This thread (and others in a similar vein) remind me of the school bullies who disrupted my (and others') education. In my case, it is probably why I don't have a Maths O Level, because it was impossible to work or learn whilst having the back of my chair rocked backwards and forwards, picking up balls of chewed up paper that had been fired into my hair, constant whispered insults, etc.. Of course when anyone tried to discipline these misfits, it was never their fault, they were never responsible. It was so obvious even then that they would make nothing of their lives, but would continue to blame everyone else for their own lack of effort.
It is true as posters say above that many immigrants come to the UK because it is a country where you can make a decent living for yourself despite a poor background. The poster asking for data to prove this and dismissing it as anecdotal is typical of the above attitude. Since you have enough time to spend on mumsnet, why doesn't the poster bother to look up such data for herself, and maybe provide herself with a bit of much needed motivation in the process, instead of expecting other people to run around after you providing you with everything?
Also, another poster gave figures on average tax rates in different countries. I've worked in a couple of those countries with much higher taxes in the UK (Germany and Holland) and everyone pays higher tax. Even the lowest paid workers pay more tax. As a result, expect to stay at home for many years and to need a lot of family help if you ever want to leave. If you don't have family help, you will always be at a disadvantage. For the average person, a nice rented flat in a good area is as much as they can expect for their entire lives. Of course you won't get that much family help financially anyway, as everyone has much less income all round. Holland has certainly had the "bedroom tax" for state housing for many years, in fact its much stricter in the tax, because people who under-occupy state housing are forced to move on, and not given the option of losing benefits. Many women have given up any ambition of ever being more than a part time worker, because after high tax and childcare costs, its simply not worth developing a decent career. Theres simply no point in pushing yourself, because the financial rewards are not there.
There is no way on this earth I am paying more tax - I will simply reduce my hours still further. In my profession, to get a decent salary of 40k plus, you have to work extremely hard, get no employer benefits, dress very well and work long unpaid overtime. To get to 60k plus, you get even more stress and work and are expected to bring in business for the firm and maintain a certain image. For 100k plus you need all that plus being very very good at what you do, and extremely naturally talented. Many people drop out in their thirties. We need to look at ways of encouraging the talent we have in this country and continue to make it worth their while to actually work hard.