Move Further Abroad - Europe’s Doomed

Following suggestions that Tony Blair, (harbinger of UK’s economic doom), is perhaps to become president of the EU, we feel that it’s probably time to move much further abroad because Europe’s clearly doomed! 

Just the mere suggestion that Blair could be considered for this new post means that Europe needs to be left well alone in terms of a destination for expatriating Britons, and when you throw in the uncertainty surrounding the future of the euro as a strong global currency, it really does make sense to research alternative nations to call home.

Unfortunately for us Brits, countries in Europe are generally the easiest for us to move to with the least bureaucracy involved in the relocation process – but in this report we’ll show you how, with just a little more effort, you can move further afield and perhaps achieve a far more positive lifestyle abroad.

Not content with having implemented the policies that have led to the UK’s spectacular and catastrophic economic decline, and not content with achieving seemingly nothing in his role as Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East, Tony Blair is apparently considering standing as president of the European council, should the Lisbon Treaty be ratified by all EU member states. 

Of course, this could just be media speculation alone, but strong voices have already come out both in support and against Blair’s standing – so there may well be truth in the speculation… 

To us it’s a terrifying prospect – Tony in charge of Europe?
As if things in the eurozone were not bad enough already… 

You have economies such as the Spanish and German ones on their knees for example, you have reports detailing the fact that the Eurozone cannot be considered an optimal currency area any more, and you have what may prove to be a fatal combination of centralised monetary policy and decentralised fiscal policy throughout Europe.  This has created a scenario where there are sharp differences in inflation throughout Europe which is directly affecting the euro’s purchasing power in each Eurozone nation in turn.

As Britons using sterling we’ve also been affected by this concept – our purchasing power in the Eurozone has never been worse.  But we have to recognise that things in Europe itself, and within the Eurozone in particular are no better because there is an intrinsic inability to respond to inflation so the purchasing power of the euro is rapidly eroding in several countries.  This could create a situation for a retiring Briton where their sterling based income buys few euros, and those few euros buy absolutely nothing at all in the new nation they decided to call home.  It’s a terrifying prospect…

According to Laurent Jacque, professor of international finance and banking: “However traumatic it may be to reinstate national currencies, some countries could decide to abandon the euro to recover their economic competitiveness…But this is unlikely in the short term, if only because national debts denominated in euros would become very expensive to service with a newly restored but devalued currency for the seceding country.  Even so, further deterioration of an already fragile social climate (such as the recent demonstrations in Greece) fuelled by a brutal acceleration of unemployment, may push some countries to this solution of last resort.”

Therefore, Europe really is doomed because leading voices are suggesting it could be on its way back to reinstating national currencies!  And to have Tony at it’s helm means that it’s going to become more of a no-go area for escaping Britons going in search of a new and better life abroad too - so we’d all better start researching our options for an escape further afield!

New Zealand, Canada and Australia are all favourite long haul destinations with escaping Brits, but each requires one to complete a merry bureaucratic dance just to gain temporary residency.  What’s more, the skilled migrant programmes that each nation uses to attract the best professionals from around the world have been slashed as each of the three nations has its own economic issues and therefore each requires fewer newcomers thank you.

So where else can we Britons look for a new life abroad?  We could look to emerging economies such as India, China, Russia or Brazil – these nations need international professionals so could be a good bet for anyone of working age looking for a new life overseas…but such countries are less favourable for retirees - perhaps with the exception of Brazil?  So how about nations with programmes still designed to attract us such as Malaysia and Belize?  Both countries offer tax attractive solutions to Britons who meet certain criteria, both offer a lower cost of living and a high standard of life. 

Alternatively what about nations that have yet to emerge onto the British expat radar but which are growing significantly in interest for Americans?  Argentina or Mexico perhaps?  Both are stunningly beautiful countries with fabulous climates, plenty of potential for anyone with confidence and get up and go for example.

In conclusion…it does seem as though there is very little standing in Europe’s favour at the moment for anyone thinking about moving to live, work or retire abroad.  But the good news is, this perhaps means we’ll all become more adventurous when it comes to researching our options, and we’ll discover a whole new world of opportunity in countries we may never have thought of otherwise.