370,000 migrants on the dole. Really?

Got this piece sent in today that makes an interesting reading. It lends credence to the article I wrote and shared with you on this Blog last week with the headline “Bashing the Immigrants”. Please read on and feel free to send in your comments on it.

“For those of you who’ve awoken to today’s misleading article by the Telegraph entitled ‘370,000 migrants on the dole‘, and the equally bad piece by Chris Grayling, we thought we’d get out a quick post to try to clear up some of the poor reporting around this issue.

1. The DWP report counts British citizens amongst the 370,000 figure. As such the real figure for numbers claiming benefits is likely to be far LOWER (p.3 of the report). Indeed if you read on in the report the suggestion is that the figure could be cut by over a half  (p.11) thus giving a more accurate actual figure of 199,800 i.e. out of the 5 and 1/2 million people claiming benefits that would work out at around 3.2% of total claimants.

2.  The percentage of what is classified as ‘non nationals’ for benefit purposes shows that  migrants actually proportionally claim far  LESS in the way of benefits than UK nationals. The rate for so called UK nationals is 16.6 % and for foreign nationals it’s 6.6 % (see page 4 of the report).

3. The report and statistics are not confined to  ’dole’ benefits’ and instead also cover Disability Living Allowance, Carers Allowance, Bereaved (widow’s benefit), Pension Credit, and others, so that yet further lowers the figure for so called ‘dole claims’.

4. The report shows that there’s a staggering LOW Fraud for benefit claims by ‘foreign nationals’ (p.11) in the region of around 2%.

5. Non- EEA migrants are not generally entitled to ANY non-contribution based benefits, and Brits in the EU have reciprocal entitlements to benefit claims in those countries. Moreover, why shouldn’t migrants who’ve worked and contributed to the UK through taxation on their income be it as salaried or self employed people, claim benefits when they fall upon hard time just like anyone else?

6. Statistics from various  research reports   tend to show that migrants are NET CONTRIBUTORS to the PUBLIC PURSE

7. More generally migrants also bring in a load of other benefits to the UK including the relocation of large companies. Indeed the Migration Advisory Committee previously found extensive evidence from Japanese companies such as Hitachi, Honda and Mitsubishi that if these companies were prevented from recruiting workers from Japan; they would have to scale back their UK operations significantly. On average, for every one Japanese national, these companies employ 73 UK residents.”

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BASHING THE IMMIGRANTS

Immigrants have been bashed by a certain section of the society these days so much to that they have apparently become punch-drunk.

Immigrants are seen by certain people as the devil incarnate to the point that they are quick to blame them for every ills of the society. When the sun fails to shine on time it’s the fault of the Immigrants. When their dog barks continuously, it is the fault of the Immigrants. Even when they went on their usual binge drinking and wakes up with a hangover the next day, yes you’ve guessed it, Immigrants are to blame.

What I find rather confusing is the fact that Immigrants that are meant to supposedly be taking up jobs meant for the lazy work-shy of the society are also being blamed for milking the welfare system. What an oxymoron!

How a set of people who are perceived as taking over most of the jobs meant for the populace are at the same time being accused of choosing not to work and living off the state is beyond logic.

A section of the media ran a headline last week screaming “One British job is lost for every four Immigrants”. It attributed its story to a survey carried out by the Migration Advisory Commission. Yet, in the same report, Migration Advisory Commission confirms what most sensible people had believed all along that Migrants pay more in tax than they use in services.

The following day, the same media ran a story about some graduate suing the government for having ‘the audacity’ to force them to work at Poundland. This is the same type of jobs Immigrants are being accused of taking off British “jobseekers”. Jobs that the “Brits” considered beneath them to take up. Any wonder then that “One British job is lost for every four Immigrants”?

I have read many statements from employers, people that know better concerning the issue of the so-called “One British job (that is being) lost for every four Immigrants” that the reason for this is simply about work ethics.

Immigrants are habitual hardworking people. Their motive is simply to work hard to earn their living in order to take care of their family (home and away). And employers (I believe) rightly recognise this trait in them. I also believe firmly that anyone that travels thousands of miles to a foreign land to earn a living will display similar trait; else their journey will turn out fruitless.

It is a known fact, whether some people believe it or not, that Immigrants do contribute a lot to the economy of this country and it is high time we all wake up to this reality and stop this xenophobia permeating the fabric of our society.

History is littered with facts of how in the 1950s the Government actively encouraged immigration to help rebuild the UK after the 2nd World War.

Britain even invited large numbers of Immigrants from the West Indies and Ireland to help rebuild Britain after the Second World War.

It is also a well known historical fact that Protestant Huguenots from France came to Britain to escape religious persecution in the 16th and 17th Centuries.

A large number of Jewish Migrants also came to the United Kingdom between 1880 and 1910 to escape violence at home.

And in the 1970s, Britain admitted approximately 28,000 of Indian Migrants fleeing war in Uganda and about 22,000 of Refugees from South East Asia.

What I am saying is that Britain is - and has always been - proud of its tradition of providing a safe haven for people fleeing persecution and conflict.

All the people mentioned in the historical facts above are Immigrants. Which begs the question: If Immigrants were good and essential for this country then, why not now?

On the flip side of the coin however, many corporations in this country have outsourced many of their jobs abroad to places like India and the like. These Immigrant bashers don’t seem to see anything wrong with this policy and the attendant loss of revenue in taxes. Yet it is Immigrants who are working and paying taxes into our economy that is being maligned.

The National Institute of Economic and Social Research - a highly respected institute charged with the responsibility of researching into the Economic and Social activities of this country - finds in its research that immigration has little or no effect on unemployment, yet some people still believe the crazy and illogical theory that reducing immigration is the antidote to reducing the inherent high level of unemployment. How bizarre.

If there is one thing this country is known for around the globe, it is its hospitality and tradition of providing a safe haven for people fleeing persecution and conflict. Its ability to embrace peoples of different Race, Culture, Religion, Ethnicity etc. That is why London, for example, is the most cosmopolitan city in the world. It is a shame however, that this is now in danger of being eroded by this new found culture of Immigrant bashing.

I think it is high time that all well-meaning people of this great country rise up to defend the very tradition that this country is known for and put a stop to this Migrant bashing nonsense forever.

Feedbacks: Readers are free to send feedbacks on topics discussed on Migrants Watch, their experience on immigration matter or topics they would like to appear on this page by emailing: migrantswatch@hotmail.co.uk