Not quite true. 15 years ago you had to prove financial/health cover but they dropped that for some reason for a few years until the new EU residency law came in and then they opted to reintroduce it together with the registration procedure rather that the residencia card which was scrapped under the new EU law.

It does seem crazy, but the truth is that it is almost impossible to throw them out if they don't meet the required criteria - it's the same in Spain. In the UK they would not be able to claim benefits and in Spain there aren't any! Maybe that's the answer - scrap all benefits in the UK and no one would want to come.

So near enough no change in 25 years other than the Residencia card replaced with a piece of paper.

As for your scrapping benefits suggestion, tin hats on !

A few weeks ago the Labour MP Alan Johnson brought up the very point that the whole issue re benefits and health care in the UK was that UK was residency based whereas most EU countries was contribution based. He is the only politician to say this openly he also said there was nothing to stop the UK doing the same, the EU have also said this, however it would also mean that the homegrown freeloaders that have never paid anything in would also get nothing. Hence nothing more has been mentioned on the obvious issue. As for stopping the initial Eastern Europeans flooding in well thank you Mr Blair and New Labour as they said only a few thousand would come!

If you lose your job it's great to have some kind of security, but having a residency based system like the UK will never work.

You'll always have people abusing the system, so the only way forward is to have a contribution system, or only pay benefits if people help the community.

There's enough rubbish on the streets (litter, chewing gum etc.), so only pay if people work for the council, By doing that, you could actually reduce the council tax rate for the honest worker.

Absolutely spot on. This is really the heart of the matter. No Uk government would have the guts to change the welfare model to contribution based.

What amazes me is that this subject has not been more prominent in the whole EU debate - it doesn't sit comfortably with our politicians.

As for the argument that EU 'freedom of movement' is a level playing field - that is complete and utter rubbish. Comparitively very few Brits claim benefits when living abroad - a large number are self sufficient and are not even competing for jobs!

No UK government wants the public to know that in reality the answer to many of the complaints is in the hands of the government. Of course to make any such changes to benefit system would be political suicide so easier to let the public blame the EU. That was why I was pleased Johnson said it.

I also agree that much is made by the government of how many Brits use freedom of movement to move to Spain. As you say ignoring that most of them are retired and totally self sufficient. Apart from health cover for those on state pension, which of course is paid by the UK anyway.
Fact is they don't actually want the public to know the real facts.
You never hear that they could invoke the same 90 day rule with the requirement to prove sufficient income and medical cover etc as the likes of Spain. All the main parties like to hide the truth. At least Cameron has stuck to offering a referendum which is more than Blair/Brown did. Of course we have Farrage who just puts every ill that ever be fell the UK down to the EU and will not accept change but just out.

I do a bit of voluntary work for the NHS and only the other day got into conversation with a bloke who was a volunteer porter. I found out something I was not aware of from him. Many are not really volunteers they are put there as part of unpaid work placement in order to get dole. This bloke had even had his benefit sanctioned while doing this for " not doing enough job searching" obviously I don't know the full story behind that. He was less than complimentary about the Tory Government ( I could not print his words on here). But I thought well you are relatively young (mid 40's) fit and able so why shouldn't you contribute in some way to society to receive benefit ?

It might be happening more in the UK these days and probably depends on the officer dealing with the case. We have similar in Ireland and the state will even offer people a bit more money if they do something, but it's still too easy for people to avoid it. There's nothing wrong doing a bit of work, especially if you are young and healthy.

Couldn't agree more.

Another question has occurred to me.

With the Uk's completely different welfare model, I'd like to know who the hell was responsible for getting us in this mess. Surely our negotiators should have had the foresight to predict how 'freedom of movement' could affect the Uk. Whoever agreed to the Treaty in question - they were either too thick or naive enough to think that the inevitable would never happen.

The great British public don't know and don't want to know. The workshy just want someone to blame for them now having to do something to get benefit rather than previously when they could make the lifestyle choice of not working and living off the working people's contributions. Initially the EU was a more level playing field with countries of similar wealth. The big issue came when they over expanded bringing in the much poorer ex soviet countries common sense would say they would come in droves but Tony Blair and co couldn't see that. Or maybe be could but could also see his much hoped for Presidency of Europe which thankfully didn't come off. He would have signed us up to anything to have achieved that.

The UK mentality is at best hypocritical and at worst full of discrimination and selfishness - fuelled by fear, panic and the ridiculous scaremongering of the trashy media and self opinionated politicians in the UK

The benefit system is a joke and abused by many more Brits than foreigners - a complete overhaul is needed

In work benefits are even worse and they should be all scrapped across the board any allowances should be included in tax codes so you get reward for working and reduced taxes

A common welfare benefit system across the EU is an good solution as is a common EU NHS based health care system for all EU citizens

A new welfare EU or UK system should only help those who need it and weed out the scroungers

A good basic model for this is the 4 country union of the UK. Why cant this be rolled out across a larger union i.e. the EU

At the end of the day even if the UK stays in EU then EU workers will still come to UK and will eventually get the befits they want even if it takes 4 years - so the UK will have a small short term saving

An exit will not stop non EU migrants coming and the UK will still be the utopia for many and the UK will still have the multitudes of multi generation UK citizens who are benefit scroungers - so nothing will really change either way.