The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Migration launched their final report today of the impact of the family migration rules introduced in July 2012.. Some interesting reading out there! BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22833136 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22806941 Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jun/10/immigration-rules-separating-thousands-families Independent http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/family-immigration-rules-that-put-a-18600ayear-price-tag-on-love-are-heartbreaking-8651456.html Evening Standard http://www.standard.co.uk/panewsfeeds/migration-rules-causing-anguish-8651509.html
Ignored by the Sun, Daily Mail and most other right wing rags! Took a look at some of the comments on some general forums today and people generally were saying it was good to keep families apart So long as it aint me, eh Gov!
I have been foolish enough to explain my situation in my local pub, there is one guy who continually suggests I leave the UK and go to the Phils, how little does he know that is exactly what I would do if I could afford it. The degree of xenophobia down here in England is scary, much more than I ever experienced in Scotland (apart from our chip on our shoulder with you lot )
They don't see so much of things up there. Aberdeen, for example tends only to be multicultural in the sense of there being a lot of English people up there. Yes, the biggest issue up there are the English.
In a perverse role reversal, the Welsh-nationalists are nasty only towards the English but they welcome anyone not from England. They know that if they are nasty to non-EU people, they would be exposed as the bigots they are, but somehow, its ok for them to hate the English. Strange place Wales, full of inbreds.
Don't worry Rob............. I brought in loads of fresh blood........ Over and above the call of duty......
The general attitude towards immigration in the UK has become more poisonous in recent years and in some ways I can understand the perception of the general public when they see the borders opened so freely in recent years. However the government has simply tried to win votes with poorly considered immigration policies and failing to actually tackle the real issues, probably because that would mean going up against the EU on welfare and movement from other European/Schengen countries.
Welfare isn't something available in all EU countries to the extent it is here. I see no problem with restricting access as UK citizens couldn't get the same kind of benefits in say Poland.
I think they are obliged to pay local benefits but have no idea what they are here in Poland, bloody cheap place to live from a from a food point of view and accommodation, seriously cheap place to live.
I used to work with an English chap who married a polish woman. He pointed out how cheap it is in Poland. He worked in the UK on the rigs and travelled back to Poland every two weeks.
£18,600 seems to be about the 'breadline' level for a couple, but there again, it makes my UK State Pension of just under £10,000 for me and my wife, seem ' a bit mean' !! Perhaps the government will now increase pensions to their 'breadline' level.
MPs are pressing for a 30% pay rise and at a time when the UK is suffering under an austerity programme. I saw last week that there's an issue over unpaid student loans that were paid to EU students studying at British Universities. Of the over £100 million paid out to EU students who have graduated, £50 million is unlikely to be repaid as those students have now returned to their own countries. If the Labour Shadow Business Secretary, Chuka Umunna, gets his way, there will be even more foreign students flooding into the country, should Labour form the next government. Now, what was that phrase someone used a couple of times recently? Oh yes, "British Universities for British students"!! And I read today that Sarah Rapson, the newly-appointed head of the Home Office's Visa Department (the old UKBA), has told a House of Commons' Home Affairs Select Committee that there is a backlog of 190,000 cases pending and that "the chaos won't ever be fixed". She hasn't ruled-out the possibility of discovering even more cases.
My wife and I were chatting to Polish woman the other week. She told us the price of supermarket food was cheaper in the UK
I dont know. I haven't been there myself. We had a few Polish people working for my previous employer. They all said it was cheaper in Poland. But not in the big cities.
