| whilst i was born in the U.K, i have lived most of my life in australia, my parents dreamt of a better life, though i'm not sure that they got it. making the most of wherever you are is obviously the best way to be happy, though that's easy to say here, put bluntly, after a long overseas vacation earlier this year, including england and italy i can say from what i have experienced that australia truly is the best country on earth. there are prettier places, there are more historical places, and there are certainly more exciting places, but for weather, lifestyle, quality of life and friendly faces, oz can't be beat. i don't want to rubbish england but aside from visiting family i have no desire to return, i have never come across as many agro, rude, and wannabe tough guys in my life as i did in my month in the u.k (isle of man excluded!!!) it is worth noting too, that most of us belong to the "silent majority" and apathy fuels inaction and silence so we only have ourselves to blame. we too are in the grip of conservative governmentitis so purile, stupid decisions have to be tolerated here too, it's just that with a population not much more than 20 mill. the saturation of scumbags and negative news stories isn't as large. oh, and there's plenty of room for those who want to move to NZ, most kiwis are moving here......  |