Quote Originally Posted by Caravel
I wish it was, but unfortunately it isn't, and it would be naive to think so. Immigrants are not the problem here. The problem is a mass influx of unskilled labour in a country that already has far too much of this.
Well it should be simple, I agree with your statement though.

What is to stop a skilled professional coming to the UK, learning english and finding work? Nothing. Most inner cities have an element of illiterate white yobs that can barely string two words together, let alone write a sentence. Should we deport these?
We used to deport them. Seriously though, if we can't properly educate our own then we should close borders and spend a decade reverse paddling down **** creek, my major problem with "Make Poverty History" is the number of beggers on my local streets.

Most of the immigrants unable to speak english tend to be the elderly relatives of those with a resident visa. They have entered as dependant relatives. Such people are supported by their sponsor, i.e. the immigrant. They are not allowed to recourse to public funding. It is common in some cultures, especially asians, for people to support their elderly parents.
This is actually a problem in some areas, where migrants would bring in a whole load of dependants, as would their friends. Thats how you ended up with non-English areas in London. I don't believe dependants should be allowed to come unless they meet the same criteria as the migrant, the exception being wife and children.

Do you plan to supply them with a plastic george cross flag for their nissans, burberry caps, thongs for their daughters, a six pack of carling and a crash course in binge drinking and unprotected sex?
I was thinking in a more general way, queuing, pubs, not looking at other people on the tube. Again, this country should sort itself out before it lets anyone else into the madhouse.

You see I've never quite understood how someone can be deprived of a job? The way I see it is that you go for an interview and the best candidate wins? Fair enough we have too much unskilled labour as it is, and don't really need any more, but if there are jobs available that the' dole merchants' don't want to do, who's fault is that? If a professional physician entered the UK on a work visa and started working for the NHS he/she fits the "making useful contribution to the economy" thing, but is also, potentially, depriving a British doctor of his/her job. So really that statement makes no sense.
Good point, but you miss the fact a migrant will opten work for a lower wage and accept a lower standard of living than the government would provide the on the dole. Two seperate issues.

Well we'll have to agree to disagree on that one.
Quite happy to do that, so long as there is a dialogue.

I agree partially. Illegal immigrants see Britain as a soft touch. It is also highly debatable whether an individual is in fact a true asylum seeker fleeing opression or simply an economic migrant looking for a more priveleged life. I feel that all asylum applicants should first have to go to a British consular overseas for interview and to put their case, and gain, at least, some kind of entry clearance/permission to enter the UK, and after which be allowed passage, instead of paying people trafficers extortionate sums to smuggle them into the country to make their asylum claim. Whether this idea is good or not, it beats the current system which is ridiculously wasteful and complicated.
I can't actually see where you disagree there.