Migration At A New High
 

Results released for people moving abroad last year;

The number of people leaving rose to 400,000 from 359,000 in 2006 -- the highest since comparable records began in 1991.

WONDER WHY ? :rolleyes:

Re: Migration At A New High
 

Our high property prices means people can sell up, retire early, buy cheap property abroad, bank the money left over to subsidise casual/part-time work, and live in a better climate in a less overcrowded location.

They have been shown how by tv programmes about it.
I think it is maily southerners who are doing it, because there are more houses down there that will realise a quarter million or more.
Probably some have wished they hadn't, but can't come back because they would stand no chance of buying a house if they did and good property to rent is as rare as rocking horse s**t.

So the housing shortage is to blame (causing price rises)

Re: Migration At A New High
 

Re: Migration At A New High
 

Nothing to do with the society we live in then ?

Re: Migration At A New High
 

I don't know.:confused:

I'll ask my friends in a little over a week, why they moved...as we sit by their pool in the sunshine.:D

Re: Migration At A New High
 

The housing shortage causes many of society's problems
(Rats packed in a box kill each other)

Re: Migration At A New High
 

Good point about being priced out of the housing market, if they want to move back.

Even though expats think they are covered by the Spanish National Health Service, because we are all in the EEC, this is not the case, if they haven't filled in the right forms.

Costa expats are swamping our health service, protests Spain - Times Online

This country will be swamped if the Spanish get fed up of all our retired folks there, and ship 'em back.

Re: Migration At A New High
 

My sister has lied to me. She told me she was emigrating because she didn't like what this country has become and will be like in the future. I didn't realise what she really meant is that she hasn't got enough room in her 4 bedroomed semi :D

Re: Migration At A New High
 

Another interesting article, relating to the cost of keeping our silver travellers in the sun.

Don't take the Spanish authorities for a ride - Telegraph

Re: Migration At A New High
 

Would I move abroad?

No, not now I have Parkinson's.

I did always plan to retire to Brittany, and spend my dotage painting, and working in my friend's bar, but I'd much rather stay in the UK now.

Besides, I don't think my friend could afford all the breakages.:D

Re: Migration At A New High
 

The world is a much smaller and more cosmopolitan than it used to be. And perhaps what binds someone to a particular country is not as strong. Perhaps, with the EU moving somewhere else to live is easier. There are probably as many reasons for moving as there are people who move. I sometimes think about what it would be like if I had stayed in England, but I never regret my move. I have lived twice as long in Canada as I did in England, and I believe I am too much of a Canadian to ever be a succesful Englishman again. Maybe an homogenized world will be a better, more peaceful place ...

Re: Migration At A New High
 

Inflation and the fact that people tend to go for warmer climates. Cant blame them really.

Re: Migration At A New High
 

I remember back in 1997, whilst we still had a Conservative government, that Paul Daniels publicly said that he would emigrate if New Labour won the election.

We're still waiting.

Seriously, rather than the mass exodus of wealth, that some forecast pre 1997, the country is awash with the rich, and super rich immigrants.

Re: Migration At A New High
 

Off topic but...

Paul Daniels did wife swap (if your talking about the magician) and he lives in the ost quiet and secluded place ever anyway. Poor man swapped his wife for 2 weeks or whatever the length was for Vanessa Feltz (is that her surname? that huge woman with the fake blonde hair). I want to live like Paul Daniels, just sitting in silence and reading my newspaper and feeding the ducks all day. He didnt even have a telly!

Re: Migration At A New High
 

This doesn't surprise me in the slightest. When you read forums such as British Expats.com you will find that most of the moves have nothing to do with British House prices. The most popular places for British movers are Australia and New Zealand (I have lost about 10 of my colleagues to those places in the last 3 years).

People on these forums are generally peeved about - The crime rate, overcrowding, abuse of the benefits and health care systems, the weather etc. Many young British families want to live and work where they can support themselves without being taxed to the hilt to support immigrants and those who won't work, they have no problem supporting those who can't work. Many of them are happy to pay for their own health care without having to pay for the healthcare of illegal immigrants, health tourists etc.

I have to say that I totally see why they move and if Sparks would come with me I'd be off Down Under like a shot...:D

The wages aren't as good as here and the house prices are very high in comparison to the wages but the outdoor lifestyle, less overcrowding and generally laid back attitude more than makes up for this.

Re: Migration At A New High
 

More or less the same reasons given by my sister. Quality of life.

She also has a friend who is emigrating. The friend is a newly qualified nurse who ended up with no job in the recent efficiency drive by our local NHS Trust. Beggars belief.

Re: Migration At A New High
 

QUOTE house prices are very high in comparison to the wages

which is due to?..........need for more houses!

Re: Migration At A New High
 

Why is there need for more houses ? Lots of boarded up ones just in Accrington alone.

Re: Migration At A New High
 

OK then ...more houses (that are fit to live in ).
Social housing provides an acceptable standard of housing at reasonable rent. Private landlords charge more for less.
We are now suffering from the after effects of tory rule where council houses were sold and no replacements built.
We were all indoctrinated that owner occupation was the ideal for all ...it isn't!

Re: Migration At A New High
 

did it for 2 1/2 years, loved it, returned for circumstances beyond my control,but thats the way life pans out. used to love this country,still do, just hate what it has become.reason i moved was better quality of life, plus the fact i was on the employment scrap heap at 50yrs old, which was a hell of a shock at the time,housing was not even a small factor in my descision. most people i spoke to out there who were of employment age gave the same reasons, so i would think the report (housing) is garbage for the reason for migration, whilst housing is issue, its a completely different one.

Re: Migration At A New High
 

Maybe we do need more social housing but then again a lot of socail housing is ruined by it's occupants not the council or government. We live in a country where moral standards have severley declined and thats why people are getting out. If there weren't complications with absent parents I'm pretty sure we could have our bags packed in 5 minutes :rolleyes:

Re: Migration At A New High
 

Moral standards in decline isn't necessarily due to just one class of people in my opinion. I think that as we live in a society based on economy rather than welfare and wellbeing for all, in other words self fulfillment, there is an attitude of 'if i can do it then so can they'.

People who live in houses that are not well kept could be very ashamed for all you know, but how many people in those houses can afford to properly maintain a property, or want to do work on a property that isn't theirs?
Some people living in housing association houses probably do feel ashamed of their circumstances, but perhaps rather than not being houseproud enough to maintain their home, theyre too proud to put the money they're being given to live on back into a house thats not their either. Just trying to think of it in that sort of perspective, because if your being given government money and then putting it all back into the property your living in owned by them, then what actually do you have to call your own? Aren't you not just part of an indirect economic institution rather than one of welfare if that happens?

I mean, obviously a lick of paint wouldnt be enough to reach this viewpoint, but often some houses are badly in need of a lot more than that, and there are many places locally and probably in small areas in every county, that have houses that look terrible, but the government dont want to put any money into them, because its easier to make the local employed social group think its the tenants fault for not funding upkeep of the house, but basically thats just the governments way of telling the working people that the unemployed should just pay all their welfare back into the system effectively.

Anyway, I was up extremely late last night and that may not actually make sense, but I hate the idea of just blaming the people who live there without considering that there could be more to it than that.

Re: Migration At A New High
 

There have been many house in our locality that could have been renovated....but have been knocked down, and shoebox style properties built on the land.
The houses that were knocked down were homes with history......sometimes lived in by families for generations....these families were subject to compulsory purchase.......when they could have been allocated grant money to bring their property up to a decent standard.

Alas, we lived in a society that thinks everything is disposable.

Re: Migration At A New High
 

If you read my post you will realise that the house prices are high in comparison to wages in Australia and NZ..... I was not referring to the UK. All of my recently emigrated friends have found houses Down Under and moved in within a month of buying them.
The housing market is booming in Aus and NZ with prices very high, this reflects their own markets. Most Brits manage to buy with no hassles and do get more for their money than here (generally). However, wages are generally poorer than here for a lot of professions, especially in NZ. I would be taking a massive pay cut in order to move but for many people, money isn't everything....... My mates all moved for lifestyle. They have quality free time with their families, better weather which enables them to do something with their free time rather than freezing their bits off and staying indoors but, they also have less money..

Re: Migration At A New High
 

Your quite right Lettie, Ian's nephew is struggling to get onto the property ladder in Australia though his mum thinks that if they were a bit more careful they would manage it. The trouble is they have got a few kids and as with anywhere else kids are very expensive. My sister-in-law did say prices were going through the roof, it will be like every where else when demand for housing rises so does the cost.

Re: Migration At A New High
 

Has anyone considered that in some ways humans are a migratory species? "Migration at a New High" could have been a headline in the Genghis Khan Times, or the Saxon Chronicle. Stability is a myth ... so is the Golden Age when everyting was better ... Remember the more or less stable and homogenous populations of the early 20c? The only time they went anywhere was to have a knock down drag out war, or to take over the land of those whose military technology was lagging behind the European standard.

Re: Migration At A New High
 

interesting thought Eric,would agree with 90% of it,the Golden Age being a myth, i aint so sure? i think the 60s were a Golden Age.;)

Re: Migration At A New High
 

Ah the sixties! A buddy of mine once told me that anyone who can remebler clearly what it was like in the 60s wasn't really there:D:D:D I know that I was stoned out of my gourd most of the time. Ah well, some things never change:smoky::eat:

Re: Migration At A New High
 

Well, Eric.....maybe I led a sheltered life. I do remember the sixties.....I was there, but never ever under the influence of anything stronger than orange juice....I suppose that makes me a sad old thing!

Re: Migration At A New High
 

My son moved to spain, simply because he is not happy with our rapidly changing country, and he can live in spain for 1/3 of the cost here, he and his partner only have to work the equivelant of 2 1/2 days there to pay the bills and socialise. The large garden, swimming pool and sunshine are just a bonus.

Re: Migration At A New High
 

i swaped places with my mum (she is english) she moved to spain and i moved to england, i didnt like ibiza anymore, fed up with the heat and the people out there, load of customers asked me why have i left such a beautiful sunny place to move to england, well my answer always is "im trying to find out" , i like england dont asked me why

Re: Migration At A New High
 

No hon, life is better not filtered thro' altered states ... except on occasion, like tonight with a repeat of Arturo Gatti fighting Irish Mickey Ward on Classic Fights .... And what brand of orange juice is it that gets you under the influence? Does one have to add vodka:confused:

Re: Migration At A New High
 

The problem with migration is that the migrants tend to be resented by the residents. Voters tend to want their govts. to put limits on it. In Canada, this is a very complex issue. We have more than one govt. in the sense that the Provinces and the larger cities have a great deal of autonomy. I think I have mentioned before that La Belle Province is becoming very picky about who it lets in, and the Albertans are taking people on limited work contracts rather than on permenant Landed Immigrant status. Our major cities, particularly TO, Montreal, and Vancouver (read about the taser happy RCMP) are cosmopolitan enough, but they are beginning to question a liberal immigration policy. The majority of immigrants end up in these three cities. Many Canadians would be happy if the signs went up at the border: "F*** Off, Canada is full" And this even tho' we rank 229th in the world in population density. And migrants looking for greener grass may not find what they are looking for. Fitting into a foreign country is not all that simple. And whatever it may seem like, Canada, and I have no doubt the same applies to Australia, is a foreign country. We have strong ties with England but we are not England, and some who come over miss the old country so much that they go home. I was lucky to start off in Saskatchewan. That put me into such a culture shock, that by the time I came out of it I was almost Canadian, and 100% Stubble Jumper and Roughrider fan.