My findings back in the UK

[Futureinoz]

A great post, and I dwell on what I have done and still to do in UK (and that is lots, so many memories) and hence this aspect will be on hold, as Australia is a unknown, and unexplored for me, and hope to avoid the comparisons as I feel you can't. UK has made me who I am, and will always be in the background, so with less than 4 weeks to go,I look forward to the future. Enjoy UK it has lots to offer.

[starlight7]

Just to annoy people like you

[Guest chris955]

Don't believe it, we are loved by most People world wide, go anywhere on the planet and you will see hundreds of British football shirts worn by the locals, the only people who out us down are ourselves and people who are jealous of what a small country like ours has achieved, the British are respected world wide as honest and fair people.

p.s I ave not met many English who are not proud of their nationality.

I have found most English people to quietly proud of their country to be honest. I cant say I have ever come across being disliked globally, thats a very bizarre thing to say. We have never had a single issue anywhere we have visited.

[Guest chris955]

Thank you most of the people who have posted in this thread, it is afterall in the MBTTUK section so is of course primarily aimed at people heading home. Just to reiterate, the UK has a great deal to offer just as Australia does, one is not universally better than the other as it all comes down to what the individual person wants.

What I will say though and I have noticed it in this thread be careful not to 'criticise' the UK for something when the same or worse is happening in Australia

[Parley]

People who do go back do seem to go way over the top in praising England.

It seems they feel compelled to justify their decision to go back and have to say how wonderful it is.

 

After all not many would admit to a mistake. So I take all this with a grain or a cupful of salt.

[paul1977]

People who do go back do seem to go way over the top in praising England.

It seems they feel compelled to justify their decision to go back and have to say how wonderful it is.

 

After all not many would admit to a mistake. So I take all this with a grain or a cupful of salt.

Pinch of salt I think you mean ...!

[Perthbum]

People who do go back do seem to go way over the top in praising England.

It seems they feel compelled to justify their decision to go back and have to say how wonderful it is.

 

After all not many would admit to a mistake. So I take all this with a grain or a cupful of salt.

Ahhhhh human nature as it is then, would you not say it is the same with people who have gone to oz? They justify their move by saying how wonderful oz is even if they do not mean it....yes.

[Guest Guest26012]

Ahhhhh human nature as it is then, would you not say it is the same with people who have gone to oz? They justify their move by saying how wonderful oz is even if they do not mean it....yes.

 

You would like to think that eh pb? Oz v uk BORING!

[Guest chris955]

Ahhhhh human nature as it is then, would you not say it is the same with people who have gone to oz? They justify their move by saying how wonderful oz is even if they do not mean it....yes.

It makes no difference to me, it seems exactly the same with those who seemingly cant see any problems in Australia. I see problems in both countries, if people think I am over the top about my praise that is their own problem not mine. The easiest was to avoid reading it is to avoid the MBTTUK section I would have thought ?

[lozzachino]

Found British TV is still fantastic, watching good cop and homeland both amazing dramas, and Ricky gervaices an idiot abroad is kne of the funniest documentaries I have ever seen.

 

 

Homeland is american, do you mean homefront? We are enjoying that too and good cop was amazing! Hope they do another series as it was left quite open! Having got my oh to bring back a tv guide from oz this week, both homeland and idiot abroad are on free tv in perth at the moment.

[Westward Ho]

Just loves how every Thread goes way off topic..........................

[Guest frangipani]

I don't understand why people are arguing about which is best - UK or Australia. It all comes down to personal preference at the end of the day. I have been here now for 2 years and for me and my family, Australia is way better than UK. It has offered me and my family exactly what we were looking for when we came: outdoor lifestyle, good weather all year round, jobs with better pay than we got at home and my 3 year old can get outdoors and play. We can take off for the weekend to the GC or the Sunshine Coast during any season and I love leaving for work in the morning with the sun shining. I love feeding the cockies, lorikeets, king parrots, rosellas etc that come and visit my deck. I do however miss family and friends from back home but not enough to make me give up this fantastic life that we have made for ourselves here. I also miss the proximity to Europe and all the culture it offers. I do not miss scraping frost off my windscreen in the morning, having pouring rain driven by a freezing cold wind for most of the year and I certainly do not miss 4 week summers. There are some things about Australian weather that i dislike too....like it being too hot for a couple of months of the year. For us, it has definitely been the right move and I would much rather bring my 3 year old up here rather than back in the UK. Like I said, it's all down to personal choice. One man's meat is another man's poison, which is just as well cause we can't all live in the same country, but if you look at the statistics of how many people from UK come to Oz, look at how many stay and compare with how many go back and then also look at how many then decide to come back to Oz again. I think you might find that for the majority, Australia is the better option.

[Jojogunne]

I don't understand why people are arguing about which is best - UK or Australia. It all comes down to personal preference at the end of the day. I have been here now for 2 years and for me and my family, Australia is way better than UK. It has offered me and my family exactly what we were looking for when we came: outdoor lifestyle, good weather all year round, jobs with better pay than we got at home and my 3 year old can get outdoors and play. We can take off for the weekend to the GC or the Sunshine Coast during any season and I love leaving for work in the morning with the sun shining. I love feeding the cockies, lorikeets, king parrots, rosellas etc that come and visit my deck. I do however miss family and friends from back home but not enough to make me give up this fantastic life that we have made for ourselves here. I also miss the proximity to Europe and all the culture it offers. I do not miss scraping frost off my windscreen in the morning, having pouring rain driven by a freezing cold wind for most of the year and I certainly do not miss 4 week summers. There are some things about Australian weather that i dislike too....like it being too hot for a couple of months of the year. For us, it has definitely been the right move and I would much rather bring my 3 year old up here rather than back in the UK. Like I said, it's all down to personal choice. One man's meat is another man's poison, which is just as well cause we can't all live in the same country, but if you look at the statistics of how many people from UK come to Oz, look at how many stay and compare with how many go back and then also look at how many then decide to come back to Oz again. I think you might find that for the majority, Australia is the better option.

 

Really liked this post until the last few lines that seemed to again justify being in oz. Why do that, after saying "I don't understand why people are arguing about which is best - UK or Australia" How can you say oz is the better option, for you maybe it is. Statistics, that's what politicians use all the time to try and convince people they are right. I have read things on here by plenty of people who have been in oz 20 to 30yrs and wouldn't agree with you, they are trapped by their circumstances and it's too late for them to change things.

Edited October 28, 2012 by Jojogunne

[Guest Guest77374]

Really liked this post until the last few lines that seemed to again justify being in oz. Why do that, after saying "I don't understand why people are arguing about which is best - UK or Australia" How can you say oz is the better option, for you maybe it is. Statistics, that's what politicians use all the time to try and convince people they are right. I have read things on here by plenty of people who have been in oz 20 to 30yrs and wouldn't agree with you, they are trapped by their circumstances and it's too late for them to change things.

 

Exactly what I was thinking. So much is made of the fact 'only' a third of people who emigrate come back, when it costs thousands of pounds to emigrate, and costs a lot emotionally. I think a third is a pretty astounding figure when you consider what people go through to try a life in Australia. And as you say, so many people realise they want to come back to the UK after their kids have grown and had kids of their own. So then they are left with the predicament of choosing family over country, a horrible position to be in! Also many migrants invest their life savings in moving to oz, so its really a case of make it work, or come back to the UK with nothing. Not a good postiion to be in for most people who have children. I really think given all these variables its remarkable that as many as a third come back and that figure says a lot about how oz is not the nirvana its cracked up to be.

 

After all if the health department announced tommorow that one in three people who ate chocolate would contract some horrible disease, despite how much I love chocolate, there would be no way any would ever pass my lips again. The odds would be too high!

 

So while I acknowledge a lot of people are happy with their choice to emigrate, do not look at statistics to back that fact up.

[Guest frangipani]

Really liked this post until the last few lines that seemed to again justify being in oz. Why do that, after saying "I don't understand why people are arguing about which is best - UK or Australia" How can you say oz is the better option, for you maybe it is. Statistics, that's what politicians use all the time to try and convince people they are right. I have read things on here by plenty of people who have been in oz 20 to 30yrs and wouldn't agree with you, they are trapped by their circumstances and it's too late for them to change things.

 

You seem to have made reference to me again justifying being in Oz. I merely stated why, for me Australia is the better option. I was not justifying my reasons for being in Oz as I don't feel the need to justify why I like Australia to anyone. I also only referred to the figures and statistics on people who have moved to Australia and moved back to the UK again because these figures are the best evidence and do actually, whether you like it or not, suggest that more people come to Australia and stay for whatever reasons - trapped or otherwise. I'm afraid that if you are going to argue a point you should really know the facts. Yes statistics can be made to look like something that they aren't but they are not as biased as the basis of some people's arguments on here. Like you, I have also read posts on here from people who have lived here for 20 to 30 years and did not like it as much as me, but I have also read plenty of posts on here from people who love it as much as me.

[Melb3000]

Let's face it, it's nationalism.

 

Every country has their nationalists who are overly patriotic and will defend their way of life and culture to the death, regardless of the actual facts. I think it probably is human nature to an extent.

 

The objective reality is that it's pretty much impossible to split two developed ('first world') nations and so much of it comes down to what you have been brought up with and are used to. I also believe that people 'imprint' on their countries of origin just like children do with their parents. It is what they are familiar with and what they have known since birth and I guess it is natural to defend this against unfamiliar cultures and ways of life. Some people do take it to the absolute extreme though whilst most others keep some sort of rational logic about it.

 

Anyway, despite so many people insisting that the cultures of the UK and Aus are poles apart, the fact is that Australia was mostly settled by people from the UK and much of the culture was transplanted from over there. Also the majority of Australians still have relatively recent UK heritage and are Northern European genetically. The two places have more in common than not to be quite frank.

[Jojogunne]

You seem to have made reference to me again justifying being in Oz. I merely stated why, for me Australia is the better option. I was not justifying my reasons for being in Oz as I don't feel the need to justify why I like Australia to anyone. I also only referred to the figures and statistics on people who have moved to Australia and moved back to the UK again because these figures are the best evidence and do actually, whether you like it or not, suggest that more people come to Australia and stay for whatever reasons - trapped or otherwise. I'm afraid that if you are going to argue a point you should really know the facts. Yes statistics can be made to look like something that they aren't but they are not as biased as the basis of some people's arguments on here. Like you, I have also read posts on here from people who have lived here for 20 to 30 years and did not like it as much as me, but I have also read plenty of posts on here from people who love it as much as me.

 

Why even quote statistics given what you said in your opening line, there was no need to do that. As for you saying "I merely stated why, for me Australia is the better option" you actually said in the post before "I think you might find that for the majority, Australia is the better option" Not the same thing at all.

[Guest frangipani]

I quoted statistics because they are less biased than the opinions of people on here.....did you miss that bit???? Stop looking for arguments and just see what I wrote for what it is and stop being so touchy. I didn't come on to argue with anyone or rub the irritable up the wrong way. I thought I was playing Switzerland reasonably well too. I could pick apart all of the inconsistencies in your posts and twist them also but I choose not to do that - too busy enjoying my life here in the wonderful land down under.

[Guest chris955]

You did sort of totally contradict your self though, its not a big deal but you just spoiled what you were saying withthe last couple of lines of you post.

[Guest guest74886]

1. I've actually never seen one of those stickers.

2. I have no idea what a "set way of life" is.

3. Whatever the word he's looking for...it's not "institutionalised".

 

Hi Skani

Come to redneck Queensland and you will have your education broadened more than you would desire.

[Jojogunne]

I quoted statistics because they are less biased than the opinions of people on here.....did you miss that bit???? Stop looking for arguments and just see what I wrote for what it is and stop being so touchy. I didn't come on to argue with anyone or rub the irritable up the wrong way. I thought I was playing Switzerland reasonably well too. I could pick apart all of the inconsistencies in your posts and twist them also but I choose not to do that - too busy enjoying my life here in the wonderful land down under.

 

If you get chance to break off enjoying your life down under and read this, you haven't rubbed me up the wrong way, so don't lose any sleep on that one. As for being touchy and irritable, I didn't think I had come over that way, so I apologise if I did, as your last post was a bit OTT to be honest.

 

I have some friends who have a great life in oz and some who are not having such a good time. Same as here really. My daughter is going out there in the New Year, with my blessing may I add, to work and get her take on the country with a view to living there long term. To me, that's the only way to really get a proper feel for a place and if it suits you as an individual.

 

You were being neutral in your views and that's what I really liked about your post, that was until the last few lines. Statistics are not always unbiased and they don't always reflect reality. People use them to try and confirm their own position and that's what I didn't agree with in your post. Have you ever heard the saying "There are three kinds of lies - lies, damned lies and statistics?

Edited October 28, 2012 by Jojogunne

[fourcorners]

 

Anyway, despite so many people insisting that the cultures of the UK and Aus are poles apart, the fact is that Australia was mostly settled by people from the UK and much of the culture was transplanted from over there. Also the majority of Australians still have relatively recent UK heritage and are Northern European genetically. The two places have more in common than not to be quite frank.

 

Yes, this. I think people who think the cultures are very different should go and visit a country like China or Kazakhstan. I have visited Kazakhstan and Tajikistan - now there's two countries that have very different cultures to Australia and the UK. There are only subtle differences between modern UK and Australian societies, they are more similar than comparing the UK and Canada, for example, where I have also lived.

 

I don't understand why people are arguing about which is best - UK or Australia. For us, it has definitely been the right move and I would much rather bring my 3 year old up here rather than back in the UK. Like I said, it's all down to personal choice. One man's meat is another man's poison, which is just as well cause we can't all live in the same country, but if you look at the statistics of how many people from UK come to Oz, look at how many stay and compare with how many go back and then also look at how many then decide to come back to Oz again. I think you might find that for the majority, Australia is the better option.

 

When someone posts in the MBTTUK section, I don't understand why others feel they have to write about how great Australia has been to them. This section is for those who are considering moving back to the UK - they already know they don't want to stay in Oz for whatever reason so they don't need to hear about how great Oz is for other people. Plenty of other forum sections for that.

[jasepom]

I agree with this sentiment, if you have had enough of Oz go back to where you feel you belong.

 

On the other hand it's still useful for people to be reminded that there is no "nivana". Life is life in any country, and there is no perfect world. If you have a great life in Oz, good for you. If you do feel homesick maybe that's just a feeling, and it will pass.

 

Cheers,

Jason.

[Parley]

And you have to point out that these returnees who now praise England wanted to Emigrate in the first place.

Clearly they were looking for a better life than the England they grew up in. And wanted a much better life and more opportunities for their children.

[Parley]

Did you realise that over 1000 Britons permanently leave the UK every day !! Emigrating to Australia and other countries in search of a better life than what they have in the UK.

 

http://www.immigrationmatters.co.uk/one-thousand-people-emigrate-from-britain-every-day.html