EU Benefits Flawed

With the influx of large numbers of Bulgarian and Romania citizens looming ever closer
I feel the current aggreement of EU citizens being given full entitled UK benefits upon
entry to the country is fundamentally flawed.

EU citizens should only be entitled to benefits at the rates applicable in the country
of origin for a period of five years where the claimant has been unemployed for that
period. EU citizens who have worked, paid UK tax and national insurance for a period
of two years would be entitled to full UK benefits

In addition I would put an end to claimants making claims for dependants in other EU
countries. Dependants should make their own claims in the country of residence.

Non EU residents claiming asylum, should be only be given basic assistance to sustain
life. Those who have their asylum claim turned down should be held in transit camps
until they are deported.

You'd get my vote . . .

Hi there,

I've heard all the complaints on immigration before this latest one.

I'm sure it went on before I was born but for myself it started in the 1950's when people from the Caribbean first arrived and people complained about "the blacks".

Then we had Indians, then Bangladeshi people, then a load of Indians from Uganda, then Somalians; with subsequent moans on every occasion.

When Spain joined the EU we were told that Spaniards would over-run the UK, then the same with Greece and Poland and ........... well, I'm pretty sure that you get the picture.

I think that it is much more likely that:

A) Another set of politicians are trying to raise people's fears and pander to the worst emotions that these fears generate. and/or

B) It is yet another case of the UK media trying to sell newspapers.

Personally, I am looking forward to eating Bulgarian and Romanian food. Apparently they have a much healthier lifestyle than we do and their food is delicious so the sooner they get over here and start opening restaurants the better.

On the other hand, if I was a Bulgarian or a Romanian I would go to the south of France where the climate is much better and where I would get exactly the same benefits as I would get in the UK. i.e. EXACTLY the same benefits as are enjoyed by the local population!

By the way, did you notice how our esteemed PM jumped on the immigration bandwagon and then got it totally wrong when he said that "Health Tourism" was a "major problem" for the NHS?

Apparently, from a budget of £109,000,000,000 they could account for just £17,000,000 spent on "Health Tourism"; so do the maths and you will discover that "Health Tourism" accounts for 0.016% of the NHS Budget!

Whilst "Health Tourism" is reprehensible I think it would be better if the PM concentrated on looking at how much of the other 99.984% of the NHS budget goes to Private Companies. Or are there too many of his friends with their noses in that particular trough?

Best regards,

You also have to be careful, the benefit system also works in reverse. If you go to another EU country you are entitled to claim benefits and obtain free health cover in those countries.

Go to areas of Spain, Portugal or France and you will find ghetos of Brits!! They even have councils in Spain that are run by Brits.... Thats no different to other EU nationals coming to the UK.

Go to London and you will find hundreds of thousands of French people living there, enough to make London one of the biggest "French" cities. I don't hear anyone complaining about the numbers of French people.

I live in an area that had massive Polish immigration - oh that was in the 1940's. Many stayed and they are as British as you and I. The difference is a surname. They fought alongside British soldiers and airman and worked down the mines during the war.

Don't get me wrong I think we have problems with immigration and asylum but you do have to be careful about what you wish for and don't believe everything that you read in the press.

ubuntu1 wrote:..............

Don't get me wrong I think we have problems with immigration and asylum but you do have to be careful about what you wish for and don't believe everything that you read in the press.

Hi there,

I agree entirely.

We have problems in the UK with immigration; but we have other much greater and more pressing problems (the economy, the massive cuts, the privatisation of the NHS etc etc) and we shouldn't allow our attention to be deflected from these with spurious scare stories about immigration.

In the small mining village of New Houghton in Derbyshire, where I was born and raised, our next door neighbour let out his rooms to "immigrants". (Also known at the time as "Freedom Fighters" or "Refugees" and all of whom had fought on our side during the war that had ended only a year or so before.)

In one bedroom was a Polish gentleman called Tomjack with his Italian wife and their English daughter. In the second bedroom were two men, a "White Russian" and a Ukrainian. By the time Mr and Mrs Tomjack's daughter Josephine was six years old she could speak English, Polish, Italian and Russian and was used as a translator during any serious discussion. An amazing young girl!

The men all worked down the pit where they were respected members of the mining community and Mrs Tomjack kept house for all of them.

The only time these people shocked my parents was when I was aged about eight and they held a party. Early in the evening my Dad spilled some strange and exotic fluid called "vodka" over a tray of something equally strange and exotic called "sliced salami". My mother was in the act of picking up the tray and chucking it into the bin when Mrs Tomjack intervened and offered a slice of salami to my Dad.

Dad agreed that this strange and spicy sausage was quite tasty, especially after dipping it in this lightly flavoured liquid. The evening developed into quite a party and Dad actually got a taste for this new stuff called "vodka" as something to drink with his beer! As a result he had the most incredible hangover the next day and was driven out of the door to work by my Mum with the immortal words "Well go and die at work then!"

Happy days and after many salamis washed down with litres of vodka I can still remember the party and the family legend it generated.

Best regards,

Ian

I'm pleased to read that you are looking forward to eating Romanian and Bulgarian food but didn't you know we have been consuming it for ages in this country usually as part of the contents of those ready meal lasagnes and bolognaises Mmmmmm !!!

John