gomex

well so much for the horrific christmas weather the met office predicted a couple of weeks ago. Unless horrific means dry, sunny and mild. I just hope it's not a delayed prediction.:laugh:

Just happend to have watched Marooned with ed stafford. He survives a certain amountof time on his own and wondered at the end if he would like that life and he said no, more interesting was him stating that the most important thing is friends and family and home i definately where the heart is. I know it's a meaningless programme but it shows how much pull friends and family have and it's another reason why moving away from that would hurt too much for me. I suppose if you have no family or firends then the ties that bind aren't there but I can't imagine very many people having none of either. It's strange pull the land your born in does have a hold as well whether family and friends are there or not, I suppose its that feeling of being an outsider in a foreign land.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28731698 UK firms intend to hire staff at the fastest rate for 16 years, research suggests.

Just a bit of fun.

[h=1]UK 'to be Europe's biggest economy'[/h] The UK is on course to become Europe's largest economy within two decades, overtaking France and Germany, according to a new report. The think tank Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) predicts the UK's GDP will first move to fifth place ahead of France by 2018 before leapfrogging Germany around 2030. However, despite being forecast to be the second most successful of the Western economies after the US, it will fall behind the accelerating economies of India and Brazil. "Germany is forecast to lose its position as the largest Western European economy to the UK around 2030 because of the UK's faster population growth and lesser dependence on the other European economies," the report said. But added: "If the euro were to break up, Germany's outlook would be much better. A Deutsche Mark-based Germany certainly would not be overtaken by the UK for many years if ever." Douglas McWilliams, the CEBR's chief executive, told The Daily Telegraph that Britain could become even stronger outside the European Union. "My instinct is that in the short term, the impact of leaving the EU would undoubtedly be negative," he said. "My suspicion is that over a 15-year period, it would probably be positive." It added that a factor driving the UK's move ahead of Germany are the assumption of a falling value for the euro, Germany's falling population and the UK's rising population. The gap between the two countries will fall from almost £610 billion in 2013 to just £183 billion in five years. The UK's GDP will grow from more than £1.59 trillion in 2013 to £2.6 trillion in 2028, compared to China which is predicted to be in top position with a GDP of more than £20.5 trillion, ahead of the US with an estimated £19.7 trillion Japan will fall from its steady position in the global league of third to fourth by 2028, overtaken by India and followed by Brazil, Germany and the UK.

who'd of thought.

Reading about the increase in homlessness of expats, really worrying stuff.

saw this on another forum. C'mon on aussies get over here. We need you!!!! 'We need more Australian immigrants': Boris says UK has betrayed the Commonwealth by joining the EU The London Mayor said UK must distance itself from Europe and seek a ‘wider destiny for our country’ He called for freedom of movement between the two countries by setting up a ‘bilateral Free Labour Mobility Zone’Just over 20,000 ‘skilled workers’ are each year allowed to come to the UK from outside the EU Boris Johnson says Britain ‘betrayed’ the Commonwealth by joining the European Union, and should ‘intensify’ ties with countries such as Australia. In a provocative newspaper article, the London Mayor said the UK must distance itself from Europe and seek a ‘wider destiny for our country’ further afield. As Tory ministers seek curbs on uncontrolled migration from EU countries, Mr Johnson said the Government should let in an unlimited number of immigrants from Australia. Careful, he bites: Mr Johnson with a baby crocodile in Australia last week A fervent critic of the EU, Mr Johnson said it was time to ‘raise our eyes beyond Europe’ and not think of ourselves as ‘little Europeans run by Brussels’. ‘We betrayed our relationships with Commonwealth countries such as Australia and New Zealand, and entered into preferential trading arrangements with what was then the European Economic Community,’ he said. Mr Johnson, writing in the Daily Telegraph, has just been on a family holiday in Australia where he was the keynote speaker at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival. More...Popular wine brands Banrock Station and Blossom Hill offer 5.5% alcohol versions of drink to the disgust of experts Does he know what she's up to? Daughter of New Zealand Prime Minister in bizarre erotic photoshoot posing with an octopus and Big Macs He told how he was approached by Australian Sally Roycroft, who had been teaching at a school in London but was forced to leave the UK because of what he called ‘disgraceful’ immigration rules. ‘She isn’t a citizen of any of the 27 countries of the European Union,’ Mr Johnson said. ‘She is Australian; and she has been told to bog off by the authorities in our country because it was, they said, too much of a palaver to go through the business of “sponsoring” her to stay. ‘That is the infamous consequence, as we all know, of a historic and strategic decision that this country took in 1973’, when Britain joined the European Economic Community, the forerunner of the EU. All things Australian: Prince Harry (left) wears an Akubra hat during a visit in 2003 to Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. Prince Charles, centre in similar hat and, right, Australian actor Paul Hogan in Crocodile Dundee. The Mayor said the UK must ‘intensify’ links with the Commonwealth countries, and that ‘you could not do better than by starting with Australia’, calling for freedom of movement between the two countries by setting up a ‘bilateral Free Labour Mobility Zone’. He added: ‘I suppose there might be some objection from the EU – but they should be told firmly to stuff it. It is basically outrageous and indefensible that Sally Roycroft is deprived of a freedom that we legally confer on every French person.’ Under EU freedom of movement rules, any citizen of a European member state has the right to live and work in the UK. Just over 20,000 ‘skilled workers’ are each year allowed to come to the UK from outside the EU, but they need to be sponsored by an employer and pass a points-based assessment.

well said. I think its a very british thing to do, we have never been a nation who praise ourselves and praise our won country like the aussies or yanks do. And those who constantly knock the UK who have moved seem to be trying to justify the move in their own heads. The fact is like you said there are good and bad points about the UK and Aus, and that goes for any other country too. Its funny hearing the tourists in the UK talk about how beautiful it is, or amazed at all the history around the country, but few brit's will be as positive. Just the way we are, very cynical.

I agree this thread certainly wasn't meant to be one where we compare the UK with OZ some seem to be very defensive, it was simply for those who have either returned and are happier or to those who maybe having problems in adapting to a new country or even to give a more balanced view of emigration, why people simply don't want to understand this is a mystery to me.

Seems to be recovering better than most though at the moment, lets face it most countries have been in a recession and some hit a lot harder than Britain. If only it was sunnier....well apart from this year where we've had good weather that is....but I have to say i am one who likes the different seasons.:wink:

There are mixed opinion polls and surveys with varying numbers/percentages on the subject of emigration. Its not unusual that some of the population at some point in their lives think about the possibility of emigration. The problem with such surveys is those people asked often are all ready thinking about it hence are the ones filling those surveys out. The same people surveyed often change their minds as time goes by their personnel circumstances change i.e. their family dynamic changes (they have children, they want to be near loved ones), changes in their job situation and the changes in the cost of living are just some things that affect peoples options on emigration, one year they could be for it the next agianst it. Australia is a popualr destination i never said it wasn't. There are also many reports showing over the last 4 years record numbers of ex pats are returning to the UK, including record numbers returning from Australia.

Are you just trolling, because that's simply not true.

err yes plenty of people do thanks.

Over the past few months there seems to be more and more good news about our economy out performing other countries, which is refreshing, here's just one of many:- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2385745/Economy-Britain-booming-House-prices-10-000-year-new-car-sales-surge-12-7-manufacturing-beats-1992-record.html