New figures from the Home Office have shown that visitors from the new EU succession countries have numbered 650,000. The government predicted 15,000, lol.
I'm all for freedom of movement. Its nice to see different people all over the place. There are two Polish lads working at my local Subway. They are both always nice and polite.
But vast amounts of foriegners in the UK always gets the debate going. Two many immigrants, not enough immigrants...yada yada yada. The Brits are actually a very tollerant people, but they cant stand the idea of people taking liberties with our laws and taxes. This debate will just keep going, with the Romanians and Bulgarians getting it next year.
But it got me thinking. Now that I actually know a Pole, I should ask; What does Poland think about a load of young, productive and tax paying Poles moving to other countries and supporting their ecconomies?
Is it a debate in your country, Kasia? Tell all!!!
The magnificent picture is from the Solar Observitory SOHO. The Sun in Ultraviolet.
Nice
:)
3 comments:
Thanks for the reply, Kasia. I thought it would be a good one:)
I remember a documentary about the rebuilding of Kosovo. I remember a senior official lamenting that his country might never get back on its feet, as a the young people with education were all leaving the country. The Poles I know in Harrogate both work in a fast-food sandwich shop!
I suppose no-one talks about immigration this way.
Thanks Kasia
Immigration (temporary or permanent) is certainly an issue in Britain that cannot be ignored ANY longer, and it is also something that affects me directly (I won't go into long details). Everybody involved has a legitimate reason for what they are doing, from my observation. By that, I mean both the folks who come over here for the opportunity to work for 4 times what they usually get (I don't blame them),and also the locals who see a threat to the unskilled (and skilled) job places here in Britain (often the threat is very real indeed). All of this is a very complex issue which is too often being reduced into a simple "Yes or No" issue by those on either side (for immigration, or against it) who are hoping to gain from their respective stance. We cannot trust our newspapers or politicians to tell us the whole truth about this anymore, I feel. Because both seem to have an agenda which benefits "them", but doesn't care about the chess pieces being moved around in all of this (workers of Britain, and those who are attracted to working here). We must observe the effects of immigration for "ourselves".
Thanks for the post, Alexander
As always, we must look top what drives people to migrate.
Man has always migrated but I supose since Nation States, it has become a more contenious issue. I wonder if tribalism wouldnt be so strong if National Identity wasnt so strong.
After WW2 it seems many countries defined themselves by their National character. But that whole war was Nation State againty Nation state. Both Britian and Poland have been shaped by the events of 60 years ago. Maybe a touch more solidarity would be nice. Poland certainly knows all about that.
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