to wonder how the country will cope with hundreds of thousands more people each year?

[evilcherub]

If the UK is going to continue to have immigration of hundreds of thousands every year (which is more likely if we don't leave the EU) and the Tories apparently having no real interest in building more genuinely affordable homes (because lower house prices do not bring in votes for the Tories), then where are the millions of extra people and families going to live (when there is already a massive housing crisis and homelessness is going through the roof)? Also, what about all the extra schools needed, the extra hospitals (when at the moment they cannot cope and the Tories want to privatise them anyway), the jobs etc? Unless you are well off/bought your home years ago and have a well-established, well paying job, then immigration means extreme and expensive competition for housing, school places, healthcare, jobs etc. I just don't see it ending well.

I don't agree that Scottish education is insular, unquestioning and believe it has no more of a political approach than any other country's.

I'm interested in this 'hard evidence' - perhaps you could pm it to me?

As someone who earns just over the new minimum living wage who's dh also earns just over the same I wish I could afford a builder, electrician, plumber and cleaner. Clearly we just don't graft hard enough
The economic boom hasn't benefited us and is unlikely to benefit our dc. In fact ds1 is likely to finish university with a bigger debt than I agreed to borriw to buy our home.
I am not afraid of an economic downturn because I really don't see how much worse off I will be. It seems to me that those who are afraid are those with more to lose.

I am concerned about the European commission and the vision for Europe. I don't feel that for me the economic argument out ways giving away my freedom to elect a British government free from rules made by an unelected body.

I am still open to debate as if the reasoning is sound I could be persuaded either way.

I also think the countries infrastructure is struggling to cope already so I'm not sure it will be any better with more people arriving.

I do think it's a problem in particular for the NHS and housing, but it's not something people can feel they can discuss lest they get accused of being racist or prejudice.

The cost of translation services alone is big for the NHS. Coupled with extended stays whilst we try to track down a translator that speaks their language, then it turns out to not be the right one because the country has multiple, then the person refuses because they want a female translator only, or they 'dont like' the one they have... sorry bit of a bug bear for me at the minute my last couple of shifts have been a pain in the arse due to this.

I wonder if the strain on the NHS might be caused more by the UK's ageing population than by immigrants.

Housing: we just need more, and more affordable, places for people to live.

Grays - it's possible to ask for a different translator because you don't like the one assigned?

Hildur without going into too much detail (was a while ago this incident), it was basically a refusal to talk because they didn't like the person, and we had to pander because it was detrimental to health that the person got treatment. Frustrating all round.

'no more of a political approach than any other country's'

I'll not pm you other peoples data as it isn't mine to give. Have a look on Scottish home ed boards for stories of people's experiences of Scottish Education. Or, look on the NotoNP sites for info about LA's illegally collecting data on their SNP clones (sorry, children) prior to it becoming legal in August. (some parts of the Highlands have been using GIRFEC / NP for years).

Educationally, I have evidence of what is happening in MY county for sure (way more than 1 school there!).

Where is your 'good' school? Are you in a city?

The cost of translation services alone is big for the NHS

Staff aside, why is there any need to provide a service to translate from whatever language the patient speaks into the most common language on the planet ?

We get an awful lot of people who say, or communicate, that they don't know English. Often I can tell that they do know some because they'll pick up on some of the things I say and react to them. But we can't risk the person not understanding completely, because it's integral to informed consent.

Apparently in 2012 it was 23 million a day. I suspect it's a lot more than that now. In Scotland it's doubled within the decade.

sorry a YEAR not a DAY

I would imagine the dismantling of social care in local authorities is what is putting the nhs under so much pressure too.

I would imagine the dismantling of social care in local authorities is what is putting the nhs under so much pressure too

Very much so.

I don't often do shifts in A&E but I do sometimes pick some up when there's a rota gap, and when I do a LOT of people there are elderly people who's families cannot cope. People who didn't need to be in A&E but needed social care.

I would imagine the dismantling of social care in local authorities is what is putting the nhs under so much pressure too.

Absolutely owl

That £20 I pay out for a cleaner is the fags, wine, takeaway, Sky TV, clothes, social life money I don't spend. It's what you prioritise.

Ahh, the assumptions you have made. Guess what? I don't smoke, drink, have take out, sky tv or a social life either. I still can't afford a cleaner.

My priorities are my dc. The £20 I would pay for a cleaner sends my ds1 on the bus to one of the best grammars in the country. It may help your case considerably if you stop making assumptions about those on low pay.
People are not lazy and stupid because they are on low pay and your denigrating people because of this is vile.

If 'hard graft' got you a nice house and a cleaner than a damn sight more people would be living more luxurious lives.

Could we carry on talking about the actual subject of this thread, rather than picking apart one poster's life and circumstances?

That's how conversation evolves OnlyLovers

Anyway it was Alas who laid out details of all the foreign nationals she paid salaries to initially.

It's not evolving as far as I can tell; people are just getting bogged down in not-specially-relevant details.

when increase in house price are mainly due to all this mad-drive buy-and-let investments?
As I said upthread, people do buy-to-let as it is profitable - the income covers the mortgage and costs ++, and the house gains in value too. If there were a lot of available houses, rents would be lower and house prices would not be climbing so fast, and buy-to-let would lose its allure. (The govt is trying to take the gloss off by changing the tax rules on BTL, and increasing the stamp duty on them too.)

Oh, look:
The OBR also looked at higher and lower migration scenarios. A "zero net migration" model, it suggests, would lead to GDP 1.9% lower than currently projected and a fall in house prices of 3%, while a higher net figure of 265,000 by 2012 would see GDP 0.8% higher and house prices up an additional 1.3%.
From the BBC website.

Now, for my DC, a fall in house prices would be a marvellous idea...

Hi LumelaMme,

it works all the opposite way in France, hence the less glossy appeal of BTL.

When we moved here, we had to put a tenant in our own flat back in France so that we could pay the mortgage while renting ourselves in Britain. We don't make any benefit from the rent as it just cover our mortgage. Still, these rents are quite heavily taxed by French State. Moreover, if we ever wanted to sale our flat without living in there, the tax could be up to 35% of the sale price. That might sound harsh but I guess this is what it take to maintain (sort of) acceptable prices on rental market.