"Not the politics of envy, eh Stigweard?"

Good to see your sense of humour and ability to recognise sarcasm hasn't deserted you yet Mr. T - (unlike you deserting the UK of course . . .)

I'm not envious of you Teribus because I don't have a clue where you live - outside the UK could be, er, anywhere. My Mum was an expat for five years, living in rural France. It was a wonderful place, and I enjoyed visiting her but realised living abroad was probably not for me (although I would like to try the north west coast of the USA for a year or two.) I learnt a lot about the French, and came back with a totally different viewpoint. I developed a respect for their desire for good food and drink, their love of their language (which they debate endlessly) and of course the fact they are a Republic is of course deserving of our admiration.

What I did realise is what a load of miserable misanthropes live here, the fact we've lost our sense of community in our towns and cities (although that's not a soley British problem) and how we readily accept second-rate food and drink and eat complete shite alot of the time. My wife and I re-appraised our own food buying after returning and started buying more local produce from small retailers - fresh bread and local meat from a traditional butcher. Better quality food and cheaper too much of the time.

"By the bye I don't recall anyone complaining about the country being overrun by Poles in 194os" Showing your age a bit there old boy . . . I'm totally in favour of migrant workers being allowed in the country under new the EU rules. I worry for their employment rights (and human rights - some gangmasters are ruthless criminals) and the fact they are exploited mercilessly by the same capitialist system that has expolited it's own citizens for so many years - the fact migrant workers do the jobs everyone else doesn't want to do makes them easy targets for unscrupulous and unethcial employers.

"You all wanted the United States of Europe well you've got it, live with it."
Too right -and I'll be voting for it come the referendum.