I have no axe to grind, and being very old there is little I have to worry about for myself and mine, I do worry about EU legislation and our own government’s policies and their effect on the generations coming behind me. In the 50s I was poor, under paid, with a family to look after, but I liked the UK, I felt secure in that all would turn out well in the long run, and I was right. Today there are so many rules and influences from within and without, legal, technical and cultural, making it all like a strait jacket. There is deterioration in our social lives, and I see our culture changing year on year, and rarely is it improved. It is hurry for the sake of hurry, and importing labour because our own standards are not what they used to be as a result of changing the educational and job training ethic.
In theory I have no objection to immigration in principle, but the execution has so many diverse parameters, and so many results not necessarily in the favour of the indigenous population of the UK, that I sometimes wonder if, overall, in whose favour the balance rests. 590,000 immigrants in 2006 tends to give pause for thought. No wonder the government wants to build more houses; at 3 to a house that represents a large town.
Take the case of cheap labour, the health, welfare and unemployment benefits are paid for by our taxes, aggregating over years not weeks. If the wages are so low, and the reason for the short term immigrants is to bolster their finances in their homeland, they will not be spending much in this country. While the employer of the cheap labour may be honest and pay his tax, his profits could well be put aside for his future, so the net gain to the country might be zero or less.
Brown has introduced a job training scheme to improve the skills of our young to fill jobs, and it appears that, presumably because of EU regulations, the training opportunities are open to foreigners as well as our own. When I went abroad, we could obtain free medical help, but the bill, via a form, was relayed to the Health Service. I believe if this policy in reverse was included in the training programme this would make sure our youngsters got fair treatment, not trampled in the queue to get in. The report to the Lords Committee that the estimated population of Britain, not even the UK will swell to 108 million by 2081 as a result of immigration would seem to confirm these fears of mine. The government is also proposing a scheme where non EU immigrants get points for ability and their specialist trade and professional skills, to fast track the government’s need to fill vacancies
Another aspect which concerns me is that our home grown terrorists are alleged to go to Pakistan for training and further indoctrination. The specific requirement for a tier 5, fast tracker, is that he speaks English. The terrorists who attacked London could be described as English speaking, tier 5 fast-trackers, need I say more?
In some areas of Britain the police are to get Polish lessons. Is this not using a sledge hammer to crack a nut? Should not it be the immigrants who should have to attend classes in English, or, if need be, have access to their own translator in each district?