RevokeNice: Bollocks. The current policy of open borders is economically insane. This is from an Irish perspective but no doubt the same rings true in the UK. Open borders policy is the interesting topic but it slightly different from what we are discussing right now. (btw - Poland has a open border policy as well and no problem with immigration. Do you want to know the secret?)
A FAS study over a year ago said that the average immigrant earned just €440 a week, therefore there is very little by way of income tax and as much of this income will go on staple food which is 0 VAT rated and transferred abroad the contribution in consumption taxes and the 'multiplier effect' is very much reduced. Somebody just has to do odd low-paid jobs. You just can't outsource everything to India.
Consider the thousands of teachers that have been taken on in our schools because of immigrant children and the additional cost of immigrant children over and above Irish children because of language support. Then add in the health costs, justice (something like 1/3rd of the prison population are foreigners, mostly eastern europeans). Then look at the economic activity of immigrants. Last week, the CSO said that foreigners were 19.1% of those in receipt of benefits and that figure is rising month on month, I have no doubt it will break 25% next year. Then add in the Childrens Allowances, Rent Supplements, all the other benefits etc etc. Of course - you understand that the Poles are just a drop in the ocean comparing to the overall UK immigration? And that the Poles in order to get the access into the welfare system has to prove a 12 months of continuous employment? And that the majority of Poles spend here less than a 12 months - therefore have got no rights whatsoever? (It's called WRS Worker's Registration Scheme). I also hope that you are aware that there are hundreds of thousands (maybe milions) of so-called asylum seekers who gets every rights in the moment they cross the border? They don't "steal British jobs" simple because they are not entitled to work in the UK. But they are entitled to get council houses and benefits. And that's seems to be an real problem.
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