Think I'm ready to go home

[annmarieyates273]

Hey guys,

 

I'm having a bit of a dilemma here and would love to hear from anyone going through the same thing. I've been living on the south coast of Sydney for the last 16 years. I'm a 2 minute walk from the beach and it is truly beautiful here. However, having just been back home to Manchester for a month (along with travelling to lots of other places in England), I'm feeling more than ever that I belong back in England. I have loved living in Australia, despite being frustrated by lots of things like crap supermarkets, awful pubs, ridiculously overpriced groceries and just the flipping modernity of it all (all seems shallow I know). My partner is Australian and likes the UK and would probably be happy to move over there. More and more, I feel these days like Australia is not my home and there is no way I can envisage ending my days here.

 

We have just bought a house after a long time struggling to do so and are not in the best position financially, so moving back would be at least a couple of years away.

 

I'd love to hear from people who have had a difficult time making the decision about whether to go back to the UK or not and what sort of obstacles they came up against. I've made some bad decisions financially and tend to be quite impulsive, so I'm terrified but also determined to take the time to make the right decision.

 

Your thoughts are much appreciated.

[starlight7]

If you still feel the same 2 years down the track you are probably doing the right thing. Only time will tell now you have those thoughts. Good luck with Manchester, bit of a contrast!

[Nemesis]

Hey guys,

 

I'm having a bit of a dilemma here and would love to hear from anyone going through the same thing. I've been living on the south coast of Sydney for the last 16 years. I'm a 2 minute walk from the beach and it is truly beautiful here. However, having just been back home to Manchester for a month (along with travelling to lots of other places in England), I'm feeling more than ever that I belong back in England. I have loved living in Australia, despite being frustrated by lots of things like crap supermarkets, awful pubs, ridiculously overpriced groceries and just the flipping modernity of it all (all seems shallow I know). My partner is Australian and likes the UK and would probably be happy to move over there. More and more, I feel these days like Australia is not my home and there is no way I can envisage ending my days here.

 

We have just bought a house after a long time struggling to do so and are not in the best position financially, so moving back would be at least a couple of years away.

 

I'd love to hear from people who have had a difficult time making the decision about whether to go back to the UK or not and what sort of obstacles they came up against. I've made some bad decisions financially and tend to be quite impulsive, so I'm terrified but also determined to take the time to make the right decision.

 

Your thoughts are much appreciated.

 

Before you make the decision, check out the requirements for a Spouse visa for the Uk. If your partner is Australian it'll take some planning. Not as easy as a Spouse Visa for Australia.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Nemesis

[Bound4Tassie]

Not sure how old you/ you partner are but if young enough a working holiday visa for your partner could be looked into so your partner could try out life in the UK. Sydney to Manchester is one hell of a difference for an Aussie. ( I say that as someone from the Northwest) It rains a lot! It's grey a lot! As poms we're used to it and don't always really notice it but your Aussie partner may well find it oppressive! Mine does! And I've Spoken to many who describe the sky feeling lower!! Not something I'd ever noticed /thought about but it must be something they do!

[Quoll]

I think what you have described fits many long termers - it's almost like "hmm, holiday over now when can I go home". Took me about 20 years, one of my friends was closer to 30 years but the end result is the same - go where you belong. However, as the others have said, the Aussie DH could be a big stumbling block! We were super fortunate that my DH had a UK born mother and the rules were changed quite recently to allow the children of any UK born mother to apply for citizenship by descent not just those born after 1983/1965 (previous ruling years). If grandma hadn't been a Suffolk girl then we would have been stymied somewhat with spouse visa requirements and they are pretty draconian!

 

Good luck whichever way you go!

[caramac]

Apart from the visa issues for your husband (which could take you two years to get through!), do you both have jobs which are easily transferable to the UK? Are there vacancies in your fields?

 

Maybe use the two years to really think about what you would gain from a move here. Would you want to live in Manchester? Yes, it does rain a lot, but having lived in Sydney, it rains a lot there too, albeit less drizzly and grey. I agree about the low skies, but if that doesn't bother you, it's not an issue. Some people notice and are affected by the weather more than others. I'm hating this drab, mild, dark winter, but don't mind the cold, bright ones.

Would you consider living elsewhere in the UK?

 

On the face of it, the disadvantages of living where you do now would be sorted out by a move to Manchester, or surrounding area. Great shopping, history, good supermarkets, as well as beautiful countryside, coast easily accessible, Manchester airport on your doorstep with easy access to most of the rest of the world, a major rail hub and lots of cultural events going on. However, really think about what you'd be giving up and what you enjoy about living where you do now. It's very easy to take things for granted when you have them there every day. Try not to use the time wishing you were somewhere else. Look at all the advantages you have rather than the negatives and weigh them up against what you'd be gaining or losing from a move.

 

You say you've really enjoyed being in Australia, but don't want to end your days there. That's exactly how I feel - the feeling of belonging is strong, but don't underestimate how long it may take you to settle back into UK life. You could come back and it's like you've never been away. It is like that for a lot of people, but some of us find it much harder, which can be a bit of a shock! It definitely took me a good couple of years to feel like I was home and to stop comparing everything here unfavourably with Australia. All those 'shallow' things you don't like in Australia could well be replaced by things you don't like here!

It's human nature to try to see only the positives and block out the negatives, but it's important to be honest with yourself. Try to think of why you moved in the first place. Was it a backpacking adventure which became more permanent, or were there things you really didn't like about being here which drove it? Those things are probably still here. They may not be so important in your life now, but they're still worth considering.

 

Could you afford the house and lifestyle you want here (or have there)? You may think you're willing to compromise now, but if you can't afford to live where you want, or do the things you think you'd enjoy, it could mean you start hankering for what you've left behind.

 

Would you be in a position to come for an extended period of time, so you can really see if it's for you before committing to a permanent move? You might find that being closer to family and everything you grew up with is exactly what you want, or it could be that it's not as important as you first thought.

 

I feel for you. We're in the process of considering a temporary move back to Australia and I know how difficult is trying to weigh up the pros and cons even when it's only for a few years!

 

Good luck

[Marisawright]

I've been living on the south coast of Sydney for the last 16 years.... I have loved living in Australia, despite being frustrated by lots of things like crap supermarkets, awful pubs, ridiculously overpriced groceries and just the flipping modernity of it all... My partner is Australian and likes the UK and would probably be happy to move over there. More and more, I feel these days like Australia is not my home and there is no way I can envisage ending my days here.

.

 

I'm like you, inclined to be spontaneous and sometimes regretting it - but that last sentence says it all. If the thought of ending your days in Australia makes your heart sink, don't hesitate. You need to go, and the sooner the better.

 

The reason I say that is pensions. Neither of you will be able to claim the Australian government pension in your old age, and you'll only get pro rata on the British pension based on the number of years you've worked in the UK - so you need to get back there asap. You could be paying NI contributions now, and that would be well worth doing, because your partner's pension will be based on just the years he's got left to work before age 65.

 

As others have said, you should look into getting a spouse visa for your husband. It's straightforward and the whole process only takes two or three months, BUT there is a financial requirement that you need to plan for. Bottom line is that you need £62,500 in the bank (it may be more by the time you apply), OR you need to already have a job in the UK to support the two of you. The £62,500 needs to be in the bank and easily accessible (i.e. you can't use your super), so it will mean selling your home before you apply and renting somewhere for a while.

[bunbury61]

Hey guys,

 

I'm having a bit of a dilemma here and would love to hear from anyone going through the same thing. I've been living on the south coast of Sydney for the last 16 years. I'm a 2 minute walk from the beach and it is truly beautiful here. However, having just been back home to Manchester for a month (along with travelling to lots of other places in England), I'm feeling more than ever that I belong back in England. I have loved living in Australia, despite being frustrated by lots of things like crap supermarkets, awful pubs, ridiculously overpriced groceries and just the flipping modernity of it all (all seems shallow I know). My partner is Australian and likes the UK and would probably be happy to move over there. More and more, I feel these days like Australia is not my home and there is no way I can envisage ending my days here.

 

We have just bought a house after a long time struggling to do so and are not in the best position financially, so moving back would be at least a couple of years away.

 

I'd love to hear from people who have had a difficult time making the decision about whether to go back to the UK or not and what sort of obstacles they came up against. I've made some bad decisions financially and tend to be quite impulsive, so I'm terrified but also determined to take the time to make the right decision.

 

Your thoughts are much appreciated.

 

My thoughts ,as iam sat here in the u.k ,on a grey January morning ,waiting to play golf .

DONT DO IT ....if you are happy where you are ,you could throw it all away .

I see the best and worst of the u.k everyday .

Iam here to do a job ,when Tha job is over ,I may feel things have to change .

Save your money ,and come home for a holiday every year .

Throwing in the towel ,lock,stock and barrel ,could be a very expensive mistake .

If you were going back to the cotswolds ,or somewhere scenic with a high standard of facilities ,then maybe .

But bloody Manchester ....no no no .....

And before anyone gets on their high horse ...i have worked in all the major urban areas of the u.k .

There is massive regeneration going on in brum right now ...but not enough to give up the life you have .

 

Now onto my full £3.60 breakfast before golf

[MattJ1960]

Some interesting comments here. In (very) brief, we have returned to the UK (18 months) after 4 years in Victoria. For me, the most important thing is to be amongst people with whom you have sense of belonging. Australia never presented those feelings to us. We thought about lower wages, grey weather (lived in Melbourne-not entirely sure about that one), different schools for our girls, having to start all over again....

But....it was the best decision ever. Amongst friends, neighbours who talk to each other, access to family, exciting sport, great pubs, cheaper shopping bills, real beer, cheap theatre tickets, trips to Wembley with the children, hearing the singing at Twickenham, Summer music festivals, Europe on your doorstep, kids coming home from school happy, I could go on and on....

Just do it. You will find work, you won't earn as much, sure, but you won't be fleeced as in Oz. Life is different here, but my wife, who is a Kiwi, would not go back to live in Oz. Great experience? Yes. Utopia? No.

Good luck.

[Tony123]

We came over in 1997 and settled in Brisbane.... Although I like the place I am planning to go back later this year.. I am lucky enough to own the house here and I could buy something quite adequate and have a fair bit left in my back pocket... I go back every year .. My daughter moved back 3 years ago and loves it... I just can't see me retiring here... I get fed up with the constant Pom bashing by the media and employers... Health is expensive and if you haven't got private cover don't bother getting ill... Supermarkets are utter crap.. Everything is so expensive now... Power and utilities ... Silly money.. Even with a 5 kW solar power system I get a pittance for selling back my power.. Hardly makes a difference to my bills... And the weather !!! Well it's very extreme... Your either flooded or on fire.. Defiantly over it now

[chilliboy]

I made the wrong decision recently to move here so my advice would be biased toward going home, one thing I wish I had done was use this simple problem solving method which is really useful: consider all of this thoroughly, what are the positives and negatives of staying in the short term,what are the positives and negatives of staying for the long term,then do the same for going back.Its a good brain storming excercise but I imagine you will be drawn to certain points which will bear more weight than others.

[Miss Nadine]

Hi annmarieyates273

 

I know exactly what you mean. I am going through the same feelings. I have lived in South Australia for 20 years. Its been good to me, its very pretty, I live 2 minutes to the beach, I have two gorgeous dogs, a permanent job as a teacher, 15 years before teaching I was in the film industry. Oz has been kind to me BUT I just came back from the UK after spending 3 1/2 weeks with my parents, visiting my brother in Kent and met my three nephews for the first time and stayed with my oldest dearest friend in Gloucestershire and for the first time in 20 years, I felt and continue to feel this incredible pull to go home. Its not because I am a nationalist because that is the furthest from the truth. I truly appreciate the landscapes here and the ocean and my incredible colleagues and friends but Australia has become what I believe, one of the most racist and right wing countries on earth. It treats its first peoples with nauseating disdain, treats refugees like economic travellers and there is nothing left of its politics except to be a neoliberal capitalist. I know that the UK is the home of the class system, massive poverty, a very long human rights injustice record, home of Julian Assange cooped up in the Ecuadorian embassy and a colonial history that is second to none but it is by far much more open and honest about what it is than Australia. I feel that I cannot live in a country that is so inhumane not just to the first people of this country but to those escaping unimaginable hardships and horrors. This is is a country where the Labour party is so far right wing now that there is no line of difference between them and the Liberal party. I see promising things happening in the UK, far greater multiculturalism and far more politics being debated than I have ever heard here. I worked in Aboriginal rights for two years which was both eye opening and life changing. I won't be able to go back, without a job and enough money to take my two doggies. So yes I understand exactly what you are feeling. Its fairly likely that you have different reasons and feelings to me but ostensibly, the pull to go back is the same.

[flag of convenience]

Hi annmarieyates273

 

I know exactly what you mean. I am going through the same feelings. I have lived in South Australia for 20 years. Its been good to me, its very pretty, I live 2 minutes to the beach, I have two gorgeous dogs, a permanent job as a teacher, 15 years before teaching I was in the film industry. Oz has been kind to me BUT I just came back from the UK after spending 3 1/2 weeks with my parents, visiting my brother in Kent and met my three nephews for the first time and stayed with my oldest dearest friend in Gloucestershire and for the first time in 20 years, I felt and continue to feel this incredible pull to go home. Its not because I am a nationalist because that is the furthest from the truth. I truly appreciate the landscapes here and the ocean and my incredible colleagues and friends but Australia has become what I believe, one of the most racist and right wing countries on earth. It treats its first peoples with nauseating disdain, treats refugees like economic travellers and there is nothing left of its politics except to be a neoliberal capitalist. I know that the UK is the home of the class system, massive poverty, a very long human rights injustice record, home of Julian Assange cooped up in the Ecuadorian embassy and a colonial history that is second to none but it is by far much more open and honest about what it is than Australia. I feel that I cannot live in a country that is so inhumane not just to the first people of this country but to those escaping unimaginable hardships and horrors. This is is a country where the Labour party is so far right wing now that there is no line of difference between them and the Liberal party. I see promising things happening in the UK, far greater multiculturalism and far more politics being debated than I have ever heard here. I worked in Aboriginal rights for two years which was both eye opening and life changing. I won't be able to go back, without a job and enough money to take my two doggies. So yes I understand exactly what you are feeling. Its fairly likely that you have different reasons and feelings to me but ostensibly, the pull to go back is the same.

 

While I certainly agree that the 'affluence disease' has certainly impacted Australia very severely, diminishing life quality in the process, by a considerable margin I might add, and the biggest game in town is out shinning your neighbour/colleague/ friends in ostentatious displays of wealth and one upmanship, not sure about the latter.

 

Do you really feel Australia has gone more Right Wing? My assessment is that this has always been a very conservative country in political stance. Although apathy would have been the regular stance of many the ending of the boom has brought growing uncertainty.

 

I know what you refer to though. Every trip I make to Europe it takes time to settle on return. Perhaps a way will become apparent in time with regards the correct path to take.

[Johnny]

We came over in 1997 and settled in Brisbane.... Although I like the place I am planning to go back later this year.. I am lucky enough to own the house here and I could buy something quite adequate and have a fair bit left in my back pocket... I go back every year .. My daughter moved back 3 years ago and loves it... I just can't see me retiring here... I get fed up with the constant Pom bashing by the media and employers... Health is expensive and if you haven't got private cover don't bother getting ill... Supermarkets are utter crap.. Everything is so expensive now... Power and utilities ... Silly money.. Even with a 5 kW solar power system I get a pittance for selling back my power.. Hardly makes a difference to my bills... And the weather !!! Well it's very extreme... Your either flooded or on fire.. Defiantly over it now

 

A lot in common with what we felt too. For us it was too slow, backward, racist, insular and cut off from the whole world, rubbish outdated expensive shops and supermarkets, poor TV (also non global and insular in nature), terrible healthcare and the weather, either it was stinking boiling hot to the point you could hardly breath and have the sand flies in your face all the time or it could be depressing bloody cold, grey, wet or windy the rest of the year and stuck in a house with no double glazing and next to no insulation, you really felt it. The whole city shut down at 6pm and at the weekends only helped rub it in how backward and isolated it was. Not like you could jump in the car and go off somewhere as there was nothing else there. Closest interesting place was Singapore and that was 5 hours in a plane. The day we got out of there and back home to the centre of the world and civilisation was one very happy day indeed.

[Dan Mika]

Interesting to read some of these posts as someone who is planning to move out to Australia. The difference for me is that I have moved out of the UK already, having been living in Switzerland for 5 years. With regards to missing home I have those feelings in Switzerland, so these points are nothing surprising. The points on supermarkets being bad is a interesting one as supermarkets are a big part of UK culture. The UK does enjoy a huge amount of choice and at cheap prices in fact. Cost of living is indeed something which I am apprehensive about in Australia. This for me is counteracted by:

 

the thought of living within half an hour drive of a beach;

living in what is essentially a holiday destination;

sunshine;

international culture and food (Melbourne);

an economy that has expanded for the last 26 years+ but still with opportunities to progress further and develop more;

loads of space and the possibility of buying a house at an affordable price;

jobs a plenty and a desire to retain people;

a country that is close to Asia in proximity and relations;

outdoor living and sport at its heart;

consistently being ranked one of the best education and health care systems in the world.

 

This is to name just a few things. Anything to add ?

[VERYSTORMY]

Interesting to read some of these posts as someone who is planning to move out to Australia. The difference for me is that I have moved out of the UK already, having been living in Switzerland for 5 years. With regards to missing home I have those feelings in Switzerland, so these points are nothing surprising. The points on supermarkets being bad is a interesting one as supermarkets are a big part of UK culture. The UK does enjoy a huge amount of choice and at cheap prices in fact. Cost of living is indeed something which I am apprehensive about in Australia. This for me is counteracted by:

 

the thought of living within half an hour drive of a beach;

living in what is essentially a holiday destination;

sunshine;

international culture and food (Melbourne);

an economy that has expanded for the last 26 years+ but still with opportunities to progress further and develop more;

loads of space and the possibility of buying a house at an affordable price;

jobs a plenty and a desire to retain people;

a country that is close to Asia in proximity and relations;

outdoor living and sport at its heart;

consistently being ranked one of the best education and health care systems in the world.

 

This is to name just a few things. Anything to add ?

 

Pretty much all apply to the UK.

There is nowhere in the UK more than an hour from a beach, and for most people it's a lot less.

Sunshine - Melbourne doesn't get much more than the UK. It has been damned hot here for a week now.

There is probably no where on the planet more "international" than London or as cultured.

UK economy is doing extremely well. Unemployment is lower than Oz and large parts of Oz currently suffering big time.

Oz is still a fairly long way from anywhere including Asia. I can be in Europe in less than an hour.

Since March and moving back, I have been out more than I have in the last 2 years in oz.

Health and education both excellent here.

[Dan Mika]

Completely agree on some points. I love the UK and adore London, the best city in the world in my opinion (in most respects), with Melbourne in second as I don't know it as much as yet. I was in Brighton last summer for a weekend, really fantastic (very valid point actually!).

 

Where did you live in Australia ? I am keen to hear any negatives I may not be aware of.

 

From what I see on this forum people criticise Australia when they live mostly in isolated and sometimes backward places. This is the same in the UK and there are places most people would not want to live in the UK for the same reasons.

[mouse]

I'm a bit further down the path in that I'm moving back in December (right into the middle of winter!). It took me three years to make the decision I'd say from when I first starting thinking about it. All I can add to what others have said is that the uncertainty started to drive me crazy. I was almost obsessed thinking about the pros and cons. As soon as I decided 'let's do it' and picked a date, I felt so much calmer - and certain it's the right thing to do. Good luck! One last thing actually - with the house, could you afford to rent it out. Yes i know you'll get taxed at non-resident rates but if you've only just bought, I'd imagine the interest you're paying would be fairly high and that would offset the taxable income.

[starlight7]

There are some strange comments here and all I can say is that my Australia is very different from theirs. Funny how different we all are and funny how we all have totally unique perspectives.

[tea4too]

There are some strange comments here and all I can say is that my Australia is very different from theirs. Funny how different we all are and funny how we all have totally unique perspectives.

 

No different really as to why some people feel driven to migrate in the first place while others are content to stay. How we view things, experience them, our hopes, dreams, memories, preferences are all unique….so it is inevitable that differences of opinion will occur. If anything it is perhaps more surprising when posters are adamant that life in one country or another is amazing or the pits. Failing to appreciate what is on offer in Aus or the UK is fine, it is individual and based on so many factors. But an opinion is not the indisputable fact that some posters would have you believe. T x

[Petals]

We are all different, some look all the time and think about moving here and there. My parents mad. I am an impetuous person but I have trained myself to think about things later. Two lists what do you like about living here what do you like about living there. Another list of non negotiable living requirements.

 

I hear so many people saying they belong but I do not feel that when I go over there now. Its not the England I knew and never will be agan. I do not feel comfortable over there at all. Its just the same as anywhere else now, mixed up people and problems, the British way has long gone.

 

Also I would consider where its safer to live these days. I can only look with sadness at all the attacks that are going on. With the open emigration policies of the last decade its silly to think that this is not going to be the cause of a lot of problems. Yep we can say we will take no notice and not let them win, but they will by stealth and single acts, people will stop moving around, going out etc.

 

Aus has its problems too and we are not immune but we do not have such a footprint on the world map as Euorope and UK.

[Marisawright]

the thought of living within half an hour drive of a beach;

living in what is essentially a holiday destination;

sunshine

international culture and food (Melbourne);

an economy that has expanded for the last 26 years+ but still with opportunities to progress further and develop more;

loads of space and the possibility of buying a house at an affordable price;

jobs a plenty and a desire to retain people;

a country that is close to Asia in proximity and relations;

outdoor living and sport at its heart;

consistently being ranked one of the best education and health care systems in the world.

 

@Dan Mika - if you'd written that thirty years ago when I arrived in Australia, I'd be agreeing with you. However I worry that some of your perceptions are stuck in a time warp!

 

Living within half an hour of the beach - have you researched house prices in the area you're aiming for? If you have, that's great. However the reality for most young families in Sydney and Melbourne is that they can't afford a house anywhere near the coast. Most will live at least an hour's drive from a beach, and possibly two hours. Since parking at most beaches in summer is practically impossible, a day at the beach becomes a logistical nightmare and doesn't happen nearly as often as you might expect!

 

Living in what is essentially a holiday destination - yes, Australia is a holiday destination, but then so is Switzerland! Like any country, Australia has areas which are tourist attractions, but chances are you won't be living in one of those areas. Day to day life is pretty much like any other country.

 

The other problem with Australia is that wherever you choose to live, it's expensive to visit any other part: you'll find a week on the Sunshine Coast from Melbourne will cost you four times as much as a week in Mallorca from the UK.

 

The economy - yes it has been expanding in the past but it's now in a downturn.

 

Jobs a plenty and a desire to retain people - where do you get that idea? Unemployment in Australia is about the same/slightly higher than the UK. Attitudes to staff are about the same.

 

I can't argue with the European feel and food in Melbourne, or the outdoor living/sport thing. I do agree that the health system works reasonably well. Not so sure you are right about the education system but I'm not qualified to comment.

[flag of convenience]

We are all different, some look all the time and think about moving here and there. My parents mad. I am an impetuous person but I have trained myself to think about things later. Two lists what do you like about living here what do you like about living there. Another list of non negotiable living requirements.

 

I hear so many people saying they belong but I do not feel that when I go over there now. Its not the England I knew and never will be agan. I do not feel comfortable over there at all. Its just the same as anywhere else now, mixed up people and problems, the British way has long gone.

 

Also I would consider where its safer to live these days. I can only look with sadness at all the attacks that are going on. With the open emigration policies of the last decade its silly to think that this is not going to be the cause of a lot of problems. Yep we can say we will take no notice and not let them win, but they will by stealth and single acts, people will stop moving around, going out etc.

 

Aus has its problems too and we are not immune but we do not have such a footprint on the world map as Euorope and UK.

 

I actually consider it more a case how little has changed. When it comes to migration Australia,it was sadly considered , an escape from the darkening of the landscape of England, from many in angst or anger of the changing face of that nation in the sixties and seventies, to a white Australia. The more things change the more it remains the same.

[flag of convenience]

Hi annmarieyates273

 

I know exactly what you mean. I am going through the same feelings. I have lived in South Australia for 20 years. Its been good to me, its very pretty, I live 2 minutes to the beach, I have two gorgeous dogs, a permanent job as a teacher, 15 years before teaching I was in the film industry. Oz has been kind to me BUT I just came back from the UK after spending 3 1/2 weeks with my parents, visiting my brother in Kent and met my three nephews for the first time and stayed with my oldest dearest friend in Gloucestershire and for the first time in 20 years, I felt and continue to feel this incredible pull to go home. Its not because I am a nationalist because that is the furthest from the truth. I truly appreciate the landscapes here and the ocean and my incredible colleagues and friends but Australia has become what I believe, one of the most racist and right wing countries on earth. It treats its first peoples with nauseating disdain, treats refugees like economic travellers and there is nothing left of its politics except to be a neoliberal capitalist. I know that the UK is the home of the class system, massive poverty, a very long human rights injustice record, home of Julian Assange cooped up in the Ecuadorian embassy and a colonial history that is second to none but it is by far much more open and honest about what it is than Australia. I feel that I cannot live in a country that is so inhumane not just to the first people of this country but to those escaping unimaginable hardships and horrors. This is is a country where the Labour party is so far right wing now that there is no line of difference between them and the Liberal party. I see promising things happening in the UK, far greater multiculturalism and far more politics being debated than I have ever heard here. I worked in Aboriginal rights for two years which was both eye opening and life changing. I won't be able to go back, without a job and enough money to take my two doggies. So yes I understand exactly what you are feeling. Its fairly likely that you have different reasons and feelings to me but ostensibly, the pull to go back is the same.

 

I'm afraid you are largely correct. Australia is rapidly moving to the front of the queue in its race to implement neoliberal policy. The result being of course an increasingly self centred nation, with increasing divide between have and have nots. Even worse, far too few appear to care, or even be aware.

[JockinTas]

My OH's parents migrated after the war for various reasons. MIL couldn't stand the place. When her OH died she returned to the UK with the two children aged 16 and 6. She never gave Australia a second thought after returning. However, my OH always missed it and returned (with me) years later. His little sister is happily married and living in Hertford and loves coming here for holidays but would never live here. My MIL did before we moved to Australia. I think she would have enjoyed holidays here.