Immigration?

[observer]

Without the moral high ground, we're just another set of rats fighting in the sewer.

[wahl]

the human rights act needs repealling and replaced with one that makes the safety and rights of British citizens priority. then we can get rid of terrorists

 

if a person can prove they are in danger and could contribute to the well being of this country then welcome them

the hangers on and scroungers who think they can live on the state without any contribution should be thrown out.

[observer]

Simple answer to all this:- The Dublin Convention states that folk should seek assylum in the "next nearest safe country" to their home country. Any one wishing to apply to come to the UK would be properly vetted at our embassies abroad. Sorted!

[observer]

There was a recent demo in London, led by "faith leaders" (who else?); asking for an amnesty for "illegal" immigrants. However, ironically, the demo was flanked by the police; SO, why didn't they arrest the lot of them, and get them on the next planes home?

[Paul Kennedy]

This is how today's Independent commented:

 

Religious leaders, musicians, actors and union chiefs will join the largest migrant rally in British history today, calling for an amnesty for 500,000 illegal immigrants which would give them rights to stay and work in this country.

 

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor led the calls for the Government to allow a "pathway into citizenship" for workers who have been in this country for at least four years. But it sparked a fresh row between migrant aid groups and anti-immigration lobbyists.

 

Campaigners, who include the poet Benjamin Zephaniah, and the Iraqi British actor Lewis Alsamari, who appeared in the film United 93, will call for an end to the exploitation of illegal workers, who are often paid below the minimum wage or are denied legal rights in the "underground" economy.

 

The campaign, Strangers into Citizens, could prove an embarrassment for ministers who are imposing tougher penalties on employers of illegal immigrants and are reluctant to be seen to be soft on immigration.

 

The pressure group Migrationwatch, which strongly opposes the campaign, said the Home Office estimates were out of date, and a more accurate estimate of the numbers in this country who could benefit from an amnesty is more than one million.

 

"The Government's policy is to strengthen measures against employers of illegal workers and to tighten access to health and education services," a spokesman for Migrationwatch said. Extending access to welfare state for illegal immigrants could cost ?1.5bn a year and add a million to the housing lists, he said.

 

Keith Best, the chief executive of the immigration advisory service, accused Migrationwatch of being "confused and misrepresenting the facts". He said immigrants were not entitled to state benefits and added: "The only way in which migrant workers can undercut British workers in low-skilled jobs is by being paid less than the minimum wage, which is unlawful."

 

Elizabeth Mountford, a director of Initial Facilities Services, one of the largest cleaning contracting companies in the UK, said she supported the campaign because of the number of workers she could not employ because they were illegal.

 

"It is common for us to win a new contract but then have to turn away some of the staff we have inherited because they do not have the right papers," she said "I have often had to terminate the employment of people who have been in this country for five years or more. These workers should have a means by which they can become legal."

 

Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, who will conduct a mass for migrant workers at Westminster Cathedral before the march and rally at Trafalgar Square, rejected criticism that the amnesty would lead to another half-million illegal immigrants coming to Britain.

 

"I don't think that's true," he said on the BBC's Sunday AM programme. "What we're dealing with are the people already here. The Government must decide how many people to 'allow' in. There are two hundred million migrants all round the world. It's a huge number. And I think states now are realising they've got to look at this in a just way."

 

He said today's rally would concentrate on the plight of those in Britain who are undocumented migrants. "A way has got to be found whereby they can become citizens and have the advantages of that," he said."That's the advantages for this country as well. Many of them are married, settled down and so they live in a kind of shadow land. That's not right and it's not fair."

[observer]

It's "not right and it's not fair": so get them on the next plane/boats back asap. You can always count on Church Leaders to dig us into another hole.

[Peter T]

It is amazing that allegedly upstanding members of the community can condone the behaviour of such a large number of people who are here "ILLEGALLY". :confused:

[Mary]

They estimate that over 1200 school age kids go across the Mexican border to go to school in America every day. Part of me says this is ILLEGAL and should be stopped the other part of me is reminded that many of our citizens took chances to come here for a better life and these kids should have a right to an education. This is a question that I cannot morally agree or disagree upon.

[observer]

Perhaps they have a "right to an education" in their own Country, NOT in someone else's.

[observer]

A 16 year old Rumanian (Gypsy) mother appeared on the steps of Slough Town Hall, apealing for help. Naturally, the Authorities found her a flat, and amongst her few English words apparent when she was interviewed: Q."Do you work?" A. "No" Q. "How do you get money to live?" A. "Social". Meanwhile, locally; a Polish child has been admitted to a Primary School; both Mother and Child speak no English at all, Father a little - so will the Education Dept be spending our rates on an interpreter?!

[ex padgate girl]

If immigrants come here then they should not get any social or houses, they should not be allowed into the country if they are not able to support themselves.

They should only be able to get NHS treatment if they pay, we have been paying our taxes for years and it breaks my heart everytime i get my wage slip.

My children have to live in expensive rented accomodation because they cannot get on the housing list, and do not earn enouph to get on the house buying ladder.

It is going to come to a head soon as everyone you speak to nowadays is moaning about the situation, don't the councilors tell the government what is happening where they live?

 

It really gets on my bumps that they are draining the system and the government are saying that its the SMOKERS and the OBESE. Yeah right.

 

[ 15.05.2007, 02:29: Message edited by: ex padgate girl ]

[Paul Kennedy]

Originally posted by observer:

Meanwhile, locally; a Polish child has been admitted to a Primary School; both Mother and Child speak no English at all, Father a little - so will the Education Dept be spending our rates on an interpreter?!

Yes. I understand substantial NHS funds are used for the same purpose.

[Paul Kennedy]

Not the best source of unbiased reporting but here is an article on the subject of immigration in today's Daily Mail.....features a Romanian family (termed clan):

 

Govt stats: Disbelief at the great migrant con

[observer]

This is a direct result of the free movement of citizen within the EU; agreed to by this Government.

[ex padgate girl]

I must say that i do not feel very safe in my own country with all these people coming in.

Maybe thats an over reaction but i am dreading getting older and being on my own at home, its bad enouph with all the drug addicts of our own without bringing in other problems.

[observer]

I believe a high proportion of our Prison population are foreign nationals, and can't be deported to their own Countries for fear of torture. Meanwhile, those prisoners being released early and tagged; are carrying on where they left off, and continuing to commit crimes. You just couldn't make it up! :biggrinbounce:

[Goonerman]

While much of the above may be true, be careful NOT to get hysterical, or we become as mad and dangerous as some of the clowns being let in! The Poles I've seen around seem to me to be very serious-minded, polite and hard working men indeed.

[observer]

Doesn't matter whether they are nice or not: it's a number crunching exercise; even those that work, and receive the minimum wage, also bring consumers of services with them - to the point were our social infra-structures can't cope. Hence the lack of political forsight in creating the "open door" policy in the first place.

[Goonerman]

On the other hand, Northern Ireland is very different from England insofar as England is densely populated and particularly in the south is at breaking point. Over here we have just a little more room, being under-populated. We need more people. Ireland's population levels have not recovered from the Potato Famine even now! Not by a long way!

[Peter T]

Perhaps you can advertise at Dover.

[Paul Kennedy]

Originally posted by observer:

I believe a high proportion of our Prison population are foreign nationals, and can't be deported to their own Countries for fear of torture. Meanwhile, those prisoners being released early and tagged; are carrying on where they left off, and continuing to commit crimes. You just couldn't make it up! :biggrinbounce:

Last number I saw, was 15%

[Goonerman]

I didn't know Dover was in Ulster, Peter!

[Peter T]

G'man,

You are sharp tonight. Keep out of the knife-box. You might cut yourself.

 

I just thought that an advert at Dover directing them to Ulster, might be more rewarding than one at Cork.

[observer]

Could give a whole new meaning to "paddy fields".

[Goonerman]

:sleeping: The cunning devils in Dublin Castle, eh? And in the Eurovision Song Contest, in a video they pretended Giant's Causeway was in the Republic. Cue some seriously confused tourists in County Cork taken in by that blarney. Perhaps the German and French tourists at Giant's Causeway are keeping the truth a secret from everybody else, so that the Germans can put out their deck chairs, towels and umbrellas on the North Antrim beaches and so the French, like most of us, can only speak their own language. Given that the country folk here speak County Antrim Chinese or Double-Dutch and no-one can understand them (getting directions up there is a nightmare!), that will not be a problem anyway!

 

Mind you, some pillock sent a letter to a college I studied in saying Belfast, England! And my Greek Subbuteo supplier sent me teams boxed with Belfast, Northern Ireland, England.