Is Britain the daftest country in the world?

[edwardian]

Do not put a link at the start of a question!
I would be interested to hear your views on

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles /news/news.html?in_article_id=400309&in_page_i d=1770

[sandbach99]

Strawberries were probably cheaper this year to last year as it was a better summer, remember the hot July.

A building site here laid of all the workers saying they were stopping building for a while, a couple of weeks later they restarted with Polish workers. When a British lad went back to see if he could restart as a joiner he was told the rate of pay was now �9 per hour, previously it was �18. However, unlike the price of strawberries the price of the houses has remained the same therefore the only people to benefit are the shareholders and directors of the company.

What I do find strange is that the benefit is paid at the British rate of �900 for first child, �600 for subsequent children and not at a pro rata rate, after all �900 in Poland must be equivalent to a few weeks work not a few hours like it is in Britain.

[sp1814]

But shouldn't we be blaming the greedy capitalists who are willing to exploit anyone to make a fast buck?

This is how I see it...we're all benefiting from cheap labour...but then we complain about the cheap labour...but want to keep benefiting from the cheap labour.

Two things: 1. I'm not sure whether the word 'benefiting' should have one 't' or two, and 2: we're being a bit hypocritical.

[JudgeJ]

But we are not all benefiting from cheap labour. As has been pointed out by sandbach99, some people are positively and directly suffering because of it, and these numbers will increase. In addition large numbers of people are suffering indirectly because the tax burden upon those earning reasonable salaries continues to increase (partly to provide support to those who are not so �fortunate�) thus depressing their standard of living at the same time

It was announced today that record numbers of people are now in employment but (wait for it) the number of people registered as unemployed continues to rise. The problem with lumping the labour force of the entire EC into one �market� is obvious. There are huge variations in wages and costs across the region, particularly between east and west. Therefore it is not the �free market� to which sp1814 refers and the results of which are considered �tough�. It is a false market which, ultimately, will see a lowering of living standards for everybody in Britain. This is a typically socialist attitude - we can't raise the floor so we'll lower the ceiling.

So I return to my original point (which I know departs a little from the original question concerning child benefits but is somewhat related). Just why are we importing labour to this country when the number of unemployed continues to rise? If the answer is that the incomers will do jobs that those already resident here will not undertake, then a radical re-think of the benefits system (which we were promised in 1997 but which never materialised) is urgently needed.

I think everybody has heard enough from me so I think I�ll say nor more on this topic.

By the way, there is only one �t� in benefiting.