Dickens is my favourite author, yes we can't regress back to a time of great social inequality, extreme poverty, bleak industrial landscapes etc etc, but have you ever thought, that "migration", that is to use the catch all term for refugees and asylum seekers too; don't you think that that, is regressing our country, primarily for the people that need it most?? On one end of the scale you have the Tory government making austerity cuts left right and centre, (but mostly right, badum-tish), and then these only effect the most vulnerable like the sick and the out of work, that's not even up for debate - and on the other side of the scale these same people (call them "the working classes" if you will), are facing extreme competition for social housing and "unskilled" jobs from people from another country, who some people in society (and people usually higher up the social ladder, incidently) seem to think are somehow justified, it's about the priniciple of fairness, ulitmately, unfortuantely if your "lot" in life is to be a mechanic in Poland, then why not accept that? It's not like there's a huge difference in lifestyles, maybe there's a much better culture in the UK, maybe not, (and for the record Polish women are also very very beautfiul
mg: ), but why "should" people "jump the queue"? You woulldn't be allowed to do it in the dinner hall at school, so why here? Not economic migrants as such, only in terms of employment in blue collar industires, why do you think there's a correalation of unemployment with mass immigration?) my main gripe is social housing - as I am currently in the process of perhaps needing to rent a flat from the council due to my hosuing status, and I know as a single British male with no children I do not stand a chance, and (let's use the "immigrant" catch-all-term again for a second to include asylum seekers and refugees); how on earth should someone from another country be given precedence over someone who has lived, worked, and contributed their whole live? It's just not right, or is it, am I missing something? Now you wonder, where I lived up until a few weeks ago; Wythenshawe, Manchester - the largest housing estate in Europe at one time; somewhere with it's fair share of socio-economic problems, granted (but from my volunteering with the main social housing trust and community project I have seen the good side too, there are good and bad things and people everywhere). But, the hotel there (I'm not 100% sure if it's still the case), has been completely (and I mean the whole lot), used as a place to house Syrian refugees, talk about flaunting it in front of you). Now, the level of education in Wythenshawe (myself being an exception ho ho ho) isn't very high, there are very few graduates (I'm not orig. from there). But, the local people are pissed off about it, and some of them don't have the nuance (again a loose term) to insightfully rationalise the situation. There's a lot of Polish moved in, Arabs, and a hell of a lot of Africans. Now, where are the British people going to live? You get a pinch effect, a housing shortage occurs. "White flight" occurs. Devaluation of property occurs. Not "ghettoisation" as such as the minority population is a minortiy, but other areas of Manchester certainly.
My point being, you can't just give someone something they don't deserve or they're not entitled to, just because some people think it's "fair", or "cruel" not to do so, I am unsatisfied with life in the UK, can I get a beachside villa in Barbados???
You see my point?