Dubai: The doom and gloom stories from British newspapers above might make you think that Dubai is about to disappear back into the desert with all the "problems" it is facing.
Much of the vitriol levelled at the emirate since the financial crisis struck has been from the UK media. Yet the raised voices, chatter, debates and arguments at a pub in the city on a Friday night isn't about the crisis.
It's a scene that may not look out of place in a pub in Britain, but this is the Double Decker in Dubai and for hundreds of Brits in the city, it's just like a taste of home.
The ebb and flow of discussion is around the latest news about Premiership football, the property market and yes, the weather.
The news of Dubai World's proposals of a standstill on debt repayments saw unflattering headlines splashed across newspapers in the UK. But, despite this negative publicity, the emirate continues to be an attractive destination for many British people.
Long-standing links
In fact, the history of the UAE has been intertwined with the UK, even before the creation of the UAE federation in 1971.
In 1853, before the unification, tribal shaikhs of the Arabian coast signed a general peace treaty with the British under which the shaikhs (the Trucial Shaikhdoms) agreed to a perpetual maritime truce which was enforced by the British.
These long-standing links have encouraged Britons to visit and settle in the UAE for decades.
The British community in Dubai currently stands at around 100,000, the biggest western group in the city, with a million tourists visiting every year.
Jessica Smith, 32, originally from Leeds, moved to Dubai two years ago after getting a job in the IT sector, said: "I had been working in the IT sector back home for about five years and to be honest it had become pretty dull and boring. I wanted a new challenge, to experience something different, a new culture and lifestyle.
Harsh coverage
"Before I came over, all I knew about Dubai was that it was this really glamorous place where everyone wanted to go or talk about. The coverage back home has been pretty nasty at times and not all of it deserves [merit]."
When she first arrived, the traffic, she said, was "horrendous and it took forever to get to where you wanted to go. In a way the downturn in Dubai has improved things. The traffic isn't a nightmare like it used to be and the rent prices are reasonable now," Smith said.
Jonathon Bennett, 30, a construction projects manager from Manchester who moved to Dubai with his wife three years ago, said, "A lot of the coverage in British media has been harsh, especially when you consider the amount of money the UK government has used to bail out British banks.
No going back
"Many in the British media want Dubai to fail because it has grown so rapidly over the last five years.
"It was boom time when we came over and you could tell Dubai was the place to be. Things have slowed down, there's no denying that, but will I go back to the UK despite all the problems here? No." Bennett added that the UK job market was in an even worse condition than Dubai and that put off expats from returning to their home country.
"I went back for Christmas and to be honest, the weather was very cold and everyone was complaining about one thing or another.
Big incentives
"We wanted to experience a different kind of lifestyle. I won't lie to you — the tax-free money that I get here is a big incentive for me to stay and also for many others to come over in the first place. I just wouldn't be able to earn that kind of cash back home," he said.
Mark North, 25, from London, has been in Dubai for 18 months and said he decided to move to the emirate because of its glamour. "I didn't come out here with a plan or even a job. I had heard lots of good things from friends who had lived here — that there were opportunities for people. So I thought why not give it a go," he said.
He got a sales job in the city. "The money is good and the lifestyle even better. Some Brits come here to save money, but my thinking was to enjoy myself as well," he said.
A British freelance journalist who has been in Dubai for three years said on condition of anonymity, "I think some of the Western media coverage was over the top, but I'd argue this has been going on for some time. Some publications seem to have had an agenda to highlight negatives in Dubai. Having said that, there have been problems here and the willingness of many to bury their head in the sand has been staggering. As with everything, there are two sides to every coin," he said.
Johan Claasen, Acting Director, Media, Communication and Cul-ture, Murdoch University, said the media always focused on the extremes. "The British media — like all media — concentrate on negatives and that means negative news. I'm from South Africa and most of the coverage we hear about is crime, but living there I know that's not the case." He said most British expats are happy to live in Dubai as the city offers a better lifestyle and in many sectors the UK job market is still down.
A spokesperson for the British Embassy in Dubai said: "There are about 100,000 Brits living in the UAE and about a million more visit every year. We want them all to have enjoyable and memorable stays. Just like the UK, they find a warm welcome and inspiration at every turn in the UAE."
The Society of Editors and the National Union of Journalists, both representing British journalists were approached for a comment, but there was no response at the time of going to press.
No fish 'n' chips ...Some curry please
Fish and chips might be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Britain's favourite food, but in reality curry has replaced it in the nation's affections.
Immigrants from the subcontinent first introduced spicy dishes in the late 1960s. They quickly won over the native population and curry restaurants have sprung up in every town and city in the country.
Abu Taleb Khan, a Bang-ladeshi immigrant in the UK, ventured out and opened the British Tandoor restaurant in the Toyota building seven years ago to cater to Brits in Dubai.
He said: "British people love their curry. When I operated restaurants in London they were always popular.
"Brits love tandoori curry like chicken tikka masala. Other dishes that are popular are chicken korma and butter chicken. They like their curries made with tender chicken and that's something we specialise in."
Journo-speak: 'Not fair criticism'
Jim Krane, an American journalist based in Cambridge, UK, who has often reported on the Middle East for Associated Press, and author of City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism.
Talking to XPRESS after a lecture on the western media's perception of Dubai recently, Krane said he felt the British media had been unfair in its criticism of the emirate. "One of the reasons for the negativity was how during these times of austerity, Dubai was out of step, holding massive fireworks displays on Jumeirah Beach. But it's run its course now. As Dubai tries to come out of the hole it's in, the reporting will change. But the coverage has been unfair with many of the stories not having people named or facts checked properly and that's shoddy journalism."
He told the audience at the Dubai School of Government that the city could do more to present a positive image. He highlighted developing better media relations and challenging the media when incorrect facts are reported.
At home in the city
- Brits can watch premiership football matches on weekends in the comfort of traditionally styled pubs in Dubai on Saturday evenings.
- Foodies can get their fix of fish and chips in numerous restaurants and takeaways that are dotted around the city.
- No need to miss their favourite TV shows from the BBC and other British channels like Channel Four and ITV — most of which are available here at the press of a button.
- All of the popular British high street shops are in Dubai: Virgin, Next, Debenhams, River Island, Waitrose, to name a few.
