here fails to report on what's happening because if you say anything at all negative about this country you are immediatly slapped with the "Un-American" label, and nobody wants that. Crime and poverty are on the rise, the population is growing at an alarming rate, yet the number of jobs available are decreasing because of outsourcing to Asia. The universities here have gotten so expensive that soon only the wealthy are going to be able to afford to send their children to college. The US dollar has plunged from the most valuable currency in the world, to number 3 (soon to be number 4 when the Canadian dollar surpasses ours). America is a disaster right now, and if it stays on this path things will only get worse. This is why I am moving to Britain. I'm not saying the situation can't be changed, because it can, and I hope that with the new government taking over in 2009, it will.
Peace All.
Hi Voltaire,
I'm Britsh, though now living in Spain. I got out of the UK four years ago because of the way it was going. Mega high prices for everything, uncontrolled immigration....and crap weather! I've never lived in the States so don't know how it compares but I'd say that you are probably better of going somewhere else rather than the UK. In the UK, the average price for a house is somewhere around £150,000. It's also a bit to much of a 'Nanny knows best' place for me. The Health Service is about 7th or 8th in the world listings. Also, being a member of the EU, Britain is being flooded with immigrants from Eastern European countries that have just been granted EU membership, so unless you have some kind of skill, you may find it rather difficult to get employment.
The problem with visiting a country and "absolutely loving it" is that when you actually live in that country, it's a whole different ball game....as I found when I moved to Spain. Have you ever considered Spain? Feel free to PM me.
I would love to know more about living in northern Spain or southern France. What do you think of it? I'm a US citizen but my husband is British so we shouldn't have any trouble immigrating to a EU country. I'm mainly looking for a small town or village with mild weather, some sort of view, good schools for the kids and work for my husband and I (a machinist and nurse). Whatever you can tell me would be helpful.
Wow. I had no idea England was so terrible-- was planning a visit there later this year, but now I'm not so sure. It just goes to show that you can't rely on the news, etc.
You say you can't rely on the news for an accurate portrayal of England yet you're relying on the subjective opinions expressed by a handful of discontented people. What's all that about?!
In my opinion, I think you need to visit the place and develop your own perceptions rather than listening to the baying crowd. There are some wonderful areas of England steeped in rich history and culture.
I watched a documentary just the other day about some bratty American teens living on an army base in Cambridgeshire. It made me so angry to hear them constantly bashing the country and its culture simply because "it's not like America" and they were too frightened to embrace change of any kind.
I'm a US citizen, a Texas girl actually, and my husband is British. Because of all the oil companies transferring engineers from all over the world here I actually have more British and Australian friends than American. Everyone I know (even from the US) have lived at least a year or two in places like Thailand, Singapore, Beijing, Azerbijan, Scotland, Germany, Australia.... The more people from other places I'm exposed to, the more I can't wait to immigrate from the US.
It may sound silly, but yes - I do want to move in large part because of the weather. I don't really expect to find a perfect Utopian society on the other side of the time zone, but a fresh start would be awfully nice as I approach my 40's (ouch). I expect problems with learning a new language, finding schools for the kids, learning a whole new set of customs for buying a house and generally driving myself insane for at least a year just trying to figure out how to curse properly. I only wish I had just gotten a plane ticket and winged it when I was 18.
Whatever your reasons for wanting to make a drastic change, I say MAKE IT HAPPEN!
2. People in England complain about taxes, well let me just say this - MY TAXES ARE DOING NOTHING BUT FUND THIS HORRIBLE WAR!!! Our soldiers and innocent Iraqis die everyday for nothing, and the American people are paying for it. At least the taxes in Britain benefit the nation, not senseless killing.
Don't forget there are over 8 million British troops involved in the war too. The US is not the only country funding this needless war.
The UK doesn't have 8 million troops ! As far as I know there are about 5 000 in Iraq at the moment and about the same in Afghanistan. I think the UK army consists of about 95000 soldiers.
There was just over 7000 at the first quarter of this yr but some have been pulled out over the months so there is about 5,000 - 5,500 now.
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) and when it rains here is still so much to do that I frankly don't care.
