Paul,
Your right, i'm not a racist. Although i live in Cyprus, i still have many concerns towards my country of origin, and keep up (as much as possible) with it's current affairs. I, like yourself have spent most of my working life living and working overseas. So i too have worked in and around the Indian sub continent, as well as the Middle East and Asia etc.... It doesn't mean anything, apart from perhaps an insight of the general populations of those countries i've spent time in....
Lets clear one thing up straight away, in my last post i was not talking about ''illegal immigrants'' but Legal immigrants. Refugee's are yet another matter, and one that i outlined my opinions on in a previous post, save to say that over 90% of these so-called refugees are not genuine and do not meet the criteria of being a refugee, They are, to all intents-ant purposes ''economic refugees''
I'm glad you brought up that Parliamentary report, There was a lot of discussion on it within the media at the time. I can remember a guy representing the report on special BBC's Question time, and it turns out that there were so many holes in it, it really wasn't worth the paper it was written on. I think they called it ''creative accounting'' where they missed or left out significant areas where the tax payer was footing the bills. The guy that was taking the flack, couldn't or wouldn't answer specific questions put to him, and was unable or reluctant to confirm or reject other panelists figures and assessments. I am almost certain that, that report was later to dropped and deferred to a further report due summer of 2010....
You tend to put a lot of faith in reports and articles going by your threads here. I, on the other hand do not, i've found over the years that many of these reports and articles only tell you what others want you to know, or are leaning towards the authors views on the subject matter. Another thing i've learned over the years, figures can be made to reflect whatever you want them to say, ...i know that one, because i've had to use that ploy myself on many projects...lol!!
Now i will give you some facts relayed to me by two family members that hold manergerial positions in Essex County Councils Social Security departments one of whom is very high up the ladder. Refugees ''DO'' in fact get priority housing (paid for by Social Security Housing benefits Including , but not limited to deemed necessary furniture and white goods, Refugee's and Immigrants Do get substantial payments from Social Security, They all have leave to use the National Heath System, and there children are all receiving Education, including higher education.
I'm not sure if you were in the UK when the Bosnian refugee's hit Britain? Well if you can remember them, ....Surprise, surprise there still there in the UK, years after the conflict has ended, and still living in the Council houses provided for them, so still denying those houses that are basically there for the local community. .....Who knows, perhaps they too now have British passports!!!
My main point to the last post i made was towards the immigrants from the Indian sub-continent. Probably of all the immigrants we now have in the UK, have the least tendency to integrate into the British way of life, preferring instead to create there own areas within towns and cities, many of which have been turned into ghettos. Most couldn't speak English when they came and still can't now, and have no intention to learn either. They rely on there children for translation. Sure there are some high flyer's from that area of the world that have immigrated to UK and made a success, but the vast majority came to UK with no education at all, which is why the congregate into there own areas, ....at least they can communicate with there own!! One things for sure, they might not speak, write, or understand English, ...but they sure know there way around the Social Security system, and they know there rights down to the last letter, .....when it suits them!!!
As i said before, any immigrant that has a skill that is required in the UK, That has a work offer in that field and is not going to be a burden to the country, is fine by me, ... no matter what his colour or creed maybe. And lets be fair about it too, if that person can't speak a word of English what possible use is he going to be to an employer???
I could go on and on here, but i'm not, i just can't be arsed. I've witnessed things for myself, the local schools, the hospitals including the big named London hospitals and the decline of certain parts of my past local areas and parts of London. ....I'm not impressed!!! Are they the sole reason of that decline, i dare say there not, but there certainly a contributing factor, and it's a factor we can well do without....
David....