Young Britons Fleeing the Culture of Envy

M2RB:  Peter, Paul & Mary

Hold me like you'll never let me go
Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go

Two million people of working age have left Britain over the last decade in a “drain of talent” that is damaging the economy and forcing employers to rely on immigrant workers, a senior Conservative has warned.

Well, it’s not just me....

 

Per the Telegraph:  

By James Kirkup, Deputy Political Editor

Nick de Bois, secretary of the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs, said that Britain needs a “culture change” to stem the flow of talented emigrants by encouraging success.

Office for National Statistics figures obtained by Mr de Bois show that in the ten years to 2011, a total of 3,599,000 people permanently left the UK.

Contrary to the perception of the typical emigrants being older people retiring to a life in the sun, the figures show that 1,963,000 of those who left were aged between 25 and 44.

By contrast, only 125,000 people of retirement age emigrated.

“Our most economically active are leaving to apply their talents elsewhere,” the MP said, warning that talented Britons are being lured away to “growth economies” elsewhere in the world.

Writing for telegraph.co.uk, Mr de Bois warned that the current political focus on cutting immigration has meant not enough attention is paid to the impact of emigration.

“Lost in the debate is the enormous damage being done to our economy by migration from the UK,” he said.

Ministers must do more to persuade high-achieving, highly-mobile workers that Britain remains the best place in the world to work and prosper, he said.

Emigration: Two million quit Britain in 'talent drain'

 “Work needs to begin on keeping people here and not relying on importing others to fill the gap,” he said.

Many of those who are leaving are going to work for foreign-based pharmaceutical, aerospace, engineering and creative companies, Mr de Bois said.

He added: “Questions have to be asked as to why, even in a truly global economy where labour markets are relatively open, we here in the UK cannot hold onto our own home-grown, home-educated talent.”

Research for the Home Office last year found that almost half of all Britons who emigrate each year are professionals and company managers.

Some business leaders have blamed Britain’s tax regime for encouraging skilled professionals and executives to leave.

Mr de Bois said tax does play a part in emigration, but suggested that culture is a more important factor, warning that Britain should encourage people to succeed and get rich, not criticise them.

“Government must help lead a culture change in this country that competes with the new economies, one where competitiveness and success are valued and personal achievement and personal wealth are respected, not pilloried,” he said.

“The language that Government uses will be as important as the policies it presents to compete with the lure of other countries who are attracting some of our country’s best home-grown talent.”

The MP’s warning is the latest suggestion that Britain is suffering a “brain drain” and losing out in the global competition for highly-educated workers.

Official figures in November revealed that thousands of British graduates from the best UK universities are choosing to work abroad.

Almost one in 10 British graduates from institutions such as Cambridge, Durham, Exeter and Oxford who found jobs in 2011 were working overseas. 

Be careful, America. Be very careful.

 Leaving On A Jet Plane - Peter, Paul & Mary

All my bags are packed I'm ready to go
I'm standin' here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breakin' it's early morn
The taxi's waitin' he's blowin' his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could die
 
So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go
 
There's so many times I've let you down
So many times I've played around
I tell you now, they don't mean a thing
Every place I go, I'll think of you
Every song I sing, I'll sing for you
When I come back, I'll bring your wedding ring

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go

Now the time has come to leave you
One more time let me kiss you
Close your eyes I'll be on my way
Dream about the days to come
When I won't have to leave alone
About the times, I won't have to say
 
So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh baby, I hate to go
 
Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go