Our youngsters

[maurizio]

Violence is up again on the London streets. A gay man was brutally murdered last week-end for no apparent reasons. Few weeks ago a man was murdered in his own house following a burglary. On both occasions the killers were young people, some were teenagers. I am  at loss at the thought that those people will one day will be part of the movers and shakers of Britain. And I am  not going even to discuss the yobs culture and the high rate of teenager's pregnancies. Shouldn't schools/parents/government do something about it?  

[LeedsRhinos]

Fakeplastic & Robbieh, we moved to the North Island of New Zealand, not just because of the reasons in the post & not just because of the scare tactics of the Mail (& all the other tabloids to be honest) it was everything that we could see going on around us, crime increasing annually, the massive influx of asylum seekers who let's face it, if they were genuinely fleeing persecution in their own country's, why the big need to get to the UK from say France (but that's another subject). We also wondered how our daughter would ever get on the property ladder in 20 years time with the housing market being what it is. I'm not saying for one minute that NZ is crime free but the general ambience is much nicer. We have totally changed our lifestyle from living in Leeds to buying 3 acres of land in the countryside with some sheep & cows. Our daughter loves it & it is the best decision we have ever made

[Liam Goody]

I think most of this is over reacting because out of 57 million British people there are 2 died due to murders. The news only report when something bad happens, they dont report that kids are getting taught more in schools, they dont show children saying please and thank you but they show them stabbing each other and holding guns.

Murders have been happening since the dawn of time.....they arnt going to stop just because the Government say they are going to do this and that.

[2nosey]

write to tony blaire he's the one who you should say all this to. the BBC have a question time on t.v and they go all over the country that's a really good question you should go on that programme but then again whats the point the only place tony's bothered about is the U.S

[robbieh]

Chrisd, i take it from what you said that you did indeed read the Daily Mail then? and this may sound rude and i apologise if it does, but that says a lot about the views you have. Its hypes up everything it regards to be bad beyond reasonable levels. I think the following site gives a general light humoured look at this :http://www.b3ta.com/challenge/dailymailworld/ and also www.mailwatch.co.uk .

Re: asylum seekers, they seek a better life and so move abroad - ring a bell?  A proportion of asylum seekers do sponge off of the government, and many aren't sent back quick enough, but the figures and the problem in general is over hyped. As for them desperate to get to the UK over france, figures show that the UK is third or fourth in the tables, behind france and germany for example.

But, as you said, none of that is relevant to this question, just me going off on a wild tangent :-) I think the move you made sounds like a complete difference to what you had before living in a big city. Its not just living in another town/city in another country - its also a move to the countryside. If it weren't for the prices of property and the colder weather - might you have stayed in the UK countryside?? I wouldn't have thought a few yobish kids would have the effect of you moving abroad - theres got to be a lot more bigger reasons in this country for you to move abroad surely?

[LeedsRhinos]

Robbieh, no offence taken, I didn�t read the Mail (nor ever would I) but I take your point about the general sensationalism of the papers. Re: asylum seekers, they seek a better life and so move abroad - ring a bell?  Yes we have moved to another country for a better life but the difference being we have claimed nothing in handouts from the NZ government. We were sick of seeing asylum seekers getting housed before English people who have been on waiting lists, getting preferential healthcare etc. & yes we did see this at first hand.
As for your question about the English countryside we probably would not have done this as for the costs (as you stated). We both feel another factor behind our move was the fact that we needed a new challenge in life but the reasons I have stated earlier just pushed us.
Maybe I have gone off on a tangent from what the post was actually about but it adds fire to the debate : -)

[maurizio]

Hgrove is not me. I don't know any Michele from Udine, sorry.