Bulgarians Coming Here?

[Georgiesmum]

The headlines in the Daily Express today say four million Bulgarians want to move to Britain when migration rules are relaxed next year. They want to come to escape poverty in their own country. What are your thoughts on this?

[jake-the-peg]

That you shouldn't believe what you read in the Express!

They've been running an open anti-EU campaign for many years and they don't care how fast and loose they play with facts to con the gullible

[jake-the-peg]

There's even an "Express watch" news site devoted to their trickery

http://expresswatch.co.uk/

[ichkeria]

Can you provide a link or more info on this story? Four million is over half the population of the country (!) Has the Bulgarian government any plan to deal with this crisis for their country for example?

[Georgiesmum]

I read this story this morning online.

[ichkeria]

So can you therefore supply more details?

[Georgiesmum]

I googled it. I put in Daily Express news and there was the article about it.

[naomi24]

Is this it?

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/376733/Millions-of-poverty-striken-Bulgarians-want-to-move-to-Britain

According to that in a national poll 54% said they would like to come to Britiain, which is, as Ichkeria says, about half the population.

[friedgreentomato]

Yes but that doesn't mean they are going to come does it.

Ask the population of the United Kingdom if they would like to live in Australia and I am sure you will get 83% saying yes - doesn't mean 83% is going to up sticks and move though!

[emmie]

lots of info on how to apply, stay and so on. As to millions, well they are welcome, they can keep me in the luxury i have been accustomed to, provided i suppose they say for good...

http://www.1st4immigration.com/contact.php

[naomi24]

FGT, Australia wouldn’t accept 83% of our citizens. They’re not stupid. They only take people who can support themselves and are useful to their society.

[emmie]

the reason i have been given by friends who have moved to OZ, and NZ are that they don't like this country any more, fed up with it's open door policies, and being treated like second class citizens in their own country.
By the way, they have had to go through mega hoops to get visas, and permission to stay, and have to have enough money in the bank to support themselves, plus work to go to.

[emmie]

that first one has a typo, not surprising, should be stay for good, not say..

[LazyGun]

Ermm - If you read the article, this is how the Express arrives at a figure of 4 million bulgarians knocking at our door.

They make use of a poll carried out by a national tv broadcaster, BTV. We do not get to see the actual question asked.

Of the 4,400 respondents to an uncontrolled populist survey ( if all are unique, individual responses, that is around 0.06% of the population), around 54% of the respondents said, yes, they would like to emigrate ( to the UK? we do not know for sure).

They Express then just say right, 54% of the Bulgarian population equals around 4 million. Therefore, this is the number of emigrants, waiving their EU passports, that will be fetching up on Britains shores...

Anyone else see the fundamental logic fail with this?

Thats not to say that some Bulgarians will be wanting to come to the UK, and it is not to say that we should be happy with the EU admittance policy - but claiming that we will face 4 million potential immigrants from Bulgaria is just a hyperinflated figure extrapolated from an uncontrolled survey and is scaremongering of the worst sort....

[ichkeria]

Cheers I tried to find it online via their website and failed.
Plainly 4 million poverty stricken Bulgarians descending on Britain would be very bad news for both countries but this looks like a shocking piece of journalism.
And shows how questionnaires anywhere, often with leading questions, can be a menace. It was a 54% of people out of a poll of 4,400 people, presumably all of working age. You don't need to be a genius to work out that that doesn't necessarily work out at 4 million out of the entire population!

[honeydip]

We cant blame our nations failures on immigration. If it wasnt for immigration we would be an insignificant plot of land north of europe. Immigration has enriched the UK and if you dont agree then go have a curry in Bradford, yorkshire. The best thing I have ever eaten. That is one thing I miss about the UK as well as the fish and chips. Also I work now with many bulgarians and they are amazingly nice and friendly people. They are constantly inviting me and my familly around!

[emmie]

it may of course not be as many as predicted, but it will be many, just as the previous government completely underestimated the number of more recently arrived Polish people.

[emmie]

honeydip so you no longer live in UK ?

[DJHawkes]

I have worked with 2 Bulgarians, brothers in fact, who came to the UK to study and remained here afterwards, they are very very hard working and conscientious but they do seem to have a slight lack of respect for women's abilities to do the same work as they do. Quite unenlightened about a woman's right to equality and it is not something they have been used to. But decent lads who do not take their job or education for granted.

[naomi24]

The statistics are misleading. A poll of 4400 people is hardly ‘nationwide’.

honeydip. curry? I can see you’ve thought this through.

[bazwillrun]

@honedip

so you think without their currys we couldnt survive and we we would be worse of without them

Unbelievable, unless its a tongue in cheek remark

do you think we have been enriched as a culture thanks to the blight of black gangsta culture and everything that goes with it ?

Like em10 says, that many wont come but i'd bet hundreds of thousands do try.