New Friends For Old....
From BBC News
The European Commission has announced that Romania and Bulgaria will be admitted to the EU in January 2007, but under strict conditions.
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said both countries had made enough progress to join the union.
So we will be inundated with a stream of low-cost foreign workers, disrupting local economies, creating yet more cultural tensions, shifting Eastern Europes problems into our laps.
It's not that I have an issue with immigration per-se. But why are we opening the doors to more and more people who share no language, culture or history with us, when we have a massive Commonwealth full of individuals with deep social and cultural bonds that find it harder and harder to get into the UK?
Just how ridiculous is it that people from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Kenya, Nepal, India, South Africa and many other countries all have deeply woven cultural and historical links with us, yet it becomes harder and harder for their citizens to come to our country to live and work without restriction. Some of them still have the Union Jack on their flag for crying out loud!!
The people of the commonwealth have served this nation well, often giving their lives, in numerous conflicts, for many many years. Yet they are considered less deserving of a life in our country than people who have no connection to us what so ever.
I have long been a supporter of this country's involvement in the EU. But going that extra mile for new friends is serious folly, if it is at the expensive of long standing ones.
The European Commission has announced that Romania and Bulgaria will be admitted to the EU in January 2007, but under strict conditions.
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said both countries had made enough progress to join the union.
So we will be inundated with a stream of low-cost foreign workers, disrupting local economies, creating yet more cultural tensions, shifting Eastern Europes problems into our laps.
It's not that I have an issue with immigration per-se. But why are we opening the doors to more and more people who share no language, culture or history with us, when we have a massive Commonwealth full of individuals with deep social and cultural bonds that find it harder and harder to get into the UK?
Just how ridiculous is it that people from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Kenya, Nepal, India, South Africa and many other countries all have deeply woven cultural and historical links with us, yet it becomes harder and harder for their citizens to come to our country to live and work without restriction. Some of them still have the Union Jack on their flag for crying out loud!!
The people of the commonwealth have served this nation well, often giving their lives, in numerous conflicts, for many many years. Yet they are considered less deserving of a life in our country than people who have no connection to us what so ever.
I have long been a supporter of this country's involvement in the EU. But going that extra mile for new friends is serious folly, if it is at the expensive of long standing ones.
posted by Stevie at 6:25 pm
6 Comments:
But there is no free market in the commonwealth? It cuts both ways, you can live wherever you like in Europe.
Completely not the point.
I have no desire whatever to live in Eastern Europe, (neither do the people there for that matter). Expanding the EU as a 'free market' is irrelevant, the economies of those countries prevent most of their nationals from affording our goods anyway, so where is the benefit other than in importing cheap labour?
My point is about allowing immigration from the WRONG places.
Well no, it IS the point. The EU is a free market and within this there is free movement of labour. This means you can go and live in Spain whilst some dude from Romania can come and do plumbing in the UK. That's how it works. If the UK had mass unemployment then it would be unwise to allow so many to come in but it doesn't and these people are likely to increase the economic output of the UK.
As for the 'Wrong' comment, it all depends on your definition of 'Wrong'. Some people may not like Aussies or Saffas and would not like them mass migrating either.
I think you'll find as I'm the one making the "point" I get to decide what fucking "point" I'm making.
My "point" (quite clearly I thought) is about our apparent desire to descriminate against our ancestral 'family' in favour of people with whom we have no ancestral links.
If you wish to start a seperate conversation about another "point" of your own invention, feel free to do so. Seperately.
What about Asians who migrate to Australia and become citizens in 2 years. Should they be allowed to migrate to the UK as well simply because they are citizens of the commonwealth? I would suggest that we would have LESS in common with them than our European neighbours. Of course we all want our Aussie and Kiwi mates to stay in the UK but the government can't legislate its immigration program according to that can it?
Don't get stroppy Stevie! If you don't like dissenting comments then you should turn your comments feature off :p ;O)
Love ya work :) Hope you are well...
No, that wouldn't be right in my opinion, but that's something the Aussie government needs to put right. I don't live there, so I have little right to comment on their policies, but I can dispute those of my own country.
And I wasn't getting stroppy, you did completely ignore my point, and come up with one of your own (how unlike you....)
I'm very good mate, looking forward to you guys getting back:-)
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