Entering the UK- or going to happen now

I doubt any Australian visitors (apart from my own) would bother to come here
But, if they do, they will find a lot of potholes! The roads are in a terrible state.

Excellent post. The idea that lived experience is less important than second hand views gleaned from a variety of subjective sources. Detached? I don’t think so. Out of touch ? Definitely and all the more scarey because you don’t realise it

Many people who have moved overseas come "home" to visit family every year or two and do notice how things have deteriorated year on year since they left.

I mean there’s nanna all wound up about her granddaughters coming to dangerous Britain, while tens of millions of us all trot about about our everyday business, with no more than a minor irritation when someone accidentally gets in our way on the pavement 🤔

I'm very pleased that you lead such a sheltered life.
Millions don't, including our school children. How things have changed since we were young.

Allira

^Excellent post. The idea that lived experience is less important than second hand views gleaned from a variety of subjective sources. Detached? I don’t think so. Out of touch ? Definitely and all the more scarey because you don’t realise it^

Many people who have moved overseas come "home" to visit family every year or two and do notice how things have deteriorated year on year since they left.

Not the same as living here all the time at all. And I thought the OP doesn’t do that so my point remains valid

In your opinion of course.

Allira

^I doubt any Australian visitors (apart from my own) would bother to come here^
But, if they do, they will find a lot of potholes! The roads are in a terrible state.

Goodness anybody who lives here permanently not noticed this? We need emigrants to tell us - thank you so much.

Well I spent the day in be if the biggest most multicultural cities in Britain, with acknowledged poverty issues.

Condescension only equivalent to negativity here 🙄

Allira

^I mean there’s nanna all wound up about her granddaughters coming to dangerous Britain, while tens of millions of us all trot about about our everyday business, with no more than a minor irritation when someone accidentally gets in our way on the pavement^ 🤔

I'm very pleased that you lead such a sheltered life.
Millions don't, including our school children. How things have changed since we were young.

Should halve quoted this

Tuliptree

Whoops wrong thread 😂😂

I'm glad it was the wrong thread as I read it three times before I moved on.
I just felt I'd lost the plot!

Thinking about it, one of the things that’s definitely deteriorated is Gransnet.

A lesson for me I think.

Tuliptree

Allira

I doubt any Australian visitors (apart from my own) would bother to come here
But, if they do, they will find a lot of potholes! The roads are in a terrible state.

Goodness anybody who lives here permanently not noticed this? We need emigrants to tell us - thank you so much.

This is exactly what I meant about hackles rising!!
Emigrants are probably astonished rather than critical.

Blimey. I can now understand why the Australians called the British born Australians the ‘whinging poms’.

We have 3 separate groups of family members visiting us from the other side of the world recently including my brother and his family from Australia. So far no one has their phone or money stolen in dangerous Britain and surprise, surprise, no one complains about visas either.

We have 3 separate groups of family members visiting us from the other side of the world recently including my brother and his family from Australia.

Well, no-one is going to call them whingeing POMS here in the UK are they!! 😁
Perhaps Australians may think they are though.

I've just asked AI to analyse the tone, content and aim of the OP. It's fascinating reading.

Why doesn’t that surprise me ?

What would you say, on re-reading it, is the tone, content and aim of your OP Nanna8?

I think what living in France has given me is the chance to understand how another country really works and how the values of the Republic underpin everyday life.
I think it also depends where you live. When my grandchildren were younger I spent weeks at a time in England looking after them in half terms and holidays. We can get in the car and drive over in about five hours. We even have pretty much the same weather as our daughter 100 miles away.
We have television, radio, internet and frequent lengthy chats to friends across the country. I am not sure what it is we can't know.

I do agree that people should not spout uninformed opinions about other ountries based on fleeting visits and unverified opinion in the media.
I get angry at the utter nonsense people post on here about France.
Mostly based on equally uninformed Anglophone media.

I get angry at the utter nonsense people post on here about France.
That's probably because it takes a lifetime to understand the unique culture! There's so much history and background. (Even I struggle sometimes, and that's being at school in France, having a degree in French, and living there for many years).

I also agree with your comment at 4.36 (UK time).

From my perspective,

The content of the OP is the passport issue, which has recently changed, and the cost. There was also a mention of circumventing or dodging the rules.

The tone was one of frustration and of being pissed off. Irritation is understandable. I don't think it was racist.

The aim, I assume, was to have a rant, and to bring about a discussion. There have been some interesting and informative answers.

What makes the OP genuine, is that nanna8 is in that actual position. I have no relative in that situation, so at least I learnt something here.

DaisyAnneReturns

What would you say, on re-reading it, is the tone, content and aim of your OP Nanna8?

PS
My post was a summary of this question, but I might of course be wrong!

My nephew is in what appears to be exactly the same position with his Norwegian-born son coming to visit soon.

I guess if posters have never lived abroad for a time, they can't really make judgements of the level of knowledge and understanding that the British abroad have of the UK. Obviously it will vary enormously.
Though these days it is not like we live in the Himalayas with The Times arriving once a month by Special Messenger.
I remember many years ago on Gransnet being accused of "fleeing the country". Very Burgess and Maclean. 😂

Martintaurus We read things quite differently, in Nana8 anger, I believe her opening remark was very racist, and certainly put my hackles up. Then when she went on blaming our government and prime minister calling them money grabbing (also in her anger) and not very knowledgable as we know it was not their decision, again all knee jerk reactions, like a kid stamping its feet. She is blaming everyone except herself for not keeping her British passport alive.
And yes I can comment I have a son and family in NZ in the same position, kept their British passport for years then didn’t bother to renew it and got caught out, they have to get over it and do what’s needed next time they come over.
They need the equivalent of a visa just like we need when we go there or most places…. it’s irritating but it’s not the end of the world.

I agree with everything Bluebell posted. The comment about the small boats came across as spiteful and unnecessary and yes racist. Then subsequent posts blamed KS and despite her being told it was absolutely nothing to do with this government , she never once acknowledged that she had got her facts wrong. Again despite knowledgable , well informed posts from others, she seems to know so little about the UK that she doesn’t seem to appreciate any of the advantages of dual citizenship her dgc could enjoy . I would have thought the right to work especially for a travelling youngster would be great.. And then comments about voting and the state of the UK came across as ill informed rants and understandably raised hackles.
Well we all know a lot more now than we probably wish about dual citizenship and passports and ETAs both for Australia and elsewhere.