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Disgusting behaviour

Looks like Hong Kong has had its ā€œGrenfellā€ on a massive scale. I was shocked, probably because I’ve never been that far east, that they make scaffolding out of bamboo. Add some netting and it’s about as flammable as the cladding on the West London tower.

It’s called ā€œWang Fuk Courtā€, I suspect the owner and the developer at the Court will end up appearing in one soon. 4,500 homeless, hard to comprehend what that must feel like.

Doesn’t shock me, matches up with my own anecdotal experiences. Any who isn’t tied down to the UK has fled or is serious thinking about it. Productive people and net contributors under 35 can only take so much

https://x.com/Simmons__/status/1994025511597547841

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I can think of 10-15 people I know personally over the last two years who’ve taken the leap and moved abroad.

I’m in the process of finalising it myself. I don’t see the upside in living here these days.

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I’ll never leave the UK to live elsewhere. And if a tiny section of our country choose to leave, then so be it.

IIRC didn’t you have a flat in north London? Have you shifted that?

I think it is absolutely fucking insane that they’re only lifting the 2 child benefit cap for people on UC.

Utter madness.

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What other benefits recipients should also have it lifted

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I want to leave the UK, but my wife doesn’t. She’s the more sensible of us two, so I generally give in to her when it comes to my more risky ideas. I’d hate to leave my garden here,I’d hate to not be an hour away from London on the train, I’d hate to be away from my friends and yet my urge is to fuck off to somewhere like the Balearic, Canary or Italian Mediterranean islands.

I just can’t face another fucking winter of cold, damp, grey days and the pain they bring. I’ve had to return to bed twice already today. This is why I don’t want a mid-season break over Christmas and New Year, it’s a shitty time of the year, don’t take our football away and make it worse.

Don’t think anything could make me leave Scotland.

Plus due to Arsenal being a major part of my life I don’t want to have to follow the games at a stupid time. Even an hour ahead in Europe is not for me.

No doubt Labour would celebrate net migration being down despite your best young people leaving at the first opportunity playing a role in that.

No surprise there’s a brain drain. It’s ridiculously expensive for a young person in this country, you’re punished for any kind of aspiration and there’s a far right government around the corner.

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How do we know they are the best? Maybe it’s the worst that are leaving.

Its nearly always highly educated and skilled people who leave.

I always think ā€˜best’ is just shorthand for that.

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it makes you wonder what did it look like, perhaps annually, previous years, maybe the past 10-20 years or so, I don’t feel like a few months or one year is enough.

Certainly the movement in the insurance industry is away from the UK. Before Brexit many insurance companies relocated their head offices to EU countries, just keeping an operational HQ in the city. My company used to occupy all 13 floors of our building in the city, now we’re on two. One is for top brass and meeting rooms the other is hot-desking hell.

Nearly all the claims jobs have moved out to their existing offices around the UK, so starting salaries are down for those roles and they’re struggling to recruit. Many friends are now working in warmer European cities or in tax havens. The appeal of working in the City of London is diminished when the salaries are half what they were and the only time you come into London is the occasional staff meeting and when you need to hire a room to discuss a claim with London-based solicitors/Kings Counsel.

Would’ve done the same but the Mrs isn’t up for Dubai.

Would only do it for 1-2 years to save some ££ because it’s a little bit soulless but still. Never been more keen to leave this fucking place.

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Depressing to see how many hate this beautiful country :frowning:

When we left in 1980 there was no general hate-on for the UK as far as I remember, but Thatcher had not long been in power and I could see the ā€˜writing on the wall’. True, we had been tinkering for a few years with the idea of emigrating, but the latent ruthlessness being shown was enough to convince us it was time to ship out, and, apart from a few pangs of homesickness early on, I can’t say we regretted the move.

Given what I see and sense now, from friends, etc., plus the general claustrophobic nature of the place - traffic, crowds, queues for everything, I don’t think we could hack living back there these days. Of course, aging figures into it, but there’s nothing you can do about that.

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Yeah, I meant skilled as they’re most likely to have the means and opportunity to leave.

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Why is it surprising? (If, indeed, you find it surprising)