UK, Ireland / An Englishman's View on Polish flocking to the UK [53]


This is true - many of those great London films from the 1940s/50s were actually made (produced/directed) by immigrants.

UK, Ireland / We welcome Polish people to Britain! [224]

Britain is a nation of immigrants and migrants.Millions of british people have gone overseas and become immigrants themselves in Australia,New Zealand,Canada,USA,and more recently Spain etc.

For 400 years Britain had the largest empire in history and benefitted and got rich from the hard work of people in India,Africa,Hong Kong,Carribean etc-as well as the hard work of British people themselves.This is the reason there are many people in Britain who originated from those former colonies.

The Polish coming here in large numbers has added to the diversity and with their similarities (enjoying football/alcohol)but also differences(traditional cooking/worship) they set a good example.There is enough work for everyone in the UK but there are sad whingers in every nation.The mostly decent Polish people are welcome here.

UK, Ireland / What's So Great About The UK? [416]


I work with several Polish people and they all say the same thing - life was much harder in Poland.Wages were very low but living costs compared to wages were high and for working 50 hours per week they were unable to afford anything other than basic essentials.Working in Britain even for minimum wage(which means they are entitled to tax credits)they can save money(sometimes by renting 1 room between 2/3 people)and within months afford a car plus extras.Once offered a better job(even a low paying one) life gets even better.Poles expect to work hard for very little while some Brits and some immigrants want to work a little for a lot of money.In Britain Poles work hard and earn far more than they did in Poland.Also,despite some bad areas Britain is actually a great country to live and work in.

UK, Ireland / What's So Great About The UK? [416]


Actually,the genteel pace of life can still be found in many villages and towns throughout the UK but less than in the past due to most people now driving cars.Also,despite the rise in violence between young teenagers and the general rise in bad behavior Britain still has a low violent crime rate (much lower than the USA and lower even than Australia).I do agree with you about the "Heat Magazine" generation.

UK, Ireland / What's So Great About The UK? [416]


The Polish I know have mostly told me that working full time in Poland they could not afford a car,holidays,or technical gadgets.Obviously,it depends what part of Poland they lived in and their individual circumstances.

UK, Ireland / What's So Great About The UK? [416]


Shelley,are you aware that for 300 years Britain colonised India etc and became hugely rich from it.Have you seen the photos of the millions of Indian soldier volunteers(many based in Britain)who fought for Britain in the 1st and 2nd World Wars? Unfortunately some people seem too ignorant to understand the difference between good migrants and bad ones.

UK, Ireland / What's So Great About The UK? [416]


Absolute nonsense.Drugs are brought in by Jamaicans,Columbians,Nigerians,Albanians,Turks,British as well as Indians and Pakistanis.


Like I said - parts of Asia and Britain are connected by history and culture.
Shelley if someone from Asia can never be British then should the millions of Brits in USA,Australia,Canada,Spain,New Zealand etc always be considered as unwelcome immigrants in those countries? How can a British person go to Australia and declare themselves Australian when the real Australians are the Aborigines? Your comments are as ignorant as the anti-Polish ones on this forum.

UK, Ireland / What's So Great About The UK? [416]


Certainly Pakistanis do bring in drugs but according to the statistics very little by Indians.


Perhaps you heard that 'curry' is quite popular in Britain - one of several things that unites Britain with parts of Asia.


This sheer double standard is impressive!
Millions of British immigrants can live all over the world and be considered a part of those nations because hundreds of years ago Britain forcibly conquered them!

Yet, according to you,if a British person in Britain marries someone from Asia (who could be from Japan,China,Thailand as well as India etc)then they have no right to comment on 'Britishness'.So Shelley,if your partner was Polish would that prevent you expressing your views on Britishness?

Regarding the original post 'Whats so special about the UK?' I could make a long list of all the cultural and other achievements that make the UK proportionately the greatest nation on the planet.If anyone cares I will find time to do it.

UK, Ireland / What's So Great About The UK? [416]


Britain made the highest number of cars in its history last year.Both the Mini and Rolls Royce achieved record sales in 2008.One third of the passenger planes on earth are made in Britain.The designs and skills are British but the owners are foreign.Does this matter?When they were British owned all they did was lose money and productivity.

Britain is ahead of other nations in this game.The French and Italians are still throwing away money on their loss making industries.
Hollywood has more British actors,directors etc than at any other time.Of the top 10 most successful international films of the last 5 years,6 of them were based on British literature (Lord Of The Rings,Harry Potter etc).Even the latest film(Sweeney Todd) is a British story.

When I look at the state of some UK cities today and compare them to the sad state they were in back in the 1970s I can say for sure that things are better now.

Wake up Shelley the UK is still great.


That should have read 2007

UK, Ireland / What's So Great About The UK? [416]


Cheer up Shelley! Obviously people have different experiences of life and mine is that apart from bad behavior (lack of respect,anti-social behavior,scroungers etc-which can be put right over time) I feel many things are better now than they were in the 1970s.

UK, Ireland / What's So Great About The UK? [416]


I rate a country by more than just the economy.....

UK, Ireland / The Poles are Coming documentary [38]


The Daily Mail mentality pisses off lots of people including most British people

UK, Ireland / Are the Poles in England hated? [450]

I am English and have been working alongside Polish people for 3 years.What I can tell you is that in the South East of England the Polish are certainly not hated.Employers like them because they are mostly reliable and hard workers.The only complaints earlier were about the sheer number that turned up in the first 2 years (estimated at 750000-1 million) which meant some British workers felt a minority in their companies.There are the moaners and whingers who complain about everything - but that is part of British culture for some(to moan no matter how good life is).In general you will find people have no problem with Polish people - they are making a positive contribution to Britain and most supermarkets now stock Polish food.Also,ignore newspapers like the Daily Mail and Daily Express-they do not reflect the feelings of most British people.

UK, Ireland / Immigrants in Peterborough [9]


To be fair she was probably born in Britain.If someone born in Britain has Polish,Italian,German,French or Russian parents they are considered British.If someone born in Britain has Carribean/African/Indian parents,has a British accent,likes British sport,music etc and is culturally British they are often still not considered British.I wonder why?

UK, Ireland / Queue to leave broken Britain [59]


With your attitude you are in for a nasty shock once you arrive in NZ.Crime,anti-social behavior,family breakdown & non-white people are as common over there as here.

UK, Ireland / Queue to leave broken Britain [59]


I do partly agree with you on this but.....nations with lower taxes have fewer services and facilities and you will find plenty of Kiwis struggling with low incomes and high bills.I will wait for the election because having lived in other countries and despite its faults Britain really is head & shoulders above other nations in so many ways.

UK, Ireland / Queue to leave broken Britain [59]


The problem with these "millions of British people" is that they have never lived and worked in other countries and believe everything they read in the Daily Mail.If they had they would discover that taxes,corruption and crime exist everywhere.NZ has a higher suicide & murder rate than Britain plus plenty of other problems.Some people prefer it because it is empty of people compared to the UK.There are

sh!thole towns here but also plenty of great,excellent towns/villages/cities.

UK, Ireland / Queue to leave broken Britain [59]

Spot on isthatu

UK, Ireland / Are the Poles in England hated? [450]


You might notice The Daily Mail does not care about the £billions that British tourists spend overseas or of the £billions that retired UK folk spend overseas.

UK, Ireland / hospitals in the uk [34]

I see plenty of native British people leave public toilets without washing their hands.Same at my workplace-it used to shock me but basically if people are too lazy and ignorant to care about hygeine it can be hard to change their attitude.

UK, Ireland / The Independent about Poles in the UK: "Poles are under attack." [83]

Italy has 60 right wing anti-immigrant MPs(Members of Parliament).Other European countries have them too.Britain has non.
Yes there are English idiots and the Daily Mail/Express spread myths & rumours (their golden age was the 1920s when the rich could do whatever they wanted and the British working class were like slaves)-but there are idiots in every nation.

The fact is Britain is a better place for Polish workers than most other countries.

UK, Ireland / What's So Great About The UK? [416]


Here we go again....
Millions of Brits have poured into Spain,NZ,Australia,USA etc and losers are moaning about the Poles who come to Britain,work hard,pay taxes,don't get scroungers benefits and do the jobs that locals think they are too good for.

UK, Ireland / Polish teenager murdered after arriving in UK [117]


I agree totally with the above.I also feel this is one of the most horrific crimes of recent years - a hard working decent family and an innocent daughter suffering depravity like this is the stuff of nightmares.

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


Absolute rubbish.Other European countries also have extreme anti-immigrant political parties which are more mainstream and far more popular than anything here in the UK.

UK, Ireland / Survey on life in the UK, Sweden and Ireland [35]


There is British working class culture and British middle class culture.Sometimes they crossover.
For hundreds of years binge drinking has been part of this culture.Its not new - historical accounts from 200 years ago report both men and women drunkenly fighting in the streets of Britain.There are plenty of other aspects of british culture besides the yob traditions-go to many villages in England and you will see cricket being played on the village green/the traditional pub etc...

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


I disagree.What the Daily Mail was doing was running stories with headlines about
'Polish Migration' accompanied by photos of Romanian/Albanian gypsies begging for money.It was a deliberate attempt to turn their small minded readers(many of whom have never met Polish people) against Poles.

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


I do understand this as a British person who has lived in several places I often find the foreign people or even British born children/grandchildren of immigrants far more welcoming than the native English.This can be quite isolating at times but also means the English tend to leave foreigners alone and not bother them(unlike some countries).

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


You seem to have plenty of time to spend on Polishforums!

UK, Ireland / All That Manners Business [I'm Polish, moved to UK as an au pair.] [87]


As others have said you will not change this woman.She is envious and narrow minded and has probably had an easier life than you.The only advice I would give is to see her as little as is possible so at least you don't get upset too often.Not an ideal solution but its either that or avoid her all together/or have a massive arguement to clear things up (a last resort)

UK, Ireland / All That Manners Business [I'm Polish, moved to UK as an au pair.] [87]


I think you will find this is now normal for most younger people throughout the entire western world and elsewhere!