Wish list for Britain

Ivanho Just chekced with DS and it seems he takes home a higher proportion of his salary than he would if in the UK. Therefore the NL is not a higher tax country than the UK. I'm waiting to find out what their rate of VAT is.

janthea , Did you vote for David Cameron in 2010. ?, this is my question to you.

The Tories, care of their supporters and voters, and from 1979, decimated this country and its infrastructure by severe lack of investment over 18 long years.

""They come here because is just give them houses, benefits, health care""

Rubbish. Benefits cant be claimed unless full time work has been achieved for one full year, and then immigrants only get one third what British claimants get.

As far as housing is concerned ?. Who was it who stopped building council houses in the 80's ?. Margaret Thatcher during her "right to buy".

The Tories and their supporters are soley responsible for this countries demise, immigrants are as usual, scapegoats.

River & Janthea No they don't all work for Samsung or other Korean companies and don't all work in London. New Malden is the highest Korean population outside Korea and many are thrid generation. It seemed to me they were hardworking, lovely people but that is not my point. I would like to know by what right they are here? I worked in NM for some years so do know what I am talking about.

absent Aren't pensions for people living outside the UK paid for by the UK and not the country in which they are living. Probably the same goes for benefits.

Therefore, should not people who come from the EU be paid by their own country for benefits.

Doesn't the EU work on a reciprocal system? Isn't that why British pensioners who retire to France and Spain still get the annual increase in their pensions?

Riverwalk I think you are correct about the Koreans. I think most of them work for companies in London (banks, etc) and are here for a limited time. They are well educated and their children attend locals. I would be surprised if any of them are on benefits.

sel I think I said that vampirequeen and I agreed on a number of points but she didn't comment. I agree that people who don't live in the UK have no idea about what is going, other than reading things in the press and we all know how the press distort things, as does TV!

I understand the Koreans in and around New Malden are ex-pat workers associated with the Korean companies in the area. So presumably their companies are bringing employment to the locals as well, and the Koreans themselves would be well-educated and not living on welfare.

I also think they eventually go home - as opposed to being immigrants.

It's quite interesting that janthea who describes herself as 'a Conservative who would never vote any other way' and Vampirequeen, I think on another thread who described herself as 'Labour, would vote for a pig if it had a red rosette' (or something similar, from memory) are actually concerned about the same issues.

People who don't live in this country or pay taxes here are entitled to an opinion on the way the place is run but personally, I discount that opinion. They ain't got skin in the game

feetlebaum I think you will find that the Koreans around New Malden are mostly South Korean so no totalitarian nightmare!

I assume the Somalis have fled the dreadful civil strife there - and would the Koreans be from North Korea? Who could blame them for getting out of such a totalitarian nightmare?

I was a Conservative Association Member until the day little Willy Hague was made leader... since then I have voted Lib-Dem.

movedalot

ivanhoe I didn't vote for a coalition! And I don't consider immigrants an easy target, but you must admit there are an awful lot of them here from the EU, etc. putting pressure on our taxes and services. And then there are the Bulgarian and Romanians apparently about to descend on us! Where is the money coming from for this? How will we cope with these extra numbers making use of schools, hospitals, doctors, benefits? They come here because is just give them houses, benefits, health care. The other European countries aren't as soft. We need to limit the numbers allowed in the country!

Movedalot,

""In the Netherlands unemployment pay is 70% of your last salary, provided you worked for long enough, but this is for a limited time and then it is reduced to an amount it is almost impossible to live on thereby providing an incentive to work""

Neither Continental Europe or Scandinavian countries have demonized their welfare State or the unemployment, as we have, and we do.

"Insentive to work" is'nt in their language. It vis seen as perfectly normal to be unemployed.

Unemployment pay in these "other" countries is high because the workers in these countries pay far higher income tax rates than we British, so being unemployed is not seen as the "norm", it is not stigmatized as in Britain.

Britain is a low income tax nation, wheras Europe and Scandinavian countries workers pay much higher income tax rates. And their welfare State models are well funded, where as ours is not.

I think we need to change our culture. We should stop expecting our 'rights' and develop an attitude of self-sufficiency. When we were much harder up than we are now I saved on everything, a little bit here and a little bit there. According to British Gas our fuel bill should be bigger than they are for this size of house but it isn't because we switch things off and wear thermal undies! We buy what is on offer and make most of our meals from scratch, no longer out of necessity but out of habit.

We should limit immigration to those who have something to offer this country and will not be a net cost. In The Netherlands people are expected to pay to learn the language and the schools do not provide this service. It should not be necessary to produce documents in lots of different languages. Does any other country do this to the extent that we do?

In the Netherlands unemployment pay is 70% of your last salary, provided you worked for long enough, but this is for a limited time and then it is reduced to an amount it is almost impossible to live on thereby providing an incentive to work.

I think that if unpaid work was provided for the unemployed their number would reduce significantly and would reduce the black economy.

If public sector workers were sacked at the same rate as the private sector when they were not competent then standards would improve. This is not to imply that most of them are not competent but the fact that the threat of losing your job would make people more conscientious.

I don't understand why we have a large Somali population in Birmingham and why New Malden is largely Korean. Nothing against these people but why are they here?

And finally, when people arrive here on a visa we should ensure they leave when it runs out.

If we implemented these and other measures we would be able to give more help those who are sick or cannot work for perfectly good reasons.

I shall now duck and run

Here we go again....

janthea, ""Politics – I am a Conservative and would never vote anything else, but I’m disappointed with David Cameron. I think he’s favours the Lib Dums too much. I know it’s hard for him in a coalition government, but he does need to stand up and be counted. UKIP is a little too much for me, although I agree with some of their policies (leaving the EU for instance). I suppose I’m somewhere between David Cameron and UKIP.""

Are you a Conservative, or a right wing Tory ?, there is a difference.

David Cameron is finishing off what Margaret Thatcher began in the 80's, he is continuing to roll back the State, hence cuts in welfare and housing benefits, and bring privatisation into the NHS.

Tell me, do you believe in Britain continuing to be market lead, ?, or do you believe in the roll of the State, including the welfare State ?

Britain now has food banks opening across the UK, which involves people giving donations of food they dont need or want, to help feed people who cant afford food to to Cameron's cuts in welfare. Charities are involved.

Assuming you voted for Cameron at the last G/E, you voted for this. How does this make you feel ?

Vampirequeen, ""I'm open to immigration but there should be tighter rules....they can't be taking a job that could be done by one of our unemployed.....they must learn to speak English asap even if this means we fund English lessons in the short term......

The following email was written by me and read out over my local phone in radio station yesterday.

""Instead of the British people blaming immigrants for taking our low waged jobs, maybe the British people should consolidate on mass as people do in European country's, and fight for better pay and conditions, just as our for fathers did way back in the past, hence the Unions and the Labour movement forming.

In my view we British are now a pampered nation, backed up by a compliant BBC media. Britain hasnt had council housing since the 80's when Margaret Thatcher's Tory Government stopped building them. Margaret Thatcher also took away workers rights and minimum wage laws, and brought in our low waged, insecure, deregulated free market which is what we still have"".

Also I believe the English should learn foreign languages and try to get a better understanding of foreigners in general, particulally when so many British people are moving to France ect, expecting the French to bow and scrape to them.

Gordon Brown increased tax and George Osborne has increased tax – just not income tax.

MargaretX, Well put.

janthea, vampirequeen is spot on in what she says, and I will add the following.

Eastern immigrants aren't allowed to claim any benefits until they have found work and paid taxes and NI contributions for one "full" year, and then they are only allowed one third of what British claimants receive.

Immigrants who cant find work, are exploited on our black market.

Regarding our NHS. Since the 80's when Margaret Thatcher reduced income tax for all British workers, the NHS, and Education, have been crassly funded via what is know politically as right wing low income tax "trickle down" economics, and not tax and spend.

And as vampirequeen states, if any political party wanted to increase income tax at any given general election, the public would not want to do that, so the public get the government and the country they are willing to pay for.

Immigrants are an easy target in this country, they always get the blame.

Oh yes, that'll fix things!

anno yes my first name was not Google proof and I changed it as Google knows so many Margarets including Mrs Thatcher the one who started Britain off downhill as regards the society which now causes so many problems.
The immigrants who cause problems come mostly from the old British Empire - that which made Britain wealthy and great and now it has to be paid for.

The answer to classes where few children speak English is more teachers. The children are in school at the age of 5. There has to be pre-class coaching so that the children learn English. You can't expect a poorly educated mother to learn English. She is coping with the day to day problems of living in a foreign country and might even be holding down 2 illegal jobs and is dead tired.
Most of us who have had to learn a foreign language know how long it takes and what a slog it is.

These days you have to throw money at problems, and the electorate should at least try to understand this. Perhaps it will get better when the old Tory voters - anti-immigrant- anti Europe, anti gay, have all gone-( to a conservative heaven perhaps)

Great post, VQ! But you hit the nail on the head when you say that reforms such as you suggest would not happen because raising taxes would be the death knell of a government.

I am proud to be British, and English ( married to a Scot so used to fine distinction!) And I have experienced such good practice in education, when I worked and, recently, in the NHS, that it is distressing to hear that these experiences are not common to all, as they should be.

We are a large demographic group; all we can do is to use our vote wisely, campaign where we can, and make our voice heard.

Am I right in thinking, MargaretX that you used to use another name so that, in fact, you have been on Gransnet for quite some time?

I'm not rising to anyone's bait. Those are my thoughts and I'm entitled to them as is everyone else entitled to theirs.

I can't say I've come across you before MagaretX but you make me laugh.