Is it time to escape Britain?

Belgium had very few Chavs, and people were fun on a night out with little agressiveness, however if you think we have rules bureaucracy and tax you should try Belgium.

But if you become unemployed your first year's benefit is 80% of your last years salary

I'll move about for a while until I fall in love, get a job next to a race track or both.

PS Any posh race bike ladies looking for a spanner monkey let me know

Don't forget the Stella factory Tim.

Yeah, I used to live in Leuven home of Stella, and drink that weakest of Belgian Beers known as Stella (the equivalent to Mild over here the good beers were 7-13% abv).

I used to run by the brewery on my marathon training runs, but stopped off once on a ride for a shot with the SV:

Meep! Not worthy!

I dont mind this country really. I dont earn a lot so tax is never really an issue. Petrol has gone up, everything has. I can afford to do what I want on the whole. Of course I would like more disposable income but I would spend it on rubbish. I would have liked to move abroad to give my kids a better standard of living but its too late now. If they want to go and live abroad they can do when they are a few years older. I have relatives in Australia, Canada, South Africa and Texas. But kids seem fairly happy in this country.

[mister c]

When I got divorced about 4 years ago it was crossing my mind to leave the country because I had nothing to hold me here, so it was a case of new beginnings etc. But when the ex wife left me, the kids stayed with me which gave me something to stop here for.
It is still just me & the "Kids" & I know I get fed up, but on the whole I have nearly everything I want, not a lot of money, but I'm fairly happy.
Ok this country's struggling at the moment, but that's only down to the way it is run. It will get better over time just like it has in the past and I must admit, even when the weather is garbage - like today, Britain is still a cool place to live & I dont think I would want to live anywhere else now

I must be the only one here who loves living in the UK. I live near Heathrow, have a safe if stressful job, great friends and colleagues, lovely boyfriend, own home and a couple of cool bikes. It's not a boast, but this is the path I've chosen and worked for and I'm happy with my lot.

Naturally, there are a few things I hate about London & the UK - public transport, the general public and over population which means I ride bikes, have no contact with the general public in my choice of job and don't go into town or crowded places on a weekend. However, taxes are not one of my bug bears as I find them pretty reasonable compared to the rest of Europe.

I had a stint of living in France and Italy when I was younger and NO THANK YOU!

I'm definitely here to stay!

I think there are good and bad places to live in Britain.

I was brought up in London but it would now take me a great deal to make me live south of Sheffield. There's more space up here (both on and off the roads!) and compared with thirty years ago it's no longer a cultural desert.

I planj to move to the west coast of Scotland when I retire - mainlky for the stunning scenery but also a country where I cna afford to grow old...

Rob, I've often thought about it, and like you I'me becoming more and more depressed with the state we've become.

However, I do also believe that it's the job we do that can make us think that way. A colleague at works brother transfered to the Police out in oz, and he loves it.

To put it into perspective for those that don't do what we do, imagine working a shift where you are due to finish at 4 or 5pm, but you end up dealing with a persistant offender, where upon arrests you as the OIC are required to give the detained person the PREMIUM service.

WTF I want premium service when I'm a paying guest at a hotel.

Any way you bust a gut, until about 2am when you charge the light blighter and then finish at about 5 am after doing the file to go to court with him in the morning, only to find that the court won't even listen to the basic facts because there are now 2 dozen waiting to be seen to that day so everyone gets bailed to come back in 2 weeks or so.

Then the little darling gets 12hours on a community reparation order.

That's one of the reasons why I really feel that this country is going to the dogs, and if something isn't done to stop it then I too will be off.

p.s. - Rob, I'll let you know where I go and if it's any good.

I spent quite a lot of time in the US a few years back, though about moving out there I applied for a few jobs but didn't get them!

Would move there now, or somewhere else? Nope I'm quite happy here having spent a few years travelling about, I'll stay where I am.

Though having lived in London now for year 1/2 almost, I want to move back out to the home counties London isn't a permant home for me. Its too crowded and not a great place for me and my bike!

Though looking at my pay cheque, I do think why do I pay so much tax?

I guess it depends on why you want to move away from the UK....I would later in life wouldn't mind doing some work over seas with the job I do now, that would be fun.