Originally Posted by
Catzsy
Well I guess you will be voting conservative or UKIP then :)
I have to say that quoting from naturally right wing papers isn't always going to get a measured view. I do try to read both right wing and left wing papers.
Whilst your views are respected I feel they are quite harsh. Less than 3% of eastern europeans who have migrated here claim benefits. In fact their work ethic is probably better than our own. Labour has worked quite hard to combat the benefit culture by abolishing both incapacity benefit and job seekers allowance for 16 - 18 years old. Less than 10% of the population were not born here so technically are immigrants. This is not going to make a great deal of difference in an election especially they have to have British Citizenship which can take years.
Some facts:
Migrants
All foreign nationals must have a national insurance number to claim benefits. Some EU
citizens are entitled to claim as long as they are working or actively seeking work and
have an NI number. Citizens from the new EU countries (A8) are not entitled to benefits
until they have been here at least two years or are registered with the government
Registration Scheme. To register they must have a job. After a year of employment they
may be eligible for certain state benefits - child benefits, tax credit, housing benefit and
housing accommodation. People from other countries must have special work permits
and cannot generally claim benefits.
Illegal immigrants
They are not entitled to any benefits.
Asylum Seekers
They are not entitled to benefits.
What rights do they have to housing?
Migrants
If they have an NI number, have a right to be in the UK and are residents of the UK they
may go on the housing register. If ‘A8’ migrant workers seek housing accommodation
during their first year Arun DC are not obliged to provide any assistance. After one year
in the UK providing they are in permanent legal employment, A8 migrants have the
same rights as UK residents and can apply for housing assistance and will be eligible to
join the housing register. In all cases migrant workers get no preferential treatment and
their need is assessed in the same way as anyone else who applies. ☛
Illegal immigrants
They are not entitled to housing.
Asylum Seekers
They are not entitled to housing. They are housed through NASS or privately
Migrants
Generally they have the right to register as an NHS patient with a doctor if they are here
for a settled purpose (i.e. are intending to be resident here for six months or over). If
they are not residents then they are treated as private patients.
Illegal immigrants
They cannot register as an NHS patient and will only be treated in an emergency by a
hospital or GP.
Asylum Seekers
They have the right to register as an NHS patient at a GP surgery.
Myth
All the immigrants come to Britain - we are way down the table.
Fact
Switzerland has one of the highest percentage of immigrant population in Europe with nearly 23% of its total population (1.5 millions of immigrants). Latvia (19%), Estonia (15%), Austria (15%), Ukraine (15%), Croatia (15%), Cyprus (14.3%), Ireland (14%), Moldova (13%), Germany (12%), Sweden (12%), Belarus (12%), Spain (11.4%), France (10%), and the Netherlands (10%)Italy (8.4%), United Kingdom (8.9%), Greece (8.6%), Russia (8.4%), Italy (8.4%) ,Slovenia (8.3%), Norway (7.4%), Portugal (7.2%), Denmark (7.1%), Iceland (7.6%), , Belgium (6.9%)
The British population in Spain is over 8% and Britains can claim benefits.
Social Security Benefits and Emigrating Within the EU
If you’re moving within the EU, you’re normally able to carry on receiving similar benefits to that which you received in the UK. You will be insured for social security purposes in the country you work in and are allowed to receive the same kind of benefits of nationals of that country. In order to do this, you must of course contribute at the same level as members of your new nation. This can be extremely beneficial, as it will entitle you to the rights of sickness and maternity benefits, work accident cover, unemployment supplements, family allowances and more. For countries that are within the EEA, you should have no problem with receiving comparable benefits.
Personally I feel that both posts show only the headline stories that people who vote for the righter
wing parties will be interested in and want to believe and perhaps should be a but more measured.
I am not a fan of Gordon Brown myself as he is a ditherer but tbf any prime minister faced with the global recession of this magnitude would be under pressure. I am also not a big fan of the EU either
but unless the right wing start being a bit less hysterical in their arguments (I don't mean the conservatives) they are not going to persuade the people able to sanction a referendum to do so.