Blue Manna

Why when the technicalities bear no relationship to the reality? People vote depending on who the leader is, and to some extent who would make up the cabinet. Most voters aren't aware of who their MP is.

They elected a government led by Boris Johnson. Stop being pedantic.

Is this a serious question? They elected Boris Johnson. Does that answer your question?

National insurance is a labour con. It is just a tax they can increase and say they haven't increased taxes. But it's a rod for their own back, as a lot of stupid people think they have paid for their pension and NHS. They haven't. But it will make it harder to means test it. But they will.

Surely the employer would pay in that case?

The future of the NHS. People will need to start contributing.

The problem with the UK is that a lot of people go and see their GP because they are old and lonely. This means that the GPs are rushing through the time wasters and they often miss people who are really sick. Same as you get people in the UK calling the ambulance because they have run out of coffee or nappies or whatever. People tend not to do this when it costs them money, as in Australia.

Isn't there a magic roundabout in Swindon? I think if an Australian ever arrived there they would probably set up home, as I don't think they would ever get off.

Whenever I arrive at a three point mini roundabout and all the bases are full, I secretly hum the theme tune for "the good, the bad and the ugly". Mexican standoff.

Sorry pet, but you're going to have to draw me a picture.

So you're only allowed one car at a roundabout at a time in Oz? I thought life was slow there but not that slow.

Sounds like they had plenty of time. You can have more than one car on a roundabout at the same time. Australians are often very backwards about roundabouts and don't really understand how they work. It was probably a recent immigrant and their brains work much faster than Australians.

Assuming they have enough collateral in the house, house prices generally go up over time, so I can't see much risk for the bank. As long as they can make the payments. If their situation changes they can always sell. Probably less risky for the bank than lending to a first time buyer on 5% deposit.

Have you thought about Como or East Vic park?

We are often driven by things we can't control and what we perceive to be the ideal may not turn out to be that great in the reality. But you don't know that until you suck it and see. Don't beat yourself up. You're certainly not the first to make this decision, regret it, and then have to decide on a course of action. You've hurt your kids. Ok. But we do that all the time. We have to make judgement calls everyday, and hindsight is 20/20. What we think will happen ain't always so. We're not fortune tellers. Make it the best you can for them. What you actually do will come down to money. If you can no longer afford to recreate your previous lifestyle, if the kids can't get back in the same school, you can't get the same jobs, you could make things worse. So plan. Don't react. You've had some good advice, and some not so good advice above. I'll let you sort which is which. But don't panic and make things worse than they already are. Plan and work towards making things better. Regrets are only of value if we learn from them.

Often a big pool and BBQ area, gyms, bowling greens, social events, bars with snooker tables, cinema as you mention, yoga, tai chi, some have on site medical etc etc. It's can be like a holiday camp. But the down side, (and I'll get blasted here) is that you will be living very close proximity to a lot of old people, and old people can be weird. The dementia cases go without saying, but old people can be very crotchety and set in their ways even without dementia. Very opinionated (a bit like pio tbh) and prone to arguments. Just be wary of that.

All I can say is go in with your eyes fully open. They can be great places to live. But sometimes you can get issues. Living close to alot of people isn't everyone's cup of tea, and if conflict arises, it can be difficult to resolve. But if you are a people person and will make use of the facilities they can be fantastic. As you say, they can be hard to sell, and the leasehold may take a chunk if you do. You're children may also be obliged to pay the fees after you die until the sale, although I believe the laws around this have changed recently. There have been some news stories over the last few years, so probably worth catching up on those.

They do have leasehold in Australia for retirement flats and so forth. I think they have the same in the UK. I would avoid any thing like that. I thought strata meant that the ground and externals were owned collectively?

I think you need to distinguish between someone being under someone's protection and someone being owned. And I really think your wokeish arguments don't have a lot of traction here. The child is what is important.

Are the photos on Australian and British passports the same size now?

The bloody remoaners who winge about the migrant problem really get my goat. We new it would get worse after Brexit. It was bleedingly obvious and clearly stated. But leaving the EU was more important. It was an abusive relationship and we needed to get out. All those who voted for Brexit, the clear majority were voting effectively for more illegals. We knew it would happen. We didn't care. The remoaners lost so just suck it up. All us Brexit voters are happy with the migrants. If a few economic migrants drown in the channel, then that's sad, but It's the price of freedom.

It would be survival, and a major hick up could derail you. But it would be possible.

How much of that is to do with changing trends? Kids and young adults do everything online these days. Plus they do new things. Went to play Airsoft the other day which was brilliant fun. Car park was packed. I got one of the last bays. Plus it's not cheap. Things are just different. Maybe it's a north south division, but I do go north occasionally and the restaurants and pubs are packed. Newish cars abound. Don't believe everything the guardian tells you. You don't get high inflation without high demand. Sure those on fixed income might struggle a bit, but most people I know are getting massive pay rises and there are jobs galore.

I was in borough markets last week and it was a crush with so many people. Never seen anything like it except before covid. Couldn't get a table anywhere for lunch. Absolutely packed. Ended up getting a meal deal from Sainsbury's and eating it on the river. I'm not a fan of crowds.

I had forgotten that line, and I'd never dwelt on it before. Do you suppose he was just struggling to find something that rhymes with hills? You would think it rather easy. But when you try, it's not as easy as you think.