General Chat

So the answer is ..... non.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/aug/20/eu-rejects-british-plan-for-post-brexit-return-of-asylum-seekers

French authorities are now saying the 16 year old boy was actually 28.

Interestingly, on R 2 just now they are discussing the topic of this thread.

Florence in the hebrides

Unemployment benefit in the past was at least a survivable amount!.
It's difficult to properly calculate, but last year, approximately £2.3 billion was due to wrongly paid benefit - some was fraud.

However, last year, approximately £35 billion wasn't collected in tax.
£12 billion is attributed to tax evasion, avoidance and organised crime.

So who's the real 'baddy'?

I agree, Florence, charity does begin at home, unfortunately the Government has different ideas!

Indeed!

Really!

People emigrate because there is a better chance of finding work abroad & will return home when there is an improvement there.

I think it was the French Interior Minister being interveiwed yesterday on the BBC news programme at 5pm,he made it quite clear France considered it a UK problem,not a French one and they were doing what they could!

One intersting thing he said (and one of maggies comments is relevant) the 16 yr old who survived, when asked why they wanted to get to the UK replied "it is easier to work illegally there" !!

Perhaps if Priti Patel concentrated on banning illegal working practices,instead of trying to stop them coming,they would not want to come?

They do seem to have a very odd view of life here.

I am not saying that evryone who doesnt have a job is on cosy benefits but I know several people who live in rented houses/flats. they dont work, get their rent paid and yet they have all modern things.Yes huge 50 tvs, decent clothes and never seem to go hungry. They drink & smoke too.

When my children were younger, i couldnt work. My ex was a self employed fisherman. When the boats were tied up during bad weather, he got no wages. Apart from the child benefit, we didnt get any help whatsoever.
He would sign on, but you didnt get anything for the first 3 days.
Because we owned our house, we didnt qualify for any housing benefit or anything else other than unemployment benefit which was something like £55 per week at that time.

We struggled and there were no food banks to help us then.

I do know of a family down south and they have an 18, 15 and a 10 yr old.Neither parents work and come up with all sorts of excuses, sore back, shoulder etc.They get around £1500.00 a month in UC etc. They both drink and smoke and never seem to go without.

I know there are a lot more people using food banks now and a lot of people who are struggling and yes the government should do all it can to help these people but there are a lot of scroungers too

The street beggars in Glasgow could be organised slavery I agree.

I remember walking past the shop doorways near Charing Cross station in London around 8pm one evening. Young people bedding down with cardbord boxes and a thin sheet. I was quite young then and what an eye opener.

I just sometimes think, charity begins at home

Florence in the hebrides

The poor lad who died (who couldn't swim) apparently got a small dinghy with his friend and used two shovels as oars. They were teenagers, desperate to come here. When they capsized he lost his life, he must have been terrified. He was someone's son, grandson, brother.

Lizx

We won't know will we until they are vetted properly and enter our country legally. I can't see that happening unless they come in through the correct way not in the way they do now.

How do you know they're not qualified to work here?
This is from 2 years ago:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/syria-refugees-crisis-uk-immigration-work-studying-research-latest-updates-a8299256.html

This is an interesting point, from: Migration impact on labour market: the UK as a study case
"Immigration affects the labour supply, as it increases the pool of workers in certain sectors of the economy. Besides, immigration is likely to increase the demand for labour, as migrants expand consumer demand for certain goods and services. That same movement increases labor market competition but also allows the economy to fill labor demand shortages by drawing on skills and talent not available in the native workforce"

Maggie we refuse to use Amazon,Starbucks etc for that very reason. Google sometimes for research mainly.
I have no objection to immigrants who come here qualified to work but how many are ? Answer very few

:-D :-D :-D

Well, as most of those who have left Syria are the educated, we need nurses and doctors!

Did you see this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik27He0jkg4

This country would have a lot more resources if everyone paid their fair share of tax, and didn't put it in offshore accounts.
Also firms like Amazon, Starbucks, boots, Waterstones, Google etc etc paid the proper tax in this country, we'd have £billions more money!!

This takes us back to the OP . How can we support illegal immigrants when we can't support our own people.

You NEED the internet to sign on, now - hence the Government is going to provide a small quantity of the ever-growing (and soon to increase due to evictions) homeless with a smartphone.

It's like denouncing an unemployed person for having a huge TV - a TV that they probably bought when they were working.

Smoking is an addiction, and possibly the only grasp on sanity.
Much better than a heroin addiction.

To be honest, if you found yourself on UC tomorrow, would you be able to cope after 3 months - when you've eaten all the 'spare' stuff in your cupboards, freezer etc?

Very few people deliberately make themselves unemployed, but, because of a few, they're described as 'feckless'.
No point in saying 'get a job' now, as unemployment is rising daily - or, to be more 'populist' -
The number of 'feckless' people who can't be bothered to get a non-existent job is rising. How dare they!

Just like to add, the increase in foodbanks isn't because people are having a 'good time' on the £££££'s they receive in Universal Credit!!

I didn't say they did but many can afford i phones, booze and fags.

Really? The amount you quoted is 'up to' - that's the maximum, many receive less.
Oh - and it's Universal Credit, now.
Not exactly a fortune is it?
Out of that, you have to pay utility bills, internet/mobile phone payments, insurance, water etc

Then people (especially those who were weekly paid) have to pay back the loan most have to get to last them the 5 weeks before they get UC.
...and if you're 'deemed' to have too many rooms (not necessarily bedrooms), that's 17% or 25% of your rent you have to find.

Oh yes, and if you get a tax rebate (which is money you shouldn't have paid to the Government), they'll take 63p in every £ off you.
The same with any holiday pay you receive.

But yes, they must be living the life of Riley!

Maggie jobseekers allowance is up to £58.90 under 24's and up to £74. 35 Couples get up to £116.80

The situation in Sauchiehall St. sounds like modern slavery.

https://www.unseenuk.org/modern-slavery/spot-the-signs

They could actually have been forcibly brought over here.

If war broke out in the UK, and your only relatives lived in Australia, would you try to get to them?

...as for people being 'too cosy' on benefits - really?
Could you live/survive on £30- £40 a week?