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Brits - Second highest emigrant rates in OECD
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
The UK has 3.2 million citizens who live abroad, slightly more than Germany, which has a substantially greater population, and substantially more than the US, with five times the population.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7254743.stm
Why do you think we have a higher tendency to migrate? Its certainly not a recent phenomena despite the headlines. Also not usually noticed, is the amount of British expats whose parents were immigrants to Britain, (for example in my year at school four out of the six Black or mixed race kids eventually emigrated)
Grass is greener springs to mind, what say you?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7254743.stm
Why do you think we have a higher tendency to migrate? Its certainly not a recent phenomena despite the headlines. Also not usually noticed, is the amount of British expats whose parents were immigrants to Britain, (for example in my year at school four out of the six Black or mixed race kids eventually emigrated)
Grass is greener springs to mind, what say you?
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Also a highly skilled population, who can speak English (the world's language) and a tradition of going overseas to work and live
Not sure about the tradition but those factors also apply for the Canadians/Yanks surely but yet they have three times less people abroad than we do. I don't think the weather factor affected my school friends as two went to NY, one to Canada and the other to Sweden.
I'd say it was because of a historical thing, we've emigrated ourselves into most countries in the world, therefore we have links there and people move there. Then people have family there and so on...
Its also quite expensive living here.
Weather is slightly tongue in cheek (my Uncle went to Canada and it's bloody cold there).
But tradition I'd stick to. You use canucks and spams as an example of why it doesn't apply, but both Canada and the US are a direct result of UK emmigration. A lot of people move abroad because they know of family and friends who've done the same
Flash/budda, I wonder how big a factor family links are, probably not mentioned loudly but I'm sure a hell lot of people emigrate to get away from family
Ireland has a just a strong if not stronger tradition than us of emigration, is expensive and cold
But there is a tradition of going abroad - teh countries people go to may differ, but the British are not by tradition stay at home types.
But the chart is not a % of people, but total in millions. there are about 4.5m people in the Irish Republic (Northern Ireland would be part of the UK). For them to be on the chart (even as low as the US) they'd have to have about a quarter of their population abroad
I'm also not sure whether it counts Irish Republic immigration into the UK, as for historical reasons Southern Irish nationals are often treated as UK citizens (they have the same full rights as UK subjects do - more than any other EU Country)
I wouldn't complain - its up to each country to handle its own immigration policy (and I certainly wouldn't complain if the US or Australia put those Brits there illegally on a plane and sent them back)
Why not? It's up to that country
If you've got the right skills there's equally good opportunities overseas. You can go far with an English accent in the States I hear
If I could get my German good enough I'd def consider going there after uni.
Shame it doesn't work the other way round - only a couple of weeks ago my wife was verbally abused yet again
Doesn't make it wrong either.
Hmmmm .. you almost sound like an immigrant yourself.
The disgusting anti-Americanism of many British people is embarrassing, I feel ashamed to be British... Especially given how hospitable and welcoming Americans are to British people.
I think it's more the British people being angry at American politics and venting their anger out on American people than anything else. My relatives are American, sound people. Still doesn't stop me criticising the regime it's currently under. Then again, if I come across a Southern hick then I probably will give them shit...only slagging.
Nor that even supporting Bush's actions should merit being abused on the street- even if one profoundly disagrees with it.
She was talking to an English friend in Sainsburys and someone laid into her accussing her of supporting the murder of Iraqi babies and saying the Americans deserved all they got
The irony is she went more anti-war and Bush than I am
I hate hearing stuff like that. Why do these people ignore British involvement in Iraq, the hypocrites. They are no better than fundamentalists and extremists in my eyes. :mad:
Irish emigration is at an historic low due to the 'Celtic Tiger' effect and the modernisation of other aspects of Irish society. Interestingly they find themselves dealing with immigrants and asking themselves similair questions to the British immigration debates.
That isn't going to happen, because most British emmigrants don't turn up in the back of a lorry on some distant shore because of the conditions here. We turn up with a huge wad of cash, get a visa, a job and a house.
If you had seen the rigmorale it's taken for my boss to get into Canada (despite having a job waiting for her) or my mum to get into Australia then i'm surprised so many people goto the effort.
Mainly because this country is a hole. The weather is shite, and the place is going to the dogs.
However, I'd like to move away for a few years to work and learn about a new culture.
It probably is a case of 'the grass is greener', it's so easy to get cheesed off with Britain when you're here. But in my experience, the grass is actually greener. We're moving to Berlin in April and I CAN'T WAIT. If I didn't have my parents to think of (and even they're going to up sticks when they retire) I think we could leave the UK for good and never look back.
people have said this country is going to the dogs for centuries