I have been an expat for 6 years now, and I must admit sometimes the grass isnt greener on the other side, I find myself missing blighty, I come home for a week or two and then I can't wait to get back to Dubai, when I get here its great for a few months and then I want to go again. There are lots of valid reasons for leaving the UK, Tax, weather, immigration etc. but its the same stuff different place, for example in Dubai, you have to have a a visa as well, for Brits they are easy enough to come by, the cost of living in Dubai is throught he roof, it is so expensive, salaries have stayed the same for expat management for the last 5 years, and costs have gone up by an average of 15% per year. My old man used to be an MP for Skipton and Ripon in Yorkshire (Conservative), he has always said I did the right thing moving abroad, he also said that the UK needed a turn around on immigration, it seemed that 60% of visitors to his surgery were always on about immigration and working issues, then it was the NHS and then it was schools. In Dubai you can have exactly what you want when you want but you have to pay for it, but if you don't want it you don't pay for it. Yes you can feed a family of 5 in a restaurant for 7 pounds here if you must, but at the same time that can easily cost 400 GBP excluding drinks, however any savings I made in my first few years here have just gone on the cost of living, I have been in Real Estate now for 2 years, and in the last 12 months have started developing my own projects, not big stuff, a tower block and 25 town houses, funded by investors from the UK, cash flowed through the sales, the market is really tough at the moment, its no longer the draw of the property or the sun or the price, it is now down to how much per month, no credit check and can I have a visa and a bank account now, I see a continued exodus from the UK in the years to come it is inherintly screwed. Our Project Manager is Australian, he came here 18 months ago, after selling up a hugely successful development company on The Gold Coast in Australia, just yesterday we were saying that this place is no good, we talked about property in Australia and the cost of living it sounds very attractive, now Im only 33, so I'm not looking to hang up the towel yet, but Australia is definitely on my agenda, keep my residency in Dubai, tax free, rent a place in Oz.

Places like Dubai are bubbles, they will last indefinitely, there will be an oversupply of real estate in Dubai, there will inevitably be Bird Flu and there will undoubtedly be some form of terror attack, I am not saying today or tomorrow but there will be.

The worst thing for me is that I can't afford to move back right now, to get established in the UK again will cost a fortune, I will have to find a regular job, get back on the credit ladder, deal with Monday mornings, and pay 40% of anything I earn for services that I never use, I pay for BUPA and we don't have kids, what do I need from you Mr. Blair?

I rest my case

Hi Guys

What can I say. Yes, Malaysia, especially KL is a great place. Summer for only 12 months!

The delay in getting the RRS was unfortunate, MDP. Timing. Just when LR here was about to get their act together - the AP issue blew up. Too much talk on 'who got what' was bandied about in Parliament. To make matters worse, the person in charge of this APs is a woman who is the only one wearing pants in our Parliament! Not unlike your Mrs Thatcher!

Cost of properties here are fairly cheap, especially as shmoogle says, a little out the city. For example, I just bought a condo (a penthouse actually) about 4 miles out the city. It has 4 bedrooms with attached baths, a servant's room with a bath outside, a dining room, 2 storerooms, living room and a powder-room thrown in. And as a penthouse, its right on the topmost floor (2 floors). Great view (I can see our Twin Towers clearly). Throw in 2 carpark bays closest to the lifts! Best news? Only 2 units per floor!! All this for less than 100,000 GBP at today's rates.

I am not sure when you were last here shmoogle, but indeed we have move forward tremendously. Whereabouts did you stay here?

Of course we have bad points too. Cleanliness is one of them. Public transport is atrocious! Government redtape can kill you. And the everpresent bakshish!! Local councils are the biggest crooks! I could go on and on.

Beautiful countryside and we have the oldest rainforests in the world. English speaking visitors will have no problem. We don't have any natural disasters. All our disasters are man-made - by the politicians!!

The weather is kind. Throughout the year you could walk about in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Food is cheap. A simple roadside breakfast might set you back half a quid. 1 quid will give you a decent lunch. All this is hawker style, mind you and this is what the working man has.

If any of you are contemplating buying property here, I'll be more than willing to help. Let me know if you guys want more information. Malaysia Boleh!
4.2SC Chawton White, Stormers
Tasmod's Sills, Wind Deflectors, LR Sills
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Larini Sports Exhaust, K&N Air Filter
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Here's my 2p worth. I come from the small percentage of the populaion that supplies 90% of the income tax to fund this country. Whilst I accept that I need to pay tax to keep this Great Country going, what I do not accept is being vilified by politicians and the lower social classes because I earn a good living. I should be thanked by the governement and even rewarded for not sending by kids to state school, not using the national health system except in emergenciew but instead I am treated like one huge cash cow to milk when the goverment of the day has over spent my money. The attitude of the Wayne & Waynetta classes is to abuse me and my choice of living makes me sick. I would love to see how this country would survive if I and people like me started to pull our kids out of private education and placed them in state schools - the system would collapse. If a drive a nice car I should not be ashamed - I have worked hard for this, paid taxes on my income and continue to pay taxes to run the car. Rant Over!

Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated  2005 Zambezi TDV6 - Gone but not forgotten
2009 Alaska TDV8 - Gone and much missed.



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DO NOT CLICK HERE!

Started working in Luxembourg in march 97 just before Blair's government came to power.....still working for a UK based company at the time and I used to say if a labour government was elected I would leave the country. I haven't returned, left the job with the UK firm in 2000 and due to the tax laws and the time spent in the UK being less than 90 days per year I profited a little on the tax front !

Happy where I am, cost of living although similar to London is without the hassle of daily commute, I live in the city and even with traffic can get to work in 20 minutes, wife, children etc. Car prices are lower, tax is about 80 gbp per year for the RRS, although insurance is a little higher than I would like, but with diesel at 50p -60p a litre it all levels out. Still make if back for visits but overall I can't see myself ever living in the UK again. Just thinking about the health service and education system, amount of tax paid for the benefits you get makes my blood boil. cheers
Andrew
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RRS TDv6 SE, Bonatti Grey/Ebony/Rhodium
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Bobby wrote:

I am not sure when you were last here shmoogle, but indeed we have move forward tremendously. Whereabouts did you stay here?

Bobby wrote:

Food is cheap. A simple roadside breakfast might set you back half a quid. 1 quid will give you a decent lunch. All this is hawker style, mind you and this is what the working man has.

This is one thing that really impressed me actually - the quality of the "fast" food. If you went to somewhere like Bluewater (a large, very modern shopping precinct in the south-east of the UK, for those overseas folks) and visited their food court for lunch, you'd doubtless end up with something fairly low quality and you wouldn't get much change out of a fiver per head. As Bobby says, the roadside and "food court" food in KL was fantastic and unbelievably cheap for what you get. 

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I totally agree with you all this country has gone down the s*****r. It no good for the working man just the dole grabbers. I don't have much to say you guys have said it all.


But i have to say they may be my customers but it no good seeing them all on the dole and having to do 13 hour days working hard like a mug. With them haveing to do all and getting all something not right here.  RRS TDV6 Gone but still around
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I love boobies i love boobies i love boobies cuz i'm a big kid now! (Come on everybody sing with me you know the words!)

To answer VA & others re our Wayne & Waynetta culture/society - it would appear that even they are now beginning to wonder what they have done by voting in the Labour Party

It's a pitty you cant get rid of all those that voted for them at the same time - would'nt that be nice

Having been a true BLUE supporter I must admit that even I find it hard to believe anything said by ANY politician now , whatever the party!

I too get pi**ed off when I hear of talk for a USA presidential style government run country - scared as hell really


GOD SAVE THE QUEEN  
" WITH MORE EXTRAS THAN A HOLLYWOOD EPIC "

Ahh... shmoogle, so you were just across the street from Hard Rock Cafe!  Malaysia Boleh!
4.2SC Chawton White, Stormers
Tasmod's Sills, Wind Deflectors, LR Sills
Clear Side Repeaters, Towbar
Larini Sports Exhaust, K&N Air Filter
______________________________
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