I'm thinking very seriously about emigrating. I live in the UK as my family have done for at least 400 years. I used to love this country but over the past decade it's turned into something I'm beginning to feel ashamed of. The Labour government came to power in 1997. They've put taxes through the roof, introduced thousands of new laws and regulations and created a society where millions are now reliant on state handouts.

Leaving is a very big decision. As I said, all my family are here and I've lived all bar 15 months of my life here but I feel things are only going to get worse. The country has adopted an authoritarian mindset. If people don't like something they immediately ban it and if they do like something they socialise it and bring in under state control.

I've been looking at three countries I believe are freer - the USA, Canada and Australia. America is out because I could never get through immigration but with a bit more work experience I'll have enough points to be able to get into Australia or Canada. I'll probably be in a position to apply in 18 months or so. At the moment I'm leaning towards Canada. Australia's just elected socialists to power, has rampant inflation, and the cost of living seems very expensive. Canada doesn't have these issues and I think it has a more libertarian outlook. The gun laws really appeal to me as I'd like to get back into shooting which is pretty much impossible in the UK unless you own a stack of land. I also think the climate on the east side of Vancouver Island would suit me while Australia would be too hot.

Does anyone have any thoughts? It's a huge decision so I'd like to get the views of people living in Canada especially.

Your idea of leaving the uk is an excellent decsion. The UK has gone down the crapper and I think to far for the situation to be reversed. Thats why I am learning Japanese, its a ticket out of this urine soaked hell hole of a country. I hope it all go wells for you and wish you the best of luck.

Good luck to you too! Japan is an excellent country, if a little too collectivist for my liking. What are their immigration laws like?

It really is baffling why we have so many immigrants coming here when much of the native population is desperate to get out! I've heard lots of my fellow final year students talking about emigrating as soon as they can, it really seems to have taken root in the last year or so.

Come live in Australia :)
It really is a beatiful place. You can't help but fall in love with everything about it.

Patriotism aside though, you seem to be much more suited to Canada. Yes our new government sucks, the cost of living is higher than most (although the standard of living is right up there) and it is one of the hottest countries on the planet.

If you can get past those few things though, I'm sure you'll find Australia is a much nicer place to live in every other way :)
Do you really wanna have to put up with the awful Canadian accent every day of your life?

I'm going to try to visit both before I make a decision, if finances allow. I'll have to check out Vancouver Island at its coldest and somewhere in Australia at its hottest and see which I'm able to cope with!

You're right though, I think I'd be more suited to Canada.

 Bro get that out of your head.
You can live there but you will never be accepted, marry a Japanese woman and get children and still you will not be watched as Japanese even your grandsons will never be accepted as Japanese citizen because they have a grandfather who is not Japanese...

@Ferret1603

If you go to Canada we will maybe meet each other because my company wants that I go their for six months :).

Also would you like to explain why you want to emmigrate the UK more specifially?  You immigrated to Uk before?  Where were you from?

There's some other upsides to living in Australia.
You wouldn't have to adjust to driving on the opposite side of the road and there's a million beaches full of hot guys for you ;)

And you wouldn't need to import games for your PAL consoles.......

Well, that's all I got.

I think the whole world is going down the shitter at the moment. Its not just the US thats in a recession. Here our wages are staying the same, the cost of food/gas/anything else that might be essential is sky rocketing, and taxes are increasing tremendously. I'm assuming if we tough it out things will get better in a couple of years... but what I'd really like to do is move to Canada. But its not easy getting into Canada :\

@Konnichiwa

No, I've always been a British citizen. I was born in the UAE while my parents were out there teaching for a few years but, being female, I've no right to Emirati citizenship. I left when I was 15 months old so I have no recollection of it and have never been back. All my family are English as far back as we can trace. Parts of my family tree go back to the 1600s.

I want to leave because I feel very very trapped here. Over the past year or so I've begun to think more and more like a North American. The European consciousness seems to be collectivist and quite socialistic even among people who wouldn't categorise themselves as socialists. High taxes, state intrusion in our lives, and the welfare state go largely unquestioned. Those who work hard have 40% of their income taken off them and handed out to other people. I'm an individualist and do not appreciate being forced into these social bonds. I give money to charity where I wish to help but resent having to hand over my money to fund things I disagree with. Our standard of living is falling because of this. Companies are relocating offshore because of the increasing corporate taxes and people cannot afford their fuel bills and rent because of all the money the govenment is taking off them.

The government are also regulating more and more aspects of our lives. They are currently discussing bringing in a smoking licence where you have to pay money and fill in a form to gain a government approved licence in order to buy tobacco. I cannot live in a country that believes that is acceptable. My philosophy revolves around the idea that government should be minimal and here purely to protect our life, liberty and property. In Europe the relationship has turned so that we have to justify our existence and activities to the state. That is anathema to me. The state should be justifying itself to us, not the other way round. I believe it has gone so far there is no chance of reversing it and the only way to regain my liberty is to get out.