Ok, not football at all, but it matters, eventually.

[Ozwhites]

Years gone back in Yorkshire, a couple of whinging aussies up in Haworth Yorkshire doing the Bront? thing, never heard so much crying and winging about how cold it was, poor luv?s you?d think it was the artic the way they were wrapped up! they never shut up crying how cold they were. Local lasses in mini skirts and tee?s walking about

Wouldn't get me complaining! Been to many European destinations in the middle of Winter...including The Scandinavian ones. Only done US, Canada and Alaska when a bit warmer I'll admit though. 😁 I guess I've had to acclimatise though, with the daughter domiciling in Oxford and Dublin these days! 😀

[george_kaplan]

Wouldn't get me complaining! Been to many European destinations in the middle of Winter...including The Scandinavian ones. Only done US, Canada and Alaska when a bit warmer I'll admit though. 😁 I guess I've had to acclimatise though, with the daughter domiciling in Oxford and Dublin these days! 😀

.. I was just talking to a lady in Lethbridge Alberta tonight, it was -15 wind chill -20! I?m supposed to be there early January, I don?t think so?she can come this way! I do remember once in Melbourne it was frosty and ice all over. Just not on!!! I was wanting sun and sitting outside eating great Greek dishes!

[spaldy]

Oz,

not provoking, just asking. Doesn't Australia have some of the strictest immigration policies and enforcement in the world?

I think we can all agree that it's a whole lot easier to rule a country when you get to hand pick who your servants are.

[Ozwhites]

Oz,

not provoking, just asking. Doesn't Australia have some of the strictest immigration policies and enforcement in the world?

I think we can all agree that it's a whole lot easier to rule a country when you get to hand pick who your servants are.

Spaldy, I think you will find we have one of the higher immigration numbers compared to most countries. I'm sure I have previously read that it is twice what the USA is at present. So it can't be too scrict! 😀

[george_kaplan]

Spaldy, I think you will find we have one of the higher immigration numbers compared to most countries. I'm sure I have previously read that it is twice what the USA is at present. So it can't be too scrict! 😀

I thought that too Oz, I thought Australia had a pretty tight immigration? I?m surprised.

[spaldy]

Going to research it but I?ve always heard that next to Switzerland they were one of the strictest?

I also heard that they were very strict on job skill set requirements, criminal record, literacy , health and financial strength. Exceptions rarely if ever granted

[Ozwhites]

I was basically refering to numbers wise. Thought ours was at 30%...which was higher than many. You guys like researching stats, so will leave it to you to inform me ! ☺

[Billyni]

I thought that too Oz, I thought Australia had a pretty tight immigration? I?m surprised.

I thought you needed to have a job organised and access to a certain amount of money.

[Monaco_Totty]

Going to research it but I?ve always heard that next to Switzerland they were one of the strictest?

I also heard that they were very strict on job skill set requirements, criminal record, literacy , health and financial strength. Exceptions rarely if ever granted

Have a gander at this too Spaldy.

The UK current financial requirement for all family visas was 29,000 Pounds on April 11, 2024, rising to 34,500 Pounds in 2024 & rises again to 38,700 Pounds in early 2025.
That also applies to a British citizen living/working abroad wishing to bring a non British spouse & child back home to live in UK.

You must show that you & your wife or fianc? have enough for housing costs too.

https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/commentaries/family-fortunes-the-uks-new-income-requirement-for-partner-visas/

[ozleeds]

Here people cant afford rent let alone buy a house. Immigrants that come here are mainly students from Asian countries who have money so therefore take over the rent situation by paying higher prices than the locals can afford. Other immigrants are mostly from gang families starting a new life and making millions with there tactics. Immigration is not what it used to be all regulations are BS as you have money you can come in. Our country has become a circus with stupid and corrupt politicians to foreigners buying up our companies and properties. People here have given up the fertility rate is an all time low yet the population is growing but we don't have to wonder why.
I remember the 70s when i first came here was so peaceful kids playing in the streets at night families enjoying each others companies. Low wages but somehow we could afford rent food and money to buy things.
Now governments have sold all our assets some companies under foreign hands bought out the smaller local companies and control all the markets. From energy to electrical goods to car's even food they have sold out the farmer's for cheap imports that make you sick. People are too scared to walk down the street let alone leave kids to play in the streets, as the new generation of kids have taken over the streets killing pillaging and anything in between.
Ohhh immigration WELCOME to our country where you can come in have a roof over your heads and can run amuck doing what you please.

[ozleeds]

I thought you needed to have a job organised and access to a certain amount of money.

No as long as you can prove you have money to look after yourself you can come in while students get easy visas. Look if you have 15k here you go to an office pay it and instantly you have a wife from Philippines without doing anything yourself. Like I said before money is the only tool you need and not much off it.

[spaldy]

MT, Oz,

learned a little on this. Kind of fascinating and it's not an "exact number or science" for countries. They all have various "waiver or Temp visa programs so it kind of skews the numbers. You would think that adding legal citiizens would be a kind of "exact science" kind of thing. Especially when they can track a sick cow across the country years later but can't seem to count people correctly.

Of course, the US is not included in any of this. They let it somewhere between 8-21,000,000 immigrants with no vetting at all. Many from countries that have non favored nation status with us (enemies). What could possibly go wrong with that approach.

It is interesting to note that there are quite a few countries where no one is trying to immigrate too.

[ozleeds]

MT, Oz,

learned a little on this. Kind of fascinating and it's not an "exact number or science" for countries. They all have various "waiver or Temp visa programs so it kind of skews the numbers. You would think that adding legal citiizens would be a kind of "exact science" kind of thing. Especially when they can track a sick cow across the country years later but can't seem to count people correctly.

Of course, the US is not included in any of this. They let it somewhere between 8-21,000,000 immigrants with no vetting at all. Many from countries that have non favored nation status with us (enemies). What could possibly go wrong with that approach.

It is interesting to note that there are quite a few countries where no one is trying to immigrate too.

Of course where would criminals go for easy dollars. Uk Au America Canada so on they wouldn't go to china or pacific islands or russia. The other thing locals talk about is bringing only professional people to meet declining supply because they don't teach the people that live there so most of us leave school without any skills. So this is where the problem is. Professional people bring in kids. i mean Lebanese are all over Au although there parent's came here to escape we know what and good intentional, there kids are a different story they work together to create criminal networks and get taught to hate westerners that are trying to give them a better life. We have our neighbors from New Zealand being the poorer sister come here in droves and run all the bike gangs full of illegal activities. Than they have a soft heard and bring in all this Africans trying to help them and once again it's not the parents but there kids choosing the crime life like back in there country instead the harder way of working for a living and doing something with there life's. Asians on the other hand work hard take all the westerners jobs buy up all the housing and send all the funds back to there own country. I'm sure it's something similar to you guys in your own countries even little Greece is coping it from all fronts.
I love watching futuristic shows and movies and as I watch I think to myself how Earth going to become a wasteland? Than a look at Gaza Ukraine Africa and troubles in Asia and middle east and I say to my self f we are not so far from it.
Anyway I hope I'm wrong and a doomsayer and This time of the season wake up in the New year and everything is fine, I hope so anyway.

[ozleeds]

Ps Australia is a mess and quickly losing it's stature so hopefully they all pack up and go somewhere else. We have gone from top 4 spot prospered country in the world to 30 and on a deep dive. We were told come to Australia work get a Holden car (GM to you guys) and a House you will be set for life. Now we can't afford a house ,Holden is gone and we have no money lol

[WTF11]

Of course, the "man of the people" and the latter day saint of all that is holy wouldn't dream of selling his soul (or accepting money from those who would) to the devil, hmmmm?

"Social media commenters quickly condemned Apple CEO Tim Cook after a report he joined other billionaires in donating to President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.

Axios reported Friday afternoon, citing anonymous sources, that Cook plans to personally donate $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee. Cook is worth about $2.3 billion, according to Forbes.

The donation comes after Cook reportedly dined with Trump last month at Mar-a-Lago. It also comes as billionaires cozy up to the incoming president, including tech executives Sam Altman of OpenAI, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, and Jeff Bezos of Amazon, who each donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund."

If you have a large enough chequebook, or deep enough pockets, Trump is your man. Was it always so, just be refreshing if for once they were honest about the depths of corruption they would descend into.