Negative attitude towards Polish immigration in UK becoming stronger

I am a working class English guy from Blackpool and I am experiencing the social effects of eastern European immigration first hand. I have respect for Polish people; I have a few Polish work mates and have had a few Polish girlfriends (including one that lived with me for about 6 months). Last year in Blackpool we had about 6000 polish people living and working in Blackpool for the season which spans from April to November. According to our local newspaper we are expecting 15000 in 2007. The polish that come to Blackpool are mostly students in their 20’s. Blackpool has been very welcoming towards them since they started to arrive in 2004. Our local paper has a Polish journalist and even one of our popular nightclubs has a Polish night every Tuesday. I know that most English working class people in Blackpool do actually regard polish people as friends. Although recently I’ve noticed that the attitudes are changing rapidly. It is becoming clear that the only reason they come here is souly for money. They work for the season, save up loads of money (because they are sharing a 3 bedroom house with about 15 people, go home for 3 months get all of their tax back and then return again when the season starts again. Most foreign workers don’t even like the town yet they are coming back year after year and doing the same. I have never had a penny back from the tax man and I’ve got to stay here all winter and try my hardest to survive. The main thing that is annoying fallow English workers in low end jobs is that the Polish are coming out of this much better than us and they are making it hard for us to find work other jobs.

This will not be going forever. You are helping us now. We will help You in the future.

I'm sorry so the problem is one of 'jealousy'?? Because they have more favourably tax benefits?
It's supply and demand. If vacancies can be filled by local people they will be. But they can't. We don't have enough people in England who want to work in the service industries.


Of course they do, it's not a holiday. It's the same as millions of students and immigrants the world over. They get experience also of course.

This really is a tired old arguement. People are people. End of story. It's pure luck where you are born and everyone has to do the best for themselves and their families...

I forgot to point out that companies get £50 a week for each immigrant they take on. Why can't a company get £50 a week for taking on an unemployed native person? This makes foreign workers more preferably. All I'm doing is telling you how most people in my town are thinking. Polish immigrants may be contributing to the town but and the end of the day they are making the rich richer and making life for the common laborer VERY HARD. Nobody blames the Polish (I would do the same if I had the same opportunity to do so) but the government needs to restrict the influx now.

I'm going to UK in a few months :)

where are you going, G?

I don't know yet.

i hear blackpool is nice...

In Poland unemployed foreighners gets their welfare help equal in sum from their own country. And there are many of them.

Blackpool, the government is somebody you need to address in this situation:). Why don't you do it?

Seriously ?

well... wouldnt want to say anything bad about the place but i wouldnt go there to hang out...

if you want a costal town then you could do a lot worse than bournemouth... now thats a place i would be hapy to live and work...

Ah. memories of the town. where I spent my formative years. All those Swedish girls in the language schools :)

place is on my list of favourite cities... for many reasons... not just the international students... :)

There are Swedish girls ? :)

Of course, and Norwegian, and Polish, and Czech, and Chinese, and Thai and......it's the UK after all

I was going back a few years to my youth when Bournemouth was the main centre for English Language schools outside of London. Buuba's right though it is a really nice place to live. It's on the coast and has some great nightlife. I don't go back now very much now that my parents are both dead.

bournemouth is a leading destination for english students... so yes... its possible you will meet swedish girls... among others... :)

And to get back on topic I haven't got a clue what the attitudes of Bournemouth people is to Polish immigration. The one word you will hear there is 'grockle' - anybody who doesn't live there, especially holidaymakers :)

I am English and live in London with my Polish bf. We went to Blackpool on holiday and he loved it.. I think it was mainly the trams that did it.. he would love to move there.. is there much work for painters? .. .. Anyway, Im sure you dont need another Pole.. Seriously though, I think BlackpoolUK has a fair point. The government does need to do something about the huge influx of immigrants.. as racial tension is increasing in many regions.. and I think its worse outside of the Capital.

Negative attitude? – Blackpool, Bournemouth?

First, let me assure blackpool_uk that I am sympathetic on a personal basis.

Finding and maintaining regular employment in the UK is not easy. I have not had a permanent staff job since 1976 when I finished at college and no longer needed day-release for a course.

Mass redundancies have been the worst situations both nationally and locally, but the survivors, are those who identify their strengths and work to them.
I have been on night school courses in the 1970’s and 1980’s to make sure that my skills are sufficient for my chosen field (engineering). I am entirely self taught in computing, yet write spreadsheet calculations to make my job easier.

I believe that versatility is vital for employment in the 21st Century and that most economic immigrants possess: a good work ethic and flexibility. They are prepared to leave all their previous aspirations and “start at the bottom” if that is what it takes to earn a living.

Any British worker, manual or otherwise should realise that our entire economy is under threat as Asian economic power increases. So ask yourself: what can I do better than immigrants? And if that means offering to train them to do your job, or to learn a new skill where native English gives you an edge, then that is what you have to do.

If ultimately, this means working among British expatriates in Spain (and learning Spanish), then there are two choices: actively seek work or sit and complain.

There will always be special circumstances, but I know how it feels to be out of work with no income, benefits or allowances whatsoever, with a family to support, a mortgage and just £50 in the bank. You can sit and cry, or you can look for work, no matter what it takes or where it leads. I survived and I am stronger because of the experience.

There will always be economic migrants and in future, we all may meet up in a Conversational Mandarin evening class – whatever it takes.

Bubbawoo is right about the language schools but is forgetting about the majority of inhabitants - Bournemouth is mostly one of “God’s waiting rooms” on the south coast – full of wrinklies and crumblies – but they have money, need jobs done, and the weather is much better than Blackpool.

Great post. The age of jobs for life has long since disappeared. Continuous career development should no longer be the aim of the few but of all of us. The pace of change in the world economy and in technology is such that we have to forge out in new directions, to take some risks and not look for safe alternatives that , outside the ever growing Civil Service, no longer exist.

Your experience should be a lesson to all of us.

at the end of the day it's the goverments fault.the uks only a small country and can't take everyone in from the world.

We can't have an open door policy anymore. enough is enough.What i'm saying is that we should learn from the government's mistaken planning over Poland.

our governement must allow polish, Bulgarians and Romanians to work in uk if they have been contracted to do so before arrival. And, of course, students and self-employed workers face no restrictions in any EU country.

So you want to kick out yourself and your camel relatives ?

What about the others? Russians, Germans, French, Spanish, people from Africa. They are here too. Have you started to build concentration camps already?

Pole fights for life after beating in Edinburgh

2007-02-06, 11:35 - Article about beaten Polish worker..

uk_ dude is a half Pakistani male virgin... seriously.

OK, buddy. But I will keep an eye on him anyway. Stupid questions needs stupid answers.


So, stop blaming Poles for everything. Look around and you`ll see that Africa is already here.

We are not welcoming any more pakistani & poles in UK
tooooooooooo many here...

Yet, isn’t hire but, in Germany and France (on the first place- if we speak about today`s Europe).

If somebody tries to tell me that it is multiculturalism, I say in advance: `No, it’s not. It’s suicide and fatal connection with Semitic/Black heritage of Western Europe because of Egyptian, Carthaginian, Moor, Greek and Roman penetration and occupation, in antiquity and later.

It’s not even hospitability because we know that Slavs are far most hospitable White people but, in the same time we want to preserve our physical appearance, our spirit and heritage. There is nothing wrong with that.

NOTE: Greeks and Romans were product of mix between Semito-Black intruders and native Whites. Their descendents were Teutons, Englishman’s, Spaniards, Abanians... (on one word- falso West) and all of them hate Slavs because Slavs stayed loyal to White Garden (to ancestors).

So, final conclusion: Western Europe is spiritually loyal to non-European heritage and that’s why THEY tend to combine with their oppressors (it’s old complex).

It’s OK with me if that is their choice but, THANKS BUT NO THANKS, that’s not for Slavs.

... and, I said- false West because true Western (if insist on that word) culture was born on Slavic Balkan (Vinca and Lepenski Vir culture).

That`s how it is.