not2old

are you concerned about any of this?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25549715

"All Bulgarian and Romanian citizens will be free to live and work in the UK after temporary controls in place since 2007 expire on Wednesday.

The UK has not released forecasts of migrant numbers but campaigners say up to 50,000 people a year could come."

mikelincs

That is the significant word, they could also all stay where they are, move to France, Germany, Spain etc, all of which have the same or similar stories. By campaigners I suppose you mean a few Tory MPs, UKIP, and readers of the DM.

chris955

Am I concerned? No not in the slightest to be honest.

mikelincs

Neither am I, and I live in the UK.

chris955

The gutter press and those with an agenda will have us believe its the end of the world as we know it and those with even half a brain will be able to see the reality.

not2old

Ignoring the gutter press - just in your small world, do you believe the influx of the new EU citizens into the UK, no matter how many there are, will they directly have an impact or affect your daily life in any way (for the better or worse) in the next twelve months?

and from the gutter press, could this mean more than expected Eastern Europeans will arrive in the UK

Hundreds of thousands from outside the EU will be eligible to work in Britain from today because of a passport giveaway by Bulgaria and Romania.

It will give some of the poorest in Europe the right to live and work here.
Bulgaria and Romania are offering national status to minority or ethnic groups living in non-EU states including Moldova, Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine and Turkey.

chris955

No I dont think it will impact my life one way or the other. The gutter press like the Daily Mail love to tell us all what MIGHT happen and ignore what probably will happen.

rebeccajo

Earlier today I listed to an interview of a gentlemen from Migration Watch regarding the expected numbers. They can't give any. The interview was really hilarious. According to this expert, there is a "definite possibility" of the UK being over-run.

I think this good gentleman surely had waffles for breakfast.

BritInParis

A lot of hysteria and misrepresentation or ignorance of the facts. Even the BBC isn't immune.

Bulgarians and Romanians have had the right to live and work in the UK since 2007. Most of those who wanted to work in the UK are already here in certain specified industries or self-employed. The only change being made is that they are now free to take any job. However with the UK economy not being nearly as buoyant as it was in 2004 and the rising cost of living working in the UK doesn't work out as nearly as good a deal as it used to.

Also, unlike in 2004 when only the UK, Ireland and Sweden failed to impose transitional work restrictions on Poland and the other A8 countries, the rest of Western Europe is also lifting their restrictions today. Therefore there are far fewer potential migrants with a far greater range of countries to choose.

Those who do come will be working in the same low-paid, low-skilled jobs that employers cannot fill at the moment with British workers despite the high unemployment. They will work in factories, warehouses, farms and pubs for minimum wage.

dunroving

There's plenty of hysteria and ignorance on a similar thread on the US forum (Trailer Park),

BritInParis

Skimmed the first page and decided I wasn't even going to try and get involved!

dunroving

The irony of British emigrants being so anti-immigration is lost on them. I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry at some of the ignorant comments. Mind you, it is equal opportunity ignorance - now they're on to how lazy and shiftless anyone who lives north of the Watford Gap is.

rebeccajo

Some "assimilate" more so than others. Could be where they've chosen to live in the US. Could be the influence of their US "family" - if they've come on the family route. Could be how rotten they thought their life was in the UK.

I've never understood how people could be "anti migrant" when they are either migrants themselves or married to one. But it seems to be part of the culture.

chris955

I had a German immigrant friend living in Australia carrying on to me about the bloody immigrants in Australia and how they get preferential treatment, it really was irony overload.

dunroving

The attitudes of some Brit expats towards eastern European immigrants reminds me a lot of attitudes I saw towards Hispanic immigrants in the US.

There's a very NIMBY-ish aspect to it. Even supposedly open-minded people can't consider the welfare of others without a strong self-interested concern with how it might affect them.