How did we ever allow it to happen?

[anotheoldgit]

http://tinyurl.com/67kbhlz

Another great mess left by Labour that will never get swept up.

/// Britain experienced the largest influx since the Saxons during the 13 years of the last Government with migrants arriving in the UK at a rate of almost one a minute.///

[mightywease]

Okay - I have no problem with immigration at the moment, I see non of the diffculties that others on this thread have seen.

I live in an area which is multi-cultural and inludes immigrants from Europe, Asia and elsewhere. I see them establishing their families here, I see them working as I do, I see them as contributing to society.

I do not have a problem seeing a doctor or dentist (who is eastern european herself). I do not see a society overun with people who are abusing our public services.

I am not saying that doesn't happen but not to the extent that the daily mail/telegraph/right wing thinktanks would have us believe.

What worries me more is that this government will create, by its cuts and policies, an underclass of citizens who will lose their rights, their livelihoods and their dignity while those lucky enough to have the ear of the government, such as the banks, will grow happy and fat on the profits.

[mightywease]

Oh and to add that while people argue and cicker about immigration it will deflect attention from more important issues and at some stage people will look up and find the the NHS and the benefit system has been dismantled and we are sll in the s**t

[Huderon]

rov1100 - you really should read the DM report - the figure given by Migrationwatch is 3.2 million immigrants (that's the net figure by the way) not 4 million+. Oh yes, that is not the equivalent of 4 Birminghams either, it's just over 3.

VHG - last time I was in Hammersmith (the week after Christmas) I didn't see any evidence of run down shops or of an overwhelmingly ethnic population. But these small shops you dislike are businesses which provide a service, and while they don't make spectacular profits I doubt that the people running them, or their families, are living off benefits.

Finally for all - those 3.2 million immigrants amount to an increase of around 5% (if I've dome my math right) of the population in 1997 (based on a population estimate for mid 1997 and the population estimate on the Migrationwatch website). That's hardly MASS immigration.

And as for the newspaper report ...

///Some 80 percent of those [the long term immigrants] also came from outside the EU/// - hardly a surprise as most of the world is outside the EU.

Nor would I believe the estimates of future population - such estimates are not reliable and can be very far from the reality when it comes.

[arwyn]

What other country gives them a free house, free schools, even adults are taught to Speak English for free, free hospitals, free cash to live on, free furniture to put in their free house,, Oh and if they have a bad back they get a free car.
My Sister wanted to emigrate to Australia, She had to have a skill that they were short of, cash up front for any health care she might need, and lots of cash to pay for a house and schools as she would never be given owt for nowt...

[rov1100]

Huderon your 3.2m immigrants are the ones we know about. If you read the articles there are 1m (at least) illegal ones who shouldn't be here in the first place. That makes over 4 Birminghams.

[Huderon]

arwyn, Germany certainly used to do that (up to a point) for asylum seekers.

Rov1100, since we don't know how many illegal immigrants there are in the country - they don't register and do their level best to make sure they are not found by the authorities - any figure for them is a guesstimate which could be wildly incorrect, so you can't count them in the figures. Or rather you can, but I'll stick to the known figures rather than guesswork.

[whiskeryron]

ok having read all these interesting points can someone tell me why there are a lot of illegal immigrants in this country? it's not the fault of the public so who's fault is it ? & whilst we are on this subject why all the furore & the throwing out of parliamentary bills appertaining to Identity Cards, we all had to have one during the war & it was no problem to any of us, I'm sure that if we had I/D cards now it would go a long way to sorting out the problem if people were asked to produce one. Ron.

[Lonnie]

Hate to say 'I told you so', but if you look back on some of my posts and replies over the years, you'll see I've been saying just this., and lambasted for saying it.

[Oneeyedvic]

AOG

////// go outside with your eyes open. It is not as dangerous or as terrible as you think.///

I do go outside with my eyes open, and it is as terrible as I think it is in some areas. Regarding dangerous, yes it is take the number of shootings and stabbings almost on a daily basis, I may not have witnessed them myself but they have been reported in the papers, are you saying that they are lying?

How many car crashes are reported in the paper? There are around 3000 deaths per year from Car crashes - about three times as many as the number of people that are murdered. Do you ever get in a car or walk near a car?

/// There is not a foreigner with a knife around the corner, chatting to a paedophile who wants to steal your children.///

Try telling that to one of the innocent victims that have been attacked on their way home. Or to some parents that dare not let their children out alone.

Ah, so //some// people are attacked and that must mean we live in an unsafe country. You stand more chance of being run over than you do of being murdered, but I can't remember any of your posts referring to the number of cars since the 60s and the fact that we should ban them.

Regarding your 'qualification' to preach on this subject, I presume that you deem all Professors of History unqualified since they weren't there. Steven Hawkins must also be treated accordingly since he has never been in space.

And of course, any opinions you profess on this site will now have in brackets (my unqualified opinion) since I doubt that you have read the Koran or spoken to imams.