Everything is wrong in this country

chewbacca

The top 10 countries with the highest level of refugees/immigrants

Tunisia
Jordan
Turkey
Uganda
Chad
Sweden
South Sudan
Sudan
Malta
Djibouti

Those classed as economic migrants are naturally attracted to the worlds richest countries. They are more or less evenly spread throughout these wealthy nations, the U.K. is no more attractive than other wealthy nations.

It is a myth that has been put out just like so much surrounding immigration.

the people with the majority in parliament have the right to spend our taxes and the Tories/Libdems have spent not spent it on public services and the result is there for all to see. I have had to rely on benefits and am more than happy to pay more tax so others can do the same. I'm voting Labour, I don't mind who is in charge, its the policies I want.

And this Country is giving billions of pounds away abroad to countries who have space programmes and do not need our continued help. We mustn’t let our ridiculous guilt of the past continue to make this acceptable!

Maybe there are all sorts of things wrong with this country but a film crew would still have trouble recreating the films of the 1920's and 30's, people may feel poor but it is in a different way. Certainly those sitting at Calais seem to want to come here, what's wrong with France, Italy, Spain etc that makes us look so good.

anniezzz09 Conservatism is all about aspirations.

Labour want you all to be “indebted” to the State.

I think some of you live in a parallel universe, or is it simply a comfortable bubble which protects you from the horrors and struggles of everyday life for so many in this country?

It only takes one illness, redundancy, accident, or perhaps being subjected to a fraud, to burst that comfortable bubble and leave you and your family in dire straits, at the mercy of the uncaring state. There you will discover that you are expected to perform impossible tasks eg apply for benefits on-line when you have neither laptop nor charged up smart phone and the local library, with its public use computers has closed. Or perhaps walk 5 miles to the nearest food bank and if you are lucky, walk 5 miles back carrying your precious food parcel. Where your self employed DD has to take an unpaid day off work, to drive you to a hospital appointment because there is no direct public transport and you could not get on and off it anyway.

'Minor"
things impinge too. e.g. The local High School, with a new Heedie, completely changed the school uniform and imposed stringent rules for those 'improperly" dressed. This meant that there was no chance of passing clothes down to younger children or smaller friends. Also, all the serviceable clothing was of no use to the School Uniform Bank, nor did it have any second hand stock of the new Uniform for struggling families, who had to resort to accruing debts to ensure that their child/children could attend school. This Granny, who would normally go halfs with DDs for new uniforms was unable to contribute much, as now cash strapped due to care home fees.

I could go on all day but doubt if any of these thoughts/facts would impinge on the I'm all right Jacks.

"Everything that is currently wrong in this country (and there's still a lot that's right) is down not just to the Tories but the government before that, and the one before that, and before that etc etc..... In other words, it's been going on for decades now regardless of which party is in control."

It has been going on since the 80s when Thatcher changed the economic rules to what is now called neo-liberalism. She closed most of our industry and sold the rest overseas. And brought in the idea that anyone not making money was not really trying!
In 1997 New Labour got elected and kept on with the same economic model.
In 2008 the bankers with their sub-prime loans and hedge funds crashed the global economy. Every country suffered, but in the UK we got 10 years of austerity, which has dragged us down even more, when others have mostly recovered.
In 2016 we had a non-binding referendum, which was marginally in favour of Brexit. What people were really voting against was what the Tory Govt had been doing, but due to lies they were encouraged to make things worse.
Now we are a few days off another GE, and it looks like it will be more of the same.
I am deeply depressed.

I'm not doubting that Whitewave; not at all; I fully understand that other, poorer countries have far more refugees than us. But it doesn't address my query. Most of the people who are risking their lives in the back of refrigerated lorries and tiny boats across the channel are from African countries. They've travelled through many other european countries on their search for safety and freedom; Germany, France, Sweden etc. But they've still chosen to continue their journey until they can get to Britain.
If the UK is known for being such an inhospitable, debt ravaged, uncaring nation, why would they want to risk their lives still further to get here? Could it be that they see Britain as a kinder, more hospitable country? More supportive? Less racism than they might experience elsewhere?

We may not have reached Dickensian levels of poverty yet (and I have read Bleak House, Hard Times and most of Dicken's work) though I think he would have a great deal to say about poverty in the UK today. None of it approving...

But we certainly have some Dickensian levels of thought in the responses on this thread...

Since you are obviously so unhappy living here WWM2 I have been trying to think of a Socialist utopia where you might be happy.

I have come up with the perfect place - Venezuela!

Corbyn approves of their regime so you would feel completely at home there.

Anniezzz09 - seems to me that that massive influx of people has ended up working in our hospitals, care homes, agriculture and all manner of service type jobs and doing those jobs with good grace and hard work. How will those posts be filled now?
That is something that needs to be managed, how to cope without an endless stream of people entering the country. Everyone entering the country needs a home, schools for their children and health care. They may be supplying our needs but creating more needs at the same time. I would argue that one person working in the NHS is probably creating more need overall than they are supplying.

As far as the NHS is concerned I think we should provide free training to British nurses and doctors (because we need so many) which includes a contract that they must work here for five years after completing their training (so they don't immediately run off to another country).

We have some of the richest people in the world, but we are not one of the richest countries. That's my thoughts. This country is now one of the laughing stocks in the world, because of what government has done.

Reasons for emigrating to the UK?

Relatives already here
Can already speak English
Better educational opportunities
Wages 'appear' to be better than those they can earn in their own country
No threat of war

If the UK is known for being such an inhospitable, debt ravaged, uncaring nation, why would they want to risk their lives still further to get here?

I'd suggest that analysis of the the UK in that much depth is not particularly common in the countries they are coming from. They see that the UK is wealthy and don't realise/understand how skewed the distribution of wealth actually is.

Well said, Beanie

We should be grateful that we live in a Country that allows lists like this to be aired. In China, you would be in trouble.

The main problem in this country is that people moan and are never satisfied with what they have. Start counting your blessings instead!

Well said

Whitewave2;I guess you are a glass half empty.
You might find it hard but try to find one good thing that has happened to you during the day and write it down.
There will be something.
It doesn’t matter how small it is .

And if you were one of the 14 million people living in poverty in the UK how many blessings would you have to count? ?

Poverty is what you see in African Countries and parts of India/Bangladesh/Afghanistan etc.

I'd suggest that analysis of the the UK in that much depth is not particularly common in the countries they are coming from. They see that the UK is wealthy and don't realise/understand how skewed the distribution of wealth actually is.

Very possibly MaizieD, very possibly. But then I'd be expecting them to be desperate to get back out of the UK once they'd realised that the UK wasn't the utopia they'd believed it to be. But they aren't. They're settling in and many are making successful and happy lives for themselves by using the opportunities that are available to them here. There is barely a day goes by, reporting of a success story, of how people who have sought sanctuary here have made happy, productive lives for themselves, in a safe country.

Absolutely agree.

Poverty is dreadful but to some extent it could be improved if people behaved more responsibly.
The other day I was in a shop where a woman was walking around looking at toys accompanied by her three under school age children.
One little girl asked if they could buy a toy for the baby and the mother said they must wait until the baby arrived.
On the television I saw a “one parent family” mother with six children complaining that she found it hard .
I bet she did.
So would I but surely by now she knows how these children have arrived and nowadays there are ways of not letting that happen-apart from the obvious way.

Lucky Girl. Sorry I dont know whee you live but I. just cannot believe you only know the people you describe. I come fom a working class family and have voted Conservative for many years. I believe my parents chose to have an only child they both came from big families. Both workedvery hard. My husband left school at 14 also worked very long hours and finished with own business. We had many friends all working class who managed to la good life. Please stop generalising. I will not be voting the same this time noR for Labour while J C IS Leader.