The EU - we are on the home straight folks!

" But in any sophisticated, long-term view of what is politically desirable, it is aggresively counter-productive. There's a reason other countries, like Australia, are putting together plans to encourage more foreign students: they bring lots of cash, they contribute to the local economy, and they provide a long-term boost to a country's reputation, international status and finances.

A study by Sheffield University found foreign students contribute £120.3 million to the city's GDP in 2012/13. In London, they contributed £3 billion and supported over 37,000 jobs in 2013/14. Some of it is direct in fees, some of it is in associated spending, like rent and food and so on. Some £131 million of it is spending by friends and relatives coming to visit them.

Even the government's own research paper, published by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (Bis) put the worth of education experts to the UK economy at £14 billion, with a projection that this could rise as high as £26 billion by 2025."

A shame we are not willing to copy Australia in this.

" But it's also worth looking at what foreign students contribute outside of their direct spending. Take Sheffield. They estimate that 8.9% of their foreign students take up career positions in the Yorkshire & the Humber region in any given year, with a further 10.7% employed in the rest of the UK. Given that international students in Sheffield disproportionately study Stem subjects in which the UK has a skills shortage, this is particularly useful for employers. And by boosting the labour supply, their presence helps address the UK economy's stubborn productivity problem.

There are plenty of other significant advantages. Foreign students are precisely the type of young, well-off, well educated young people most likely to wield influence or start up successful businesses later in life. If they stay, they often become employers. If they leave, they often do so with warm feelings towards the country they spent their student years in. All the better. The UK needs as many influential people around the world with warm feelings towards it as it can get.

But that tendency is being killed off by the government's insistence on hammering them. They have made it almost impossible for a student to stay and work after their visa expires, getting rid of a scheme which was highly attractive for many young people across the world. And the environment for those who do get here will often discourage them from ever coming back. A third of students interviewed said the complexity of the immigration system had impacted negatively on their experiences here."

It's the good universities which are suffering.

Excellent speech by Owen Jones imo Jen. Thanks for the link.

Owen Jones did joke last night on QT about looking like a 14 year old, despite being 31. I also have a daughter, in a very senior job who looks very young for a 43 year old- most people judge her for her excellent solution finding brain- not for a youthful looks.

BTW, immigrant may well push up rents- even though they are hugely exploited. Normal Swiss people, nurses, teachers, policemen, etc- just cannot live in Geneva or Zurich anymore- as all the quality apartments go straight to relocation agencies for rich expats with very high salaries and humongous rents. Happens all over.

www.migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/briefings/migrants-and-housing-uk-experiences-and-impacts

Must be worth posting in this thread Rosesarered else why would you continue to do so

It's amusing at times.

Petra, the question was getting on the property ladder not renting, how does an immigrant fund the money to buy a property which British workers cannot afford?

Another reason to vote to stay in.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/iain-duncan-smith-calls-donald-trump-a-very-decent-man-a7063901.html

Hard to imagine IDS having any sort of power again. Anyone who thinks Trump is a decent man must be mad. He needs saving from himself. Voting to stay in will help IDS.

Well done Wales.

indy100.independent.co.uk/article/someone-vandalised-a-vote-leave-poster-and-one-campaigner-is-not-happy-about-it--ZyzEBbjd9mZ

How nice to see a 'disgusted not from Tonbridge' - how do you say LOL in Welsh?

If those immigrants are buying houses, they must be paying significant amount of taxes, I'd say. Unlike all the fat cats from Dubai and Hong Kong who buy up all the new London housing on line and never ever even visit.

There's an interesting map here to show how eurosceptic your area is.

yougov.co.uk/yougov-8545/?preview=1&draft=1&language=en

I've only seen one Vote Leave poster in my area (not vandalised). Are there any Stay posters?

Lots more where these came from. The irony.

indy100.independent.co.uk/article/this-irish-immigrant-in-the-uk-supports-brexit-because-there-are-too-many-immigrants--b1PTyU9_Xb

I too saw QT last night. I thought that both the women on the panel were very good. Liz Truss made her point and the Plaid lady spoke well. I was impressed with the way she spoke and also conducted herself. Neil Hamilton just kept repeating himself and harping on at the same things. Frank field was most disappointing - he is normally worth watching but last evening he did not keep to the point and kept losing the thread. Dimbleby allowed Frank Field to interrupt Lyn Truss when she had not finished answering a question - I was very interested in what she was saying about sitting on an EU committee. Owen Jones was as usual good and put his point across well.

From the Spanish Prime Minister:

More than 400,000 British citizens live and work in Spain, in comparison to 100,000 Spanish citizens who live and work in the United Kingdom, he claimed.

Most of them have invested all they had into property which would be un-sellable - and have no money apart from the UK pension. As it would no longer be index linked- most of them would have to return to uk- where are they going to live? They will required GPs, use the NHS and for many, social help support.

indy100.independent.co.uk/article/british-expat-in-spain-calls-for-brexit-bemoans-high-immigration-in-uk--bJ8_VzRLJb

Expat allowed to call for brexit because she's an expat, not a migrant.

Brilliant, this.

Liberation want us to leave because if we stay we will destroy the Union.

indy100.independent.co.uk/article/presenting-the-best-reason-to-stay-in-the-eu-yet--bkSOdFGiXb

Daughter lived in Spain for many years (with A Level Spanish which she worked hard at improving continually over there)- and she talked about the expat ghettos- full of people who did not speak any Spanish even after decades, ate British food and drank British beer, used the NHS on holiday all the time illegally, with their own Churches and schools- and constantly talking about Blighty being full of immigrants who do ...

exactly the above! The irony is just unbelievable. To be fair, many Swiss and Germans do the same, in their own ghettos.

I also know some who have made a real effort to learn the language and integrate, often those who have married Spaniards, but they are sadly a minority. Same with parts of France and Italy.

I can't remember, but has Cameron actually agreed to have a head to head debate with anyone this time?

Just had an email about the referendum. This one says 79% voting to remain.

Was that from the Pub ?

Must say that seems optimistic dj - although that would be fantastic. It would be much better to have a clear winner- rather than a 49/51 result which would totally divide the country even more.