UK, Ireland / EU Elections June 2009, will Poles in UK vote? Will others vote? [29]

Everyone should vote, whether it be in person as they are entitled to vote in that country, or by post if they are away from home.

It only takes about five minutes to fill in the voters' roll form and another five minutes to actually vote. Ok, voting by post can be complicated, but people should make the effort.

Unless there are very good reasons, people who don't vote should be fined.

I think 100% turn-out and voters actually thinking about the candidates on offer would change the political landscape a great deal.

We might actually get someone decent in power for a change, rather than the self-serving-snouts-in-the-trough bunch we always seem to end up with.

UK, Ireland / BRITS LIKE POLISH FOOD [51]


I will when I get the chance :-)


See above. It was the mention of red cabbage that really reminded me of the school canteen :-)

UK, Ireland / BRITS LIKE POLISH FOOD [51]


I hope that tastes better than it sounds, it sounds like school dinner / peasant food :-)

UK, Ireland / Integrating Polish people into the British society [150]


Is the Channel 4 programme the one with the woman from Somalia who said that the £35k she gets a year in benefits for her and her five kids "wasn't enough" ?

Her English was so bad, they had to put up subtitles.

It was a good documentary, but like all the others it's all questions and no answers.

Any documentary maker has his/her own agenda and it seems to me that too many of them like to go down the root of the "lazy British" being saved from awful jobs by hardworking foreigners.

They shouldn't waste their time filming out in the streets during the day on the look-out for mouthy benefit scroungers, they should try instead between 5-7pm outside any major train station and get people on their way home from work.

I reckon it would be the same frustration about immigration, but without "the British don't want to work" tag.


Nothing like being shat on by your own side.

UK, Ireland / Integrating Polish people into the British society [150]


I think I saw that programme, if it's the same one, the bloke you refer to went onto say something like:

"I don't want to work with a bunch of foreigners!" The film crew went and found some lazy chav with bling from Argos and a chip on his shoulder, rather than finding someone with a brain.

These TV programmes often have their own agenda and they feature the people who will help prove their point.


66 hours a week makes for a long working week and I dont think that the quality of a person's work can go the distance.

UK, Ireland / Integrating Polish people into the British society [150]


I think you meant "you're". I thought you were a teacher ?

"Huge amounts of money" means different things to different people, but the minimum wage does not provide a liveable wage, unless.......


My point exactly. What kind of a life is that ? Cheap foreign labour drives down wages for everyone, apart from the "super-league". And the country is full of the "super-league", who don't give a sh*t about anyone but themselves and they have all the money and the power.


There is probably a forum somewhere where you can ask such a question, but my guess would be that what p*sses people off in this country, gets up the backs of the locals just as much in other countries when the British arrive.

That's part of the problem with us British, we set such a bad example to the rest of the world and then get uppity when people don't meet our (double) standards.

UK, Ireland / Are polish pupils harming native british childrens education? [280]


A teacher friend I was chatting to at a party recently said it takes around two terms for a child who does not speak English at all to catch up with the ones that do. While this isn't long in the great scheme of things, it's still time that is not being spent on the rest of the class.

Foreign children going to school for the first time should already know the same amount of English as other kids the same age. Any parent that allows it to be any different should be ashamed of themselves.

Teachers are not their to teach children English from scratch and printing leaflets in all kinds of languages is just allowing a daft situation to continue.

Why do so-called loving parents allow this to happen ?

UK, Ireland / Integrating Polish people into the British society [150]


It doesn't help that the minimum wage isn't enough to actually live on, but the argument that the British are lazy is just one the media like to hype up to make us the problem.

I wasn't saying that the immigration issue has only been around for 18 months, more that the issue of so many coming in from Poland and other new countries to the EU is a very recent problem. It wasn't around so much at the time of the last election, if it had been to this extent, I doubt Tony Blair would have been re-elected.

UK, Ireland / Integrating Polish people into the British society [150]

But the whole immigration issue has exploded over the last 18 months or so and we were always fed the line that EU migrants were "young, healthy and single" as oppose to "all ages, need the NHS as all the women seem to be pregnant, married with kids and wives who are expecting again".

The Government won't do anything to try and make the situation better until it's too late.

UK, Ireland / Integrating Polish people into the British society [150]


I don't think we quite voted for this, I don't think many follow politics that closely to know the manifesto small print, but I see what you mean.


I'm British. English if you want specifics as I was born and raised in Sussex, but I find the whole "English" thing a bit much.

UK, Ireland / Integrating Polish people into the British society [150]

Oh I'm sorry, am I boring you ?

UK, Ireland / Integrating Polish people into the British society [150]

To me it's a simple numbers game and too many people have been and continue to be allowed in.

No amount of initiatives to make integration easier or better will change that.

I'm not bothered whether people are coming from within the EU or from somewhere else, I just want a system of managed migration put in place. People would integrate better if they didn't feel such resentment for foreigners.

We've been totally f**ked over by this Government and they won't be doing anything anytime soon to change put it right.

UK, Ireland / Integrating Polish people into the British society [150]

The question was about how the Polish can integrate into the UK, so I'm just pointing out that many British people don't want them here at all, which makes them f**ked before they even start.

I don't share that point of view totally, but it doesn't stop it being true for many people.

The Polish (and other foreigners) have to want to integrate BUT, perhaps more crucially, the British have to want to be integrated with.

Most of the people I know are pi**ed off with the whole shooting match and just want it to end.

UK, Ireland / Integrating Polish people into the British society [150]


I'm aware of that, thanks. Have you asked any British Asians or British born black people what they make of all this ?

They're just as pi**ed off with it all.



I think he means we need to learn Polish, rather than the Polish learn English.

UK, Ireland / Benefits for separated Polish wife and 2 kids in the UK [90]


I don't think it is so thorough in England, although I'm very happy to say it's been a very long time since I've had to sign-on.

I know people who sign-on by phone and by text, so I think it's a system that's easy to get around. They want to sign you on and get you out and deal with the next person. I don't think they care much what you have done to look for work

Through my job, we came across some people (they were foreign, sadly) who were using their JSA to buy stolen credit cards. We reported them to the benefits office and the police and they weren't interested.

I work next to a benefits office and the motley collection of English chavs, loud arguing homeless people with cans of Tenants super together with their dogs, foreigners with kids in push chairs and various other stereotypes is a very depressing sight.

I read somewhere once that such places were for "long term alcoholics and those who were fresh off the boat." It certainly wasn't set up to be that way, but I think that's what it has become.

Avoid at all costs.

UK, Ireland / Integrating Polish people into the British society [150]

Well the fact that the British have lived here a lot longer for a start. Surely being British should count for something ?

Society isn't going to prosper if they, the British, have to be seen as the more expensive alternative for jobs. This will mean that they get passed over in favour of cheap, foreign labour.

That's a scandal.

I've worked for plenty of places where money gets wasted anyway, so they could afford to pay more if they spent their salary budget better.

If MagdalenaZ wants to know what the Polish need to do to integrate better and feel more welcomed, they need to stop making the British feel that they're being pushed out of their own country.

UK, Ireland / Integrating Polish people into the British society [150]

I don't think it's "incidental" that wages are going down as a result of mass immigration. Some of the staff where I work are on peanuts and many of them are foreign workers, the difference being is that they all share houses and don't have the outgoings that many others have.

They'll do the same job for half the price, so why would a company pay everyone else more ?

Living in another country is a new challenge, but I don't think everyone who comes here (from all corners of the globe) take it that seriously.

UK, Ireland / Integrating Polish people into the British society [150]


People who come here to work and don't speak much English drive down wages for everyone else. They're seen as a cheaper alternative. They get exploited and it means that there are less jobs around for everyone else.

Why come here if all you can offer is the ability to clean or stack shelves ?

I agree that there are plenty of people already here who can't afford a decent place to live, but I'm sure they don't plan to move to a foreign country and live somewhere just as bad or worse.

UK, Ireland / Integrating Polish people into the British society [150]


I'd just like to know what their agenda is.

Do they just see us as a cash-cow ?

I'm fine with people here for the longhaul (as long as there's not too many), but I've had enough of cleaners, child minders and the like who don't speak English and don't go back home if it all goes belly up.

They need to come with a proper plan, speak decent English, not bring their kids and half their extended family with them, have a job lined up and be able to afford to live somewhere decent.

They should also be keeping a close eye on the economic news coming out of the UK and plan their best time to come. We're practically in a recession !

UK, Ireland / The Daily snot rag (Mail) removes anti-Polish content [30]


You're vile and a disgrace to the English (I'm English before you start!)

UK, Ireland / Benefits for separated Polish wife and 2 kids in the UK [90]

I don't think anything has been scrapped, but I think that they should keep a much closer eye on the people who claim

Eg. People who park their chunky 4x4s outside the dole office while they sign-on.

UK, Ireland / Benefits for separated Polish wife and 2 kids in the UK [90]

Complicated ? I should coco :-)

The thing is that it has been MADE complicated. The Government could pretty easily make it less complicated and fairer, but they would need to bite the bullet and get rid of the blatant scroungers (and hack a lot of people off in the process), which would lose them votes.

But they would also win votes by being seen to be tougher and fairer. The other issue I have with benefits is that the Government have no strategy for getting people off them. Yes there are some people who will probably always need them (the disabled for example), but there are loads of others for whom it has just become a way of life.

UK, Ireland / Benefits for separated Polish wife and 2 kids in the UK [90]

I'm glad you can see the funny side of noimmi's posts. I think he needs to change his medication or something.

I know you think I'm a "bonkers idiot" and I apologise if you think I've been unhelpful or nasty.

I'm a decent guy, it's just a very emotive subject.

Has your friend made any decisions ?

UK, Ireland / Why British murder Polish? [41]

I think noimmigration has a friend (or it's the same person trying to pass himself as a bird from south of the border with a chip on her shoulder).

UK, Ireland / Benefits for separated Polish wife and 2 kids in the UK [90]


Do you see that happening ? Will the Tories really be any different now ?

We've had 10+ years of New Labour and what will probably follow is 10+ years of New Conservative.


Then what kind of places do you mean ?

Yes, all literature from councils etc should be in English and not as a way of excluding people, but as an encouragement for people to have to learn the language to be included.

If you make it too easy for people, they have no reason to change.

We have an immigrant under-class living in ghettos caused by DECADES of bad Government from BOTH main parties.

UK, Ireland / Benefits for separated Polish wife and 2 kids in the UK [90]

By that do you mean inner-city hell hole ?

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude but this whole "I don't speak the language" situation is becoming silly. I know it's not just Polish people, there are people who have lived here long enough to have grown up children that don't speak English all that well. It's a daft situation that should never have happened.

It's just another example of how the British are just expected to bend over backwards for everyone else, fuelling the notion that we're a soft-touch.

Interpreters belong in places like major airports and not at the dole office.

And people in the same or similar situation to the one we've been discussing shouldn't be "given priority 1 status and go to top of the list more or less" with regards to housing.

That's a right kick in the spuds to the rest of us. For every foreigner that gets help, how many British people don't ?

By "British" I mean people that are born here, regardless of ethnic background, before anyone starts accusing me of whatever.

UK, Ireland / Benefits for separated Polish wife and 2 kids in the UK [90]

I hope you're joking.

How much money gets spent/wasted on supplying interpreters at the benefits office ?

Priority 1, top of the list !!??

Are you trying to wind people up ?

UK, Ireland / Benefits for separated Polish wife and 2 kids in the UK [90]


Apology accepted and I'm not saying all immigration is bad at all. If you look back through my posts on this thread, you'll see it's the timing of it all that is getting my back up. This lady seems to be coming here BECAUSE we offer benefits from day 1 because all you need is an NI number and a few months contributions. If she had lived her 4 or 5 years, had been holding down a job and then her marriage fell apart and ended up in this situation, it's a different kettle of fish.


I agree that this isn't anything we can do much about. It will be a hot topic around the next election and then everything will carry on as before. Even the opposition parties accept that the EU will stay the way it is or get worse. Despite being a life-long Labour voter, I'll probably vote Tory next time just to get rid of the current lot, but it will be a cold day in Hell before I even think about voting BNP.

I don't think people were "ganging up" as with the exception of the usual suspects, most others are just being honest.

Don't shoot the messenger, just because the news is bad.

The biggest disservice this lady is doing is to other Polish people as she is just adding to the stereotype of "foreigners on benefits who came for the cash". Plus I don't think her kids should have to go through all this. They should be in familiar surroundings and with their mates at school, not having to learn another language in another country, while their mother looks for cleaning jobs.

UK, Ireland / Benefits for separated Polish wife and 2 kids in the UK [90]


It should bother him. Something like that should bother any right thinking "normal" person. You're right that he should report him.

They'll be an 0800 number in the phone book with the job centre, benefits agency listings.

UK, Ireland / Benefits for separated Polish wife and 2 kids in the UK [90]


So did I and I'm not "picking" on her, I'm just reacting to what's being said.


What would you suggest ? Write to my MP ? Tried that, more than once and they're not interested.


In this case, she didn't. She came over without work, two kids and an estranged husband.

If she had been working here a few years, then things would be different, but she isn't.