Emigration and Economic Woes in Britain

Fjordman sent the following news:

Britain is experiencing the greatest exodus of its own nationals in recent history while immigration is at unprecedented levels, new figures show.

In 2007, 207,000 British citizens — one every three minutes — left the country and currency specialist Foreign Currency Direct has revealed that one in four working Brits are now looking to leave the country for sunnier climes and better job opportunities.

More British live abroad than any other nationality and the levels of emigration are now the same as those seen in the late-1950s when the £10 Poms left for Australia.

An increase in tax levelled at high wage earners coupled with rising UK unemployment is thought to be partly behind the mass exodus.

Actually, the reasons for leaving are far more complex and dire than this site suggests. One motivation is the flood of immigrants combined with the level of crime and the lack of response by the police and government to the breakdown in civil order.

In addition, Britain is now officially suffering from deflation, which means the economy is going off the rails:

Inflation on the Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure, which includes housing costs, dropped sharply to -1.2pc in the year to April, from -0.4pc in March, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Tuesday.

It was the lowest RPI figure since records began in 1948, and weaker than economists had expected.

The main driver of the fall was lower mortgage interest payments following the Bank of England’s decision to cut interest rates by half a percentage point to 0.5pc in March, the ONS said.

Other contributing factors were falling house prices and rental costs, lower council tax costs, lower gas and electricity bills and falling food prices.

Housing-related costs fell by a total of 12.1pc in the year to April.

Sounds like good news doesn’t it? Cheaper housing, food, and cost of living expenses, what could be better? Unfortunately, deflation means that the economy is slowing down so job losses are going up:

Although in the short term falling prices will appeal to consumers, RPI is used to calculate wage increases so the sharp fall in April is likely to add to downward pressure on salaries already caused by higher unemployment and falling corporate profits.

“As a result, many workers are likely to wage freezes or even pay cuts,” said Howard Archer, chief UK economist at IHS Global Insight.

Deflation poses a further threat to the economy if people expect prices to fall further and put purchasing plans on hold which can, if the trend persists, lead to lower output and even more job losses.

If inflation “heats up” an economy, deflation puts it in the freezer. Here’s an explanation of sorts, and a question for both sides of the Atlantic: will we become Japan or Zimbabwe?


Both extremes are destructive and leave people feeling that they do not control their lives anymore. Or perhaps what becomes apparent is that “control” was an illusion after all. Meanwhile…
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with the mass exodus from the UK comes the realization that a “geographical cure” can bring its own misfortunes. Even if the British choose to remain within the Anglosphere, for each immigrant there are the stresses of homesickness, of higher prices combined with finding or keeping a job, and the inevitable sense of being a stranger, of not quite “fitting in”.

On the other hand, the geographical cure, with the stated side effects, may still be worth the risk. A new life in a new place when the old life in the old place has ceased being satisfying can restore the sense of being the master of one’s fate.

If your destination is the US, be sure to bring your own Marmite, Weetabix, and barley water. They’re in short supply here.