MILLIONS of disgruntled Britons want to quit the country permanently because of rising crime.
Figures out yesterday show that of the 10 million people looking to buy a property abroad in the next year, four million will consider leaving for good.
The main reason given for the mass exodus was crime and the growing problem of yob culture.
Just weeks after Home Secretary Jacqui Smith admitted she would not walk out alone at night, the research also reveals that most of the those wishing to leave are women.
Other reasons given for becoming dissatisfied with life in the UK include the dismal weather, rising cost of living and soaring taxation.
The research, by foreign exchange dealer Foreign Currency Direct, found that of those looking to buy abroad, 50 per cent of women would like to make a permanent move. This contrasts with just 21 per cent of male buyers.
Peter Ellis, chief executive, said: “With the rising cost of living and crime becoming a bigger concern for Brits, it seems that many of us are seeking refuge abroad.
“Buying property overseas is still an excellent investment and a great opportunity for a better quality of life.” The survey, carried out online, discovered that 33 per cent of those looking at a property abroad were so concerned about crime in the United Kingdom that they would consider leaving the country forever – a 29 per cent increase from the previous year.
More than one in three, or 39 per cent, would consider a permanent move abroad as a direct result of Britain’s high cost of living – a figure which again has increased by more than 10 points since last June when it stood at 27 per cent.
Nearly a third, 31 per cent, said the gloomy weather might prompt them to move permanently, while 29 per cent gave investment opportunities as a reason to leave and 25 per cent high UK taxes.
More than one in five Britons looking to buy another property cannot afford to do so in the UK and, as a result, are having to purchase abroad.
And some 14 per cent of those looking to buy abroad were first-time buyers.
Just four per cent of Britons believed there were better jobs for them overseas, while seven per cent had been inspired by watching overseas property programmes on television.
The research backs up up other recent studies which show Britons leaving their homeland in droves.
Figures from a Brits Abroad report, published by the Institute for Public Policy Research think-tank, found some 5.5 million Britons were already living abroad with a further million likely to have left by 2011.
Of those who have already gone, more than 1.1 million are highly skilled graduates.
And more than three-quarters of these professionals have settled abroad for more than 10 years, according to a study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
No other nation is losing so many qualified people.
Of those who have quit Britain, some 23,223 migrants headed for Australia in 2006/7 alone.
Only Mexico has seen emigration on a larger scale.
In addition, many British citizens are retiring overseas, with 40 per cent planning to draw their pensions abroad.
According to the Department of Work and Pensions, one million people who were actually born in Britain already draw their pensions overseas – including 245,000 in Australia, 157,000 in Canada and 132,000 in the United States.
ATORY, THANK YOU FOR THAT SENTIMENT, BUT SOME CAVEATS
27.02.08, 4:02pm
Atory, your words of resistance are heartening and I wish we had more of your spirit, unfortunately I don't see that welling up anywhere in the UK today.
Remember two caveats here that I feel are particularly relevant to our current catastrophe in England.
In spite of our victory over the Spanish Armada, those English sailors who defended us were never paid by Queen Elizabeth I's criminally stingy Treasury, with many sailors dying of disease or starvation as they waited in desperation for due compensation. As a direct result, England was badly defeated against Spain the following year in our own attack on the Spanish coast, and we were then defeated at sea in nearly every battle of the 1590's against Spain because of this repeated problem-- the government refused to adequately supply, let alone pay, our brave soldiers and sailors. Spain even did invade western England in the middle of that decade and as I recall from A-level history many years ago, burned down much of the country there. Thus Spain controlled the Americas, because our English government disdained our own courageous soldiers trying to defend the nation.
I feel this is perhaps the best analogy for the nightmare we are living today in the UK. Just like those Armada soldiers and brave English sailors who were not adequately supplied or paid by the English government for their valour, so we English today are despised, abused, humiliated, burdened, attacked and woefully underappreciated by our own government.
It doesn't matter whether it's NuLabour or Tory, they scorn us and see us as little more than fools and potential lawbreakers who, in the best Stalinist Orwellian tradition, are to be taxed and punished if we contribute and follow the laws, and rewarded for the worst behaviour.
The second caveat is that the kind of threat we are facing right now is subtle and insidious, thus extremely difficult to combat. And I fear that it is far, far too late to respond to it effectively, since the damage has already been done. It is the most painful, hopeless conclusion imaginable, and it is why and so many of my comrades have chosen to emigrate.
MY A-LEVEL MATES ALMOST ALL EMIGRATED-- SPAIN, FRANCE, GERMANY
27.02.08, 3:46pm
Of my close to 20 mates and acquaintances from A-level days two decades ago, perhaps 5 are staying in the UK. The rest, probably soon including me, are soon emigrating.
I have a few mates in Spain and France as it is, they already speak Spanish and French as well as the natives and are raising their kids. One went to America, one to South Africa, some scattered in SE Asia or South American countries-- Chile and parts of Brazil are popular.
Germany seems to be choice #1 for the professional, technical, creative or entrepreneurial set-- three old mates of mine in that country raising kids there and one soon to follow, he learned enough German in barely a year to already get a start.
You know, people complain about the taxes in the UK but that's not the problem in and of itself. Whilst France and Germany certainly have their taxes, they do something good with them, i.e. provide outstanding schools for the kids and beautiful cities to reside in.
In the UK, our horrific tax burden goes to what? More speed cameras to advance NuLab's War on Motorists and Lorry-Drivers? More cameras to issue parking fines? A war we are losing in Iraq and yet another idiotic, useless, needless war on Kosovo? Fought on behalf of our enemies? Our cities and infrastructure are crumbling, our schools are terrible, yob culture rules and as the article notes, crime is overtaking ordinary citizens. Combined with the litter and the miserable grime that seems to envelop our cities, there is no reason to stay here anymore.
And the Tories are as bad or worse than NuLabour, so there is no escape by staying in the UK.
To those of you who are emigrating, be careful about where you go. I have been working in the USA for awhile and the traffic, crime, and cost-of-living here are if anything even worse than the UK. The infrastructure is crumbling from years of budget mismanagement, the public schools are terrible and universities are expensive beyond affordability.
I have heard the same problems about Australia and New Zealand, plus the yob culture seems to have been exported there and even to Canada. In other words, Australia/NZ and Canada seem to be versions of the UK in miniature, just a few years behind, while the USA is a ghastly mess of its own sort. So research carefully where you go, before you go.
Most of my old mates in France, Spain, and Germany at least are quite satisfied with the choice, learning the new language turned out to be a minor hassle, but make sure to get a feel for the place wherever you decide.
My dear friends I have to tell you that I have spoken to many who are blind to whats going on in this country, They say things like (I have always voted labour since I was old enough )and will be doing so in the near future because whoever gets in they are all the same. It makes me wonder if folk know enough about any party
that they vote for, half of them do it because their parents did it.
I despair at the apathy of some people in this country who are oblivious to what is going on in politics some just go with the flow and hope for the best. I have been asked for leaflets to update them on the eurosceptics where can I get them from?:)
Truth is whilst you amongst like-minded people here, and there may well be quite a number, there is nowhere near enough as yet who are sufficiently disgusted with the current state of our Nation to actually do something about it.
Until such a time we must BANG THE DRUM
We must tell about how we feel to our family our friends our neighbours, and work colleagues in short we each one of us must be the one, sounding the alarm ringing the bell, blowing the trumpet in our corner of the country, until such a time that the groundswell of opinion gets to the point where we can gather and show our anger at how this government has betrayed us.
I recently suggested that it would be good to create a pressure group without any political affiliation that would be dedicated to simply voicing to the government of the day, exactly what the British people expected of its leaders, I have to say the response was less than adequate, but thankyou to all those who did email and express your support.
If so few people couldnt even be bothered to send an email in support of what could be a very potent force in British politics, then the likelihood of a successful march or demo is very slim.
We must each of us take every opportunity to educate the British public of what is required and the need for urgent action. Blogging is one way emailing and notifying friends etc printing and distributing leaflets and or CD's with video clips. Handing them to people you know or leaving them at the library etc.
We must not lose hope, This Great Nation has got a terrific history of achieving its greatest victory when its back is against the wall.
Remember the Spanish Armada, King Philip II of Spain was the most powerful and (seemingly) wealthy man in Europe.
England, by comparison, was a relatively small nation, and not a particularly powerful or wealthy one.
and the second world war Churchill knew only to well the massive challenge that our army faced against the Nazi machine, but once again against all the odds we were victorious.
To name just a couple maybe someone with a better knowledge of history could come up with a more complete list.
Video 
ATORY, THANK YOU FOR THAT SENTIMENT, BUT SOME CAVEATS
27.02.08, 4:02pm
Atory, your words of resistance are heartening and I wish we had more of your spirit, unfortunately I don't see that welling up anywhere in the UK today.
Remember two caveats here that I feel are particularly relevant to our current catastrophe in England.
In spite of our victory over the Spanish Armada, those English sailors who defended us were never paid by Queen Elizabeth I's criminally stingy Treasury, with many sailors dying of disease or starvation as they waited in desperation for due compensation. As a direct result, England was badly defeated against Spain the following year in our own attack on the Spanish coast, and we were then defeated at sea in nearly every battle of the 1590's against Spain because of this repeated problem-- the government refused to adequately supply, let alone pay, our brave soldiers and sailors. Spain even did invade western England in the middle of that decade and as I recall from A-level history many years ago, burned down much of the country there. Thus Spain controlled the Americas, because our English government disdained our own courageous soldiers trying to defend the nation.
I feel this is perhaps the best analogy for the nightmare we are living today in the UK. Just like those Armada soldiers and brave English sailors who were not adequately supplied or paid by the English government for their valour, so we English today are despised, abused, humiliated, burdened, attacked and woefully underappreciated by our own government.
It doesn't matter whether it's NuLabour or Tory, they scorn us and see us as little more than fools and potential lawbreakers who, in the best Stalinist Orwellian tradition, are to be taxed and punished if we contribute and follow the laws, and rewarded for the worst behaviour.
The second caveat is that the kind of threat we are facing right now is subtle and insidious, thus extremely difficult to combat. And I fear that it is far, far too late to respond to it effectively, since the damage has already been done. It is the most painful, hopeless conclusion imaginable, and it is why and so many of my comrades have chosen to emigrate.
• Posted by: Pickwickwicker • Report Comment
MY A-LEVEL MATES ALMOST ALL EMIGRATED-- SPAIN, FRANCE, GERMANY
27.02.08, 3:46pm
Of my close to 20 mates and acquaintances from A-level days two decades ago, perhaps 5 are staying in the UK. The rest, probably soon including me, are soon emigrating.
I have a few mates in Spain and France as it is, they already speak Spanish and French as well as the natives and are raising their kids. One went to America, one to South Africa, some scattered in SE Asia or South American countries-- Chile and parts of Brazil are popular.
Germany seems to be choice #1 for the professional, technical, creative or entrepreneurial set-- three old mates of mine in that country raising kids there and one soon to follow, he learned enough German in barely a year to already get a start.
You know, people complain about the taxes in the UK but that's not the problem in and of itself. Whilst France and Germany certainly have their taxes, they do something good with them, i.e. provide outstanding schools for the kids and beautiful cities to reside in.
In the UK, our horrific tax burden goes to what? More speed cameras to advance NuLab's War on Motorists and Lorry-Drivers? More cameras to issue parking fines? A war we are losing in Iraq and yet another idiotic, useless, needless war on Kosovo? Fought on behalf of our enemies? Our cities and infrastructure are crumbling, our schools are terrible, yob culture rules and as the article notes, crime is overtaking ordinary citizens. Combined with the litter and the miserable grime that seems to envelop our cities, there is no reason to stay here anymore.
And the Tories are as bad or worse than NuLabour, so there is no escape by staying in the UK.
To those of you who are emigrating, be careful about where you go. I have been working in the USA for awhile and the traffic, crime, and cost-of-living here are if anything even worse than the UK. The infrastructure is crumbling from years of budget mismanagement, the public schools are terrible and universities are expensive beyond affordability.
I have heard the same problems about Australia and New Zealand, plus the yob culture seems to have been exported there and even to Canada. In other words, Australia/NZ and Canada seem to be versions of the UK in miniature, just a few years behind, while the USA is a ghastly mess of its own sort. So research carefully where you go, before you go.
Most of my old mates in France, Spain, and Germany at least are quite satisfied with the choice, learning the new language turned out to be a minor hassle, but make sure to get a feel for the place wherever you decide.
• Posted by: Pickwickwicker • Report Comment
HELLO ATORY
26.02.08, 1:02am
Oliver Cromwell, comes to mind.
• Posted by: gaf • Report Comment
CHARLEY
26.02.08, 12:50am
It's the BNP for me next time, it can't be any worse than voting for the other lot we will win the day. Hitler Brown will not win.
• Posted by: gaf • Report Comment
MADNESS
25.02.08, 9:34pm
My dear friends I have to tell you that I have spoken to many who are blind to whats going on in this country, They say things like (I have always voted labour since I was old enough )and will be doing so in the near future because whoever gets in they are all the same. It makes me wonder if folk know enough about any party
that they vote for, half of them do it because their parents did it.
I despair at the apathy of some people in this country who are oblivious to what is going on in politics some just go with the flow and hope for the best. I have been asked for leaflets to update them on the eurosceptics where can I get them from?:)
• Posted by: charley • Report Comment
CHARLEY NEVER SURRENDER... NEVER
25.02.08, 7:50pm
Truth is whilst you amongst like-minded people here, and there may well be quite a number, there is nowhere near enough as yet who are sufficiently disgusted with the current state of our Nation to actually do something about it.
Until such a time we must BANG THE DRUM
We must tell about how we feel to our family our friends our neighbours, and work colleagues in short we each one of us must be the one, sounding the alarm ringing the bell, blowing the trumpet in our corner of the country, until such a time that the groundswell of opinion gets to the point where we can gather and show our anger at how this government has betrayed us.
I recently suggested that it would be good to create a pressure group without any political affiliation that would be dedicated to simply voicing to the government of the day, exactly what the British people expected of its leaders, I have to say the response was less than adequate, but thankyou to all those who did email and express your support.
If so few people couldnt even be bothered to send an email in support of what could be a very potent force in British politics, then the likelihood of a successful march or demo is very slim.
We must each of us take every opportunity to educate the British public of what is required and the need for urgent action. Blogging is one way emailing and notifying friends etc printing and distributing leaflets and or CD's with video clips. Handing them to people you know or leaving them at the library etc.
We must not lose hope, This Great Nation has got a terrific history of achieving its greatest victory when its back is against the wall.
Remember the Spanish Armada, King Philip II of Spain was the most powerful and (seemingly) wealthy man in Europe.
England, by comparison, was a relatively small nation, and not a particularly powerful or wealthy one.
and the second world war Churchill knew only to well the massive challenge that our army faced against the Nazi machine, but once again against all the odds we were victorious.
To name just a couple maybe someone with a better knowledge of history could come up with a more complete list.
WE SHALL NEVER SURRENDER
• Posted by: Atory • Report Comment
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