Yes Robbie, pretty uncomfortable statistics.
I read about this last week, and its the greatest number of ‘British Exports’ since records started in 1991.
It is true and it is a very sad state of affairs.

Why is this happening?
Well, here are my own thoughts on the matter.

1) House prices in the UK have gone through the roof over the past 6 or 7 years. A lot of people are making a lot of money in housing. In the next 5 years the will see an average increase of another 40%. Based on an average house price of £200,000 ($400,000) thats an extra income of £80,000 (£160,000).
Problem is, you sell to make the profit and you have to buy at the same over inflated price SO many people are selling up and moving to Europe and further a field where house prices haven’t risen as much.

2) A serious lack of representation in our current government.
The BNP (British National Party) has seen gains over the past few years, and the reason for this is a whole topic for debate on its own.
For those who don’t know, the BNP has an image of being a racist political movement. If they had power, the doors to our country would close and those foriegn families who where invited over in the 1950’s will be asked to leave – there is no doubt in that.
Because people are so fed up with what they see as foriegners taking their jobs, and claiming benefits from ‘our’ system without having to work for it (the reason for this is that our government has introduced ridiculous legislation that prevents them from working – it is infact illegal for the majority seeking citizenship to be employed to work), they will rebel to the extreme, hence the increase in votes for parties such as the BNP.
We have three major parties, The Labour Party (current government), The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.
To be fair, in recent times it’s hard to tell them apart!
I think people have simply had enough. Fuelled by some pretty right wing newspapers, people are getting more and more hot under the collar.

3) The weather (need I say more?)

I think it is either of the above and possibly in some cases ALL of the above.

Jonny

I lived in an English village for three years in the late 80s. I owned my own home there. I loved it, and wish I’d stayed longer.

I had the impression that 1/3 of the people were producing most of the wealth of the country while the other 2/3s were kind of along for the ride.

There’s lots of free government stuff you can get over there without working really hard, or working at all.

It sure looks to me like there is an ‘Atlas Shrugged’ situation going on there.

I think they all moved to Texas because they believe it and want the death penalty.

Your quite right Jim. Things haven’t really changed on that front since you where last here.
When I go into our town centre to do our banking on a Monday I pass young men, couples and sometimes whole families with new born babies, all fully capable of a days works, but all coming out of the benefits office with their giros (benefit monies) for the week.
It makes me mad.
I started my own business some years ago after working hard for someone else. I have never claimed any kind of benefit and I never will – it is against my morals to do so.

What is annoying is the fact that my hard earned money goes in taxes to pay for these layabouts. I have no problem paying taxes to help those in need but when I see people walk out a benefit office and intol a bar, it makes my skin crawl.

I would consider moving abroad one day, when I am a little more financially secure.
Sorry KMA, Texas isn’t for me, New Zealand or Canada is more up my street.

Jonny

Sorry KMA, Texas isn’t for me . . .

On behalf of The Great State of Texas, I thank you.

All right, i’ll come and visit – but that’s only because you asked so nicely.

Jonny

Well, it would be easy enough to confirm or refute some of these theories. Are the emigrants retirees? That would be strong evidence that they are heading for the warmer weather- a rather unsuprising behavior for the over-60 set.

Are they young? They could still be looking for warm weather but there might be stronger evidence they are leaving for economic reasons. Their incomes before they left could also have useful information.

Good points Preston, i’m not sure if this information is available.

I would guess they would have a reasonable amount of money as imigration laws on most countries worth emigrating usually suggest a minimum amount of capital required.

I remember looking at the imigration rules of Canada a few years ago.
As far as I can remember there are three main types:

a) Single people need a capital of £50,000
b) Families need a capital of £75,000
c) You need to be an artist

Made me laugh at first but reading on it sounds like Canada are still trying to form an identity and therefore artists, dancers and actors are all welcome without a need to prove capital.

It may have changed since then but being an artist, I seriously thought about it at the time!

Jonny

One thing the UK and the US conservatives have in common is disgust for “layabouts” (love that term). Of course there are always those liberals who believe all the layabouts are victims of one kind or another and if you don’t support them you’re labeled a bigot or a racist, etc. Interestingly, in the U.S. (I just heard this on a CSpan documentary report) the working poor are the most generous class when it comes to charity, exceeding the middle class by a large margin on the basis of income. When compared to the “layabouts”, the working poor in the U.S. EARN the same amount of money as the layabouts get from the government for laying about, yet the layabouts contribute next to nothing to charity.

Its a classic case of the western decay. the west is not reproducing in sufficient numbers so they look the other way when people come in to work. but the trade off is not worth it imho. what you get in return in seems is a drain on the system and no assimilation. this is bad for any countrys long term survival. the west is weak and that weakness is being exploited on a daily basis. not sure if this can be reversed. I too visited england and liked it and the people, but it is not ye old england of the past.

I 100% agree with you Marc.
I like the fact we have a history of monarchy because back in the 15th century it actually meant something. A monarch would often go into battle to save his land on the battle field rather than just sat in a castle in a hideaway town.
Now, IMHO, the monarchy means nothing.
When Pitt argued the fact that parliament should be a representation of the public over the dictaorship of a monarchy, it took a while to get the plan of action together. Knowing they would be non existant they saught against such government, the had to partake in the evolution and form an allegiance with it.
To this day the governments are sworn in by our Queen – which has now become more of a tourist attraction than anything of any significance!

I would like to see a return to Great Britain, and have the monarchy actually do something other than sit as an attraction for foreign visitors!

Jonny

Us English will never learn..the muslims are highlighting the deficiences by successive liberal governments with their anti-family policies. The fact is the muslims in the UK have large families and irrespective of their faults they tend to be more traditionally orientated, father-breadwinner and mother-homemaker..The fact is English women are some of the most slutty in the world and at the same time one of the most contraceptive women in the world. English young women use abortion as contraception, they have relatively no homemaking skills… We need more stay at home mothers and less career orientated women over here, our culture is dying out and we only have ourselves to blame. The government needs to encourage people to have more children in the UK and at the same time control muslim immigration, if we dont we as a people will perish..Liberalism just doesnt work.

Wow, David, your world sounds like Utopia where British women clean house and push out baby after baby (without acting slutty, please!)

I agree with you David. but for some reason the west has decided not to fight for its survival. the west has chosen to worship and the alter of money above all else. when two people work, more money is in the household. one person works, less money. that is no good in a money worshiping culture. the west really is a victim of its own success. we had it so good for so long we got lazy, weak, and corrupt. we lost our voices. most people in the US don’t vote and are too busy with the all you can eat buffets and idiot television reality shows…total mind rot those shows are. instead of writing, making phone calls, emails every day to let our leaders know how disgusted we are with them, we do nothing for the most part to make any impact. now of course the system is set up this way for a reason..bear with me… I believe the people in power have structured things so it now takes two people to have anything. We work all day, take care of the kids…that is if we have any at all, we pay bills, work in the yard of our too expensive homes, and at the end of the day are just too exhausted to do anything else….the people in power have us right where they want us…distracted, tired and beat down….that way they can do whatever they want when the cameras go off and they meet in their little committees…and who will notice but a few people and what difference does that make?…none. because the same lame, weak, corrupt people keep getting elected over and over and over. why because people are scared of change. sad. because if we don’t throw all the people in power out and vote 3rd party, independent, what ever you want to call it…all we will get is what we already got. leaders who no more represent us than the man on the moon…
so yes the west needs to get back to basics. have kids and raise them right and with love…my friends I only hope it is not too late to turn this train around. our future and our very way of life is hanging like a loose tooth…vote

I do agree that we need to get back to old school family values, however I think you’re putting to much emphasis on the government ‘allowing’ you to live your life as they see fit.
I think it’s up to the individual to make their own lives the best they can be.
Yes, life is hard, and pretty tiring at the end of a long day, but that’s life and it’s up to each of us to make the most of it.
This country has given me the opportunity and support for me to do what I do now. I did most of teh hard work myself, but that’s how it should be shouldn’t it?

Jonny

Well, said Jon. I think an added problem of blaming government is the mistaken notion that many of these social problems are new. That there haven’t been drunks; layabouts; deadbeat dads; etc. since the beginning of time.

Ok. yes of course I agree it is up the individual to make his way in life. that is a complete given. I am for the most part conservative and that is one of the main touch stones of that way of thinking. and this country does provide a brilliant life style for those who work hard for it. but what I was referring to by the government ‘allowing’ us to live our lives is this: Is seems obvious to me that a society that is consumed with having to work two jobs or both people working, raising kids, taking care of family members, making sure they don’t go into debt…blah blah, is so time consuming and we are so distracted with all that, that the people pulling the strings with real power can do as they please because who really has the time to monitor them?? not really me, do any of you.? do you really? do you call and write letters? do you go to rallies in Washington? do you form action committees? do you work for 3rd party candidates you admire? how many people actually take the time to do this? answer not that many, and for sure not enough to cause any real pressure on our leaders. net result they are at liberty to pass bills that benefit their contributors and buddies while leaving the working person almost as a complete after thought..oh sure sometimes they pass something like: this year you can contribute 10,000 to your 401k instead of 7,000. or COBRA so you can carry ins. for 18 months….oh wow thanks a lot mister leader. man I can sleep better now. burden lifted…..no, throwing us a bone every once inwhile is not good enough for me. and it should not be good enough for any of us. we need to put the hammer of pressure on these people and let them know that if you don’t change we will vote them out no matter who runs against them. only by threatening their hold on power will they make any changes to the corrupt system we have. does anyone actually think our congress will voluntarily stop pork barrel spending, voting themselves raises, stop their lucrative retirement plans, make themselves live under the same rules we all do?? do you really think they will do the right thing because its the right thing???? I don’t.!
That’s what I mean by controlling us and ‘allowing’ us to live. we all have to jump thru the hoops they set up, and they just stroll the other way to their own set of rules. and yes Preston it has probably always been this way. the people with the power tend to keep it…but man wrong is wrong, no matter how long it has been going on. the voters need to vote. and not just vote for dweedle dee or dweedle dum.. but how about for something completely different. only by us showing the powerful that we have the power to pull the plug on their little gravy train will they ever take us seriously IMHO.

I do see what your getting at Marc, and its an interesting point.

This country needs tax payers like you and I to keep the cogs turning for those on benefits.
That’s where I have the problem.
I will work my ass of to help an elderly couple who have worked their lives for this country, but I have a problem giving any of my taxes to some dropout 16 year old who spend the days in bars.

All that said, we do live in a democracy so we are able to use our vote to decide who we are governed to some extent.
The only problem is, the three main parties seem like one at this moment. Is there any dramatic differences between them?
They all seem to want to tax those with the greater incomes. And they seem to think Joe Public will respond favourably to that.
Well I don’t! Tax those who do jack shit all day so they will HAVE to get off their lazy asses and contribute the this society of ours.

Jonny