From: "Nebulous" 
Newsgroups: uk.misc uk.legal uk.finance
Subject: Re: Benefits & Immigrants
Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2005 22:21:10 -0000


"Derek *"  wrote in message
news:eetfv0t9a97j8ru9kbu1nps47n7rp9jovn@4ax.com...
>
> On Tue, 25 Jan 2005 18:46:20 -0000, "Nebulous"
>  wrote:
>
>
> >> Who will get old and need pensions/benefits in their turn.
> >
> >Not for 40 years though.
> >
>
> We won't get 40 years service out of them. Assuming they're 20 when they
> come they're gonna need several years training to meet UK standards.
> Think "Corgi" (gas) Think "Part P" (electricians). My god where we live
> it takes a four year honours degree from Leeds Metropolitan University
> in "International Hospitality Management" to wait on tables serving
> Pizzas in a Pizzeria.

Many first generation immigrants settle for whatever they get, and work very
hard at it. Cornershops, cleaners, care assistants or Doctors and teachers
it doesn't matter as long as they contribute to society and pay taxes.

> 50% of over 50s are already out of work. The age of the "Black Edged
> Corporate Birthday Card" is creeping inexorably downwards. It's probably
> about 38 now I would imagine. Ultimately we'll be lucky to get 10 years
> work out of them.

Very gloomy picture you are painting there. What about this skill shortage
we keep hearing about? We've just had to import bus drivers from Malta,
because we can't recruit them locally.
>
> >Birth rates fluctuate quite a bit over time and we have a big hump of
> >baby-boomers at the moment heading for retirement, which is probably the
> >biggest issue we currently face. We will need working people to replace
> >them, and its probably too late to raise our breeding rates.
>
> How is it this problem has sneaked up on us, unbeknowing?
>
I don't know. Its been known for a long time, but because it wasn't imminent
its been ignored. There was a big population burst with the baby boomers.
Birth rates were skewed by the war and its been an issue ever since. Its
even more of an issue that the boomers have been too selfish to even breed
at a reasonable rate.

> >
> >In the longer term we need to even births out a bit and increase our
birth
> >rate or we will need to keep importing people.
>
> The government has at every opportunity pulled the rug out from under
> conventional family life. There is now *zero* acknowledgement of the
> cost and sacrifice involved in bringing up a conventional family.
>

I agree with some of that, though I think Gordon Brown has tried to reverse
some of the worst of it. The one I hated most was the Tories making me pay
two poll taxes even though my wife wasn't working. It was supposed to be an
individual tax, so how come I had to pay hers as well?

Despite all that I've still managed to do my bit to keep the population up.

Neb