Benefits To Immigrants

[naomi24]

In the light of recent events clearly something must be done urgently to stem the flow of immigrants into this country. Could the solution be to restrict all benefits to those who have lived in this country, and contributed to its public purse, for, say, a minimum of five years?

[retrocop]

It would seem the point has been proved in the statement about starving children of Polish parents dying in this country because benefits are not paid.
They would still be starving and dying if they stayed in Poland then.Why should our country,at OUR cost,be the European bread basket who supplies food shelter and benefits just because they are not available in their own country?
Poland,as an example,should not of been allowed entry into the EU if they cannot afford to give their own citizens a decent living.

[kvalidir]

I thought you were either in South Africa or from South Africa Retrocop. Can you clarify your status for me please?

[pixie373]

UKIP are saying immigrants will have to prove they have private health insurance, so that would help there. As long as people are aware they can't move and get immediate benefits, it means those that do, will save first and look for work.

[anotheoldgit]

factor-fiction

/// You could argue the same about all benefits paid- such as to those with disabilities etc. ///

And I wonder what disability benefits, they are entitled to in their own countries?

[Svejk]

I expect you were only a little boy, aog.
all those class-mates they told you had gone to live in the country,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,gone. ;-(

[jim360]

Unfortunately AOG, life in this country before benefits was incredibly tough for those who would now receive benefits, and while it might not have been bad as "dropping like flies" it was still pretty bad. Oddly it seems that some people remember the tough times with fondness... but that doesn't get away from the fact that it was needlessly tough and many people didn't make it through very easily.

This whole idea is a non-starter, at least as far as EU immigrants are concerned.

[ladybirder]

Ooo you are naughty Svejk:-)

[retrocop]

Well I am not a part time SWP paper seller kvalidir.I am British born and bred and given loyal service to it.Unlike some on AB I do not support the destruction of my countrys fabric by the lazy,work shy scroungers and those who enter my country with sole intent to claim benefits.I am not a fascist or a rascist.I believe in what is right for my country and I have earned the right to say it.

[kvalidir]

During the 30's AOG over 25% of the whole country existed on a subsistence diet and showed signs of malnutrition. TB, Scurvy and Rickets were widespread - do you really want a return to that? People did indeed drop like flies.

[kvalidir]

Well done Robocop but do you live in SA?

[retrocop]

Never been to S.A. and have no intention of doing so.

[kvalidir]

my mistake then, I thought from the way you spoke, that you were a SA resident. I didn't realise that you lived in the UK.

[retrocop]

Well I'm a bit miffed to be mistaken for a South African Jordyboy.They beat up Mr Ghandi did'nt they?

[anotheoldgit]

Svejk

/// I expect you were only a little boy, aog.
all those class-mates they told you had gone to live in the country,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,gone. ;-( ///

That is just plain silly.

[berniecuddles]

i would stop child benefits as soon as the child reaches 5, kid goes to school, parent can gets a job!

[Kromovaracun]

AOG

The fact that you don't personally remember something does not mean that it didn't happen anywhere in the country. It just means that you never personally witnessed it in the particular area in which you grew up.

[factor-fiction]

I can see a case for doing that for all uk citizens, bernie, regardless of how long they've been here. But that won't happen either- it'd be twisted as saying "we only want the well-off to have children"

[anotheoldgit]

kvalidir

/// my mistake then, I thought from the way you spoke, that you were a SA resident. I didn't realise that you lived in the UK.///

Blimey I didn't know it was possible to recognise accents from the typed word?

[jim360]

One wonders if this call for the poor to stop having children is a veiled return to some sort of Galtonesque world view...

I can understand and sympathise to an extent with the idea that people who will have difficulty raising and keeping a child ought to not have one -- but the problem is that this can never be more than an idle hope. And once the child is born, we can hardly say "tough" to the parents, and cut off Child Support. There will always be at least one innocent victim in that, and it's unacceptable to cut off benefits in such a punitive way. In the meantime, indeed any form of active attempt to stop the poor from "breeding" is dangerously close to eugenics. And yes, I really mean that.

What's the answer? I wish I knew. But while the Daily Mail ran a story recently about the £30 million going to child benefit for non-domiciled children in the EU, there are many billions of pounds lost to aggressive tax avoidance schemes. Certainly it ought to be obvious which should have higher priority.