Mass Immigration, scare mongering??

[Flickstix]

Am I being unreasonable to think it is a problem or am I just falling prey to media propaganda? The whole EU debate seems to have highlighted it but I would like to understand it better.

Umm, I live in a neighbouring country to Romania and speak Romanian and read the press there. I have to say that firstly I am not seeing a whole lot about people desperately wanting to come to the UK. There may be some, yes, but most people who wanted to have already done so.

Secondly other countries tend to be more popular eg Italy where the language and culture are much more similar.

Thirdly, although there is still a huge amount of poverty in Romania, there is also an incredible amount of change happening, living conditions are improving and there isn't so much desire to leave.

Also Poland is technically Central Europe not Eastern Europe

Slug you touched on an important point. I personally have witnessed white immigrants treated much better than none white ones. In fact I have seen recent white immigrants racially abuse assigns who are third and fourth generation. To me, the colour of the immigrant is irrelevant. I know the Romanians are darker skinned and so maybe that's why people are more wary of them settling here.

It's the calibre of immigrant that is important. Someone who is coming for the right reasons, to better their lives, to work, to contribute to society, to install our values of tolerance and diligence in their kids. It seems that wealthier poles/Romanians/Slovaks etc are tending to stay on in their countries and it is the less wealthy citizens attracted by immigration. Certainly I myself have never met a wealthy new immigrant as yet. The problem is that if most of the immigrants are lower or working class, with little education, and dependants then how can we expect them to contribute to society? All it does is create an underclass living below our own underclass. Not good for anyone.

Also, another good point was the one made relating to neighbours. My parents too feel alienated because their elderly neighbours dies, landlord bought the house and it now houses 3 families of European immigrants. They miss the banter they had, the ability to chat freely. They have tried to get to know their new neighbours but language is a problem. I am typing on my phone but hope I've been able to convey what I wanted to say.

Theoretically you could live in a mansion on housing benefit if you had enough children. You are allowed two children to a room, but boys & girls over the age of 7 need their own room. If you lived in central London and had 8 children you could have a house with a minimum of 6 bedrooms at the average local rental price.

But surely they would have to provide you with a house big enough & with enough bedrooms, and if there was no council accommodation available then they would pay for you to rent privately? Sorry this is a bit off topic.

I have heard the same thing from so many different sources over the years' so not everyone is lying or anyone at all. People are muttering in corners because they are so fed up with the situation. As I said in the area where i live there are alot of immigrants already so I do not think we should allow anymore people to come here . I don't think much to Nick Griffin but I do think politicians should listen to its electorate. I did mention Magaret? Hodge earlier in the thread and the situation in Barking and Dagenham.

Do you think the story in the Mail about the lady from Afghanistan in a big house in Ealing was a lie, also Abu Hanza's wife was recently rehoused in a leafy suburb in North London even though she doesn't seem to have a job. Is the press always lying? or am I just hallucinating when I go to the local town and I feel like I am in another country.

You don't even need immigration to be honest. Offshore companies are growing and growing. I work for a tech company and MUCH software development is done offshore because it is much cheaper. People can do the job from afar without accessing our schools and healthcare. I find that MORE scary really. They have a workbase of HIGHLY QUALIFIED people who can do their job remotely.

So EU companies don't even need to employ EU people to do work anymore.

And their range of skills improves, they pay no EU taxes, the money flows out and pays for investments and training so they become more skilled, and the EU gets nothing back.

I thought it was 26k?

Must have done something wrong. Nobody gave me a free council house and lots of benefits when I arrived here.

I didn't, I just looked it up and it said £500 per week, which x 52 is 26k, I wasn't sure whether they had another complicated way of working it out though which would bring it down to 24k.

Don't have the space and Britons should be given priority
Yes as We have rights and all that it was not just pure luck we were bought up here was it? Its a piece of land on the earth it is not a birth right. People in horrible deprived countries have every right to come here and have a better life for themselves and their families. Population grows all the time shall we start telling people to stop having children ? As there are already thousands of children here who need the schools , food and homes and they are the priority as all ready living "Brits". Great stuff!

For governments to allow more immigration without the additional housing, schools, health service etc is totally irresponsible and just causes tensions and resentment as the indigenious population and immigrants compete for ever scarce resources. I work for the NHS and over the past 10 years my casesload has increased by 30% and I'm just expected to provide the same service without additional staff. The result is patients are seen for an average of 10 minutes rather than the usual 15 and our reviews are now annually rather than every 9 months. I can see the service isn't as thorough or are we providing our patients with the best care but without additional funding its the best we can do.

Flickstix Fri 25-Jan-13 20:43:30

Theoretically you could live in a mansion on housing benefit if you had enough children. You are allowed two children to a room, but boys & girls over the age of 7 need their own room. If you lived in central London and had 8 children you could have a house with a minimum of 6 bedrooms at the average local rental price.

That is wrong. The maximum amount payable for any housing benefit claim is for a 4 bed house (subject to LHA rate for that area) since at least 2010, before that it was 5 bedrooms. If people have more children than that they still only get 4 bed rate. They may be able to find an 8 bedroom mansion for a 4 bed rate but I think thats pretty unlikely. This will also be subject to benefit cap whch will make it pretty much impossible for any larger non working family to receive full HB for a 4 bed house anywhere.

Mrs De Vere it is subjective, I agree. Opinion as fact maybe but what about Margaret Hodge was that story not true.

I know it is in the mail but is it necessarily a lie. Wouldn't the mail be sued for liable otherwise.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1237061/Millionaires-Row-2009-How-hundreds-families-luxury-homes-benefits-far-means-working-people

I also found this in regard to house in Ealing I mentioned earlier. This one is opinion but it links to other stories.

davefarmersblog.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/free-ride-britain

Agree this needs better understanding and some of the people who claim to be 'citizens of the world' and fine with mass immigration need to get their head out of the sand! Sounds like the kind of thing i'd say when I was 24 and listening to billy Bragg.

Immigration has always existed but immigration of this volume has not. Mass immigration clearly has a practical effect on schools, houses and communities as evidenced by people's experience. Try being a teacher when the majority of your class do not speak English as a first language.

We need to divorce the ideological from the practical. Immigration ideologically all good but on a practical level many issues arise.

I have 2 main issues:

1. Britain is packed. Really. The south east is the most dense place in Europe after Malta. We just cannot cram more in and many do want to go to the south east.

1. Culturally I think it's worrying that we no longer share background, culture or language with our neighbors and that our commonalities are likely to be a belief in the market economy and desire for a democratic system. That's all well and good but is it enough? Flame away but I think there are real issues about the culture we create and our future mono culture.

Ps I am an immigrant 15 years here from Canada. Wasn't allowed benefits till I became a citizen. Was told at least 3times that I was taking jobs away from locals.