Re: The things you hear.
 

To a degree Chris is correct, I had marvellous Muslim neighbours in Australia, and perhaps most in Britain are the same. However given time it is possible that Christians will become the minority in Britain, it has already been reported recently that the most popular name for a male baby here is now Mohammad.

As for space, Britain is extremely limited, and the more immigrants come here, the greater the demand for living space. Our green fields are diminishing, and while many people who live in villages in country regions don't currently see any impact on their idyllic lifestyles, other villages and towns are faced with an exposion of estates on their doorsteps. We only have to go through history to see how things have changed, and if huge numbers of people in other countries where income and opportunities are limited, believe Britain's streets are paved with gold so they are desperate to come here, our whole British society will be changed beyond recognition.

Country folk need to spend time in London or our other industrial cities to experience the changes. These places are a different world, and while immigrants who legally work here might make beneficial contributions, the overall pressure on our services particularly the NHS has become desperate.

Germany is a dynamic nation, but it is also finding that immigrants are piling pressure on services, our relatively small countries can't keep an open door policy for ever without serious consequences.

Thus the things we hear are the things we should bear in mind, not close our ears to it all.

Re: The things you hear.
 

I thought the open door policy for immigrants was for immigrants from Europe, who are primarily white, European, and of Christian heritage? Immigrants from Muslim countries are subject to stringent and expensive applications and have to qualify ... No?

Another thing. Yes, there is an explosion of new housing estates in cities and small towns throughout the country. This is eating up green fields, changing the nature of many towns, putting pressure on infrastructure such as roads, the NHS etc. But why is there a demand for new starter houses, small flats etc? I think it is as much to do with the demand for second homes, holiday rentals, the buy to let and similar phenomena as it is to do with immigration.

Re: The things you hear.
 

Many illegal immigrants come from North Africa and the Middle East, and to the shame of Britain's border authorities, they enter the country and disappear. There are varying reports from 50,000 to 175,000 who have been "misplaced" by the Home Office, and it is likely there are many more who have not been detected, so were never recorded.

There is a demand for starter homes and small flats etc because our younger residents grow up and require their own homes. Of course with the demand for second homes it is because there is spare cash around, and this further attracts immigrants.

Re: The things you hear.
 

Sure, but illegal immigration is not an open door policy. The government needs to properly fund the border agencies and law enforcement. That is a budget priority issue.

Of course there is a demand for starter homes as young people start families and jobs and need their own homes. It is directly related to existing houses no longer being available for families because they have become second homes, commercial holiday cottages, and pieds a terre in England for oil sheiks, Russian oligarchs etc. etc.

Re: The things you hear.
 

And that has been debunked as untrue and completely meaningless even if it were accurate.

Re: The things you hear.
 

Piper is from Game of Thrones? I always assumed it was because young people these days named their children after aircraft (Bristol, Piper, Heinkel..) or airports (Logan, Kennedy, O'Hare etc.) Weird that Muslims are so traditional!

Re: The things you hear.
 

Piper is from Orange is the New Black.

Re: The things you hear.
 

There is plenty of space in Britain. Even if we didn't build on the beautiful Devon countryside, there are vast tracts of non-descript land all over the country, especially in the North. Agree on the need for more controlled immigration, but that seems to be starting to happen now, anyway.

Re: The things you hear.
 

While being in complete agreement with the sentiment of part of the post, the "especially in the North" remark rankles a good deal.

I wonder if hard-Shard has ever ventured so far?

Re: The things you hear.
 

Have lived in Scotland so often had to drive through the desolate North.

Re: The things you hear.
 

So you think you can easily build new towns, villages etc in the "desolate"
north of the country
Who will be paying for all this work? Then you will need to provide all the social
services to cater for these people. Who will pay for all this?
I suppose you will say build some more factories,etc.
You folks live in the land of nod.
I bet you all live in very nice areas. As far away from the plebs as possible.
If this lunacy carries on there are always gated compounds to reside in.

You will think I am a complete nutter no doubt, but until we exit the corrupt
eu we cannot control our own destiny.
Oh,BTW, will anyone give me an answer to the question I asked, namely,
At what level of population should we say enough is enough?

Re: The things you hear.
 

You sound a bit like someone of the belief that charity begins at home.

So maybe do something about the corruption in government and big business at home first? Redistribute some of that power and wealth so it's not just in the hands of 'the few' for example.

Re: The things you hear.
 

"Who will be paying for all this work?" Easy. When Barratts or Persimmon build a development of houses, their investment is eventually paid for when the houses are sold. Infrastructure to support the new population is paid for by elements the developer agrees to put in place as a quid pro quo to being granted planning permission, council tax and other fees the new residents pay, and subventions from county and national government agencies as appropriate. Obviously, the new residents are taxpayers (income tax, stamp duty, VAT, etc. etc.)

"What level of population should we say enough is enough?" Sorry don't know.

Re: The things you hear.
 

There are no vast tracts of nondescript land in Britain, try Australia, Canada, Russia and China. You can drive hundreds of miles in Australia's outback and not see any signs of civilisation or other vehicles.

Re: The things you hear.
 

Well, depends on the definitions of "vast" and "nondescript." What is certainly true is that there is significant acreage of brownfield sites in the UK, all the way from major cities and suburbs to small rural towns. Much of this awaits redevelopment, limited only by planning and environmental considerations, and, of course, developers' judgements as to when the market is ripe.

For instance, a town I know in North Nofolk, there's a prime site near the railway station, relatively small, maybe ten acres. Factory/ warehouse on the site has been vacant and derelict for at least twenty years. Now a very desirable development of about 150 homes is under construction. The developer ironed out the bargain with the local council last year, and judged the time was ripe in terms of demand for homes. Probably there are tens of thousands of such sites throughout the UK.