Farage is getting frightening now

I thought phoenix's comment about Homer Simpson was funny. And a welcome relieve from all those facts, actually, which made me feel as though I had indigestion of the brain.

|I'm sure it's all true granjura but that's not my point of focus. When it comes to Europe and immigration I care about those areas of the country where people are really suffering in terms of jobs and NHS services because of extreme overcrowding and the need to deal with people who don't speak English very well and so need interpreters.

It's up to those countries who may be paying out for Brits abroad to look after themselves.

Well we'll just have to disagree on that won't we? GJ - what you posted demonstrates the complexities of the whole issue of ' health tourism' - not a very well defined concept in the first place. It all just goes to show how ill considered and poorly thought out Nf's views are on this whole topic ( no change there then).

And by the way, yes anyone can post what they like, as long as they are not breaking forum rules/guidelines.

Correct. I do wish everyone would realise this though. Some posters[dont know which] have been on here for 4 years. I would have thought that everyone knew this rule by now.
So I can never see the point of posters trying to tell others any differently.
This happens across many threads, not just this one.

Just for a bit of 'fun' of course (although totally factual)...

Sorry about the density- I should have made it clear it was a copy and paste from an article in the Guardian today or yesterday, must check.

BTW - did you know that as retirees in Switzerland, all our medical costs here, bar 300 Swiss Francs a year and 10%, are paid by the British Tax Payer?

Actually, GrannyTwice I had read that post, and I still say that I was not attacking anyone, to make what is purely an observation cannot be deemed an attack.

Now, perhaps you would like to move on from calling me "pathetic" and get back to your political conversations?

So sorry that you were so easily diverted.

And Elegran - Phoenix did preface her post by saying 'going slightly off- piste' - but I'm sure she can defend herself without your help.

Well Phoenix I still think it's pathetic to attack politicians ( or anyone else) on their looks

Also, I don't think I was "attacking" Mr Farage or anyone else for that matter.

And by the way, yes anyone can post what they like, as long as they are not breaking forum rules/guidelines.

I think your response is far more of a diversion than my 2 line post.

Have you considered, G2 , that the post was sent in ignorance of granjura's long and dense message, and does not deserve your censure?
It was only 9 minutes after granjura's post - not long enough for Phoenix to have read it all and then decided to be flippant.

BTW I don't mean dense in the sense of stupid! before anyone jumps on me.

"Deliberate attempt to divert from uncomfortable facts ?" Oh FFS Grannytwice you must think very little of the mental capacity of GN members that they might be so easily diverted!

Actually soon , people aren't entitked to post whatever they want says she who has been deleted a few times

GN is often lighthearted and has many threads that are not meant to be in the slightest heavy or serious. But I don't think that making a comment on someone's looks after a serious informative thread is lighthearted or funny - it's stupid and derailing. Actually attacking anybody by reference to their looks is pathetic in the extreme - how is it ever funny? There are a zillion ways to attack NF and other politicians without resorting to that level

There are 2.2 million Britons living in Europe

330k in France
1 million in Spain
107k in Germany
37k in Italy
45 k in Greece ...

many of those are retired, and their health care cost paid by the UK Gvt- and as said, 10000s return to the UK and register as temporary residents at relatives addresses to sign up for NHS treatment every year (to which they are no longer entitled).

I personally do not go in for diversion. I cannot see a point to that.
But other than that, I fail to see why politics cant be lighthearted too.

And fail to see why gransnet has to be so serious at all times.
Posters are perfectly entitled to post whatever they like. There are no rules, and I for one am glad about that.
So carry on phoenix I say!

Thanks for that info granjura - very helpful. Ever thought of sending it to Nige?!

Granjura posts something highly relevant to the debate about health tourism - involving you know shock horror facts and figures and we get two posts about NF's looks, FFS - grow up. Deliberate attempt to divert from uncomfortable facts ?

I can see a slight resemblance, yes!

Going slightly off piste, is it only me that can see a resemblance between Nigel Farage and Homer Simpson? Something about the eyes...........

Isnt the issue a lot more than to do with health tourism?

In the meantime, who is costing more.... and to poorer people...

Treating UK tourists in Europe costs five times more than equivalent cost to NHS

Critics say figures obtained under Freedom of Information Act ‘puncture a big hole’ in claims that health tourism is costing Britain
Tourists at the beach in Mallorca, Spain.
Tourists in Mallorca. It cost Spain nearly £40m to treat British visitors in 2013-14; the UK paid out £3m to treat their Spanish counterparts.

The cost of treating British people who become ill while travelling in Europe is five times higher than the cost of treating ill visitors from other European countries in the UK, official figures show.

The Department of Health data, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, shows that it cost £30m in 2013-14 to meet the costs of European visitors using the National Health Service. This is less than one-fifth of the £155m cost to other states in the European single market for treating ill British tourists.

The figures for costs are for the medical treatment of European Economic Area tourists under the European health insurance card (Ehic) and cover visitors rather than residents or temporary migrants, but critics say they “puncture a big hole” in claims that health tourism is costing Britain dearly.

A £200-a-year health “surcharge” was introduced this week for all new migrants from outside the EEA who stay in the UK for longer than six months. The surcharge, which is £150 a year for overseas students, is payable upfront andcovers migrants for the duration of their visa.

Ministers have said the Department of Health is working on plans to charge those non-EU patients who are not subject to the health surcharge 150% of the cost of NHS treatment. EU migrants working in Britain pay for NHS treatment through their tax and national insurance contributions.

The detailed DoH figures show that Spain and France, the most popular European holiday destinations for British tourists, had the largest bills, nearly £40m each, for their medical treatment. French tourists cost the NHS almost £5m, while those from Spain incurred costs of only £3m under the Ehic scheme.

One explanation for the gap is possibly that Britain has a poor record in recovering the cost of treating European nationals under the scheme. The DoH has said that the £30m figure may be less than 20% of the total estimated chargeable costs.

But the pattern could be also taken to reflect the greater flow of British tourists to other European countries, and the age of British visitors to countries such as Spain, who are more likely to require medical treatment during their visit.

The gap is largest in the cases of Austria and Germany. Austria’s health service spent 43 times more – £5.6m – on treating British travellersthan the NHS did on those from Austria – £130,000. Germany, which is visited by 2 million Britons every year, had to pay 34 times more than the NHS – £22m compared to £643,000.

The largest bills faced by the NHS under the scheme are for visitors from Ireland (£9.3m), France (£4.8m), Belgium (£3.6m), Spain (£3m), the Netherlands (£1.6m), Italy (£1.2m) and Poland (£1.3m).

The figures include other EU nationals going back home from the UK for treatment, so the £5m cost of British people travelling to Poland will include a significant number of Polish nationals. But this means they present a greater cost to the Polish health service than they do to the NHS.

Only four countries appear to have spent less on treating British visitors than the NHS did on their nationals. They are Bulgaria, Latvia, Romania and Lithuania. Taken together they cost the UK £1.6m in health treatment, which is just over 5% of the total bill.

Giles Goodall, the chair of the Brussels and European Liberal Democrats, said: “These figures are further evidence that free movement is a two-way street from which the UK benefits as much as – and in some cases more than – anyone else. They also puncture a big hole in claims that Britain is submerged by ‘health tourists’ – if anything, it seems to be the other way around.

“With 42 million visits by Brits to other EU countries every year, it is clear that we are one of the biggest users of the right to travel freely in Europe – a benefit of our EU membership that the Tories and Ukip would put at risk,” he said.

A DoH spokesman said that for several countries the cost to the UK for medical care equivalent to those incurred by the use of an Ehic are calculated by mutually agreed formulae, rather than the use of the cards themselves. “The costs incurred for medical care in the UK include costs under these formulae agreements.”

And that is without counting the cost of 1000s of British expats who have been living abroad for so long and paid tax abroad- returning for free treatment (to which they are NOT entitled) in the UK every year.

I feel like singing!

I am so glad that people are now speaking out.

Did anyone read the article by Trevor Phillips in The Mail on Sunday. It's ok, you can admit to it, there's nobody listening lol.
It may surprise many of you how much they have in common.

Would it surprise you that Trevor Phillips commissioned a film showing the dangers of Pakistani taxi drivers in Rotherham. The Labour Party wouldn't let it be shown. And before somebody jumps down my throat, these are all his words, in print, for all to see.
Another interesting statement was what he calls the multicultural 'racket'
it was in the Immams interest (financially) to accept government money to perpetuate segregation in exchange for votes. Once again, his words.

Is he actually racist though? He talks about jobs for British born people as opposed to others, say from the EU. British born includes a number of races, white, black, Asian etc.