Campaign to deter Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants

[Zaune]

The Guardian

Ministerial consideration of launching a negative advertising campaign to deter Bulgarians and Romanians coming to work in Britain next year is "bordering on the farcical", Keith Vaz, the chairman of the Commons home affairs select committee, has said.

Vaz warned that such propaganda tactics had been used in the past and been found to be counterproductive.

The campaign, which would focus on the downsides of British life perhaps by suggesting jobs are scarce and it rains all the time, is one of a range of potential measures to stem immigration to Britain next year when curbs imposed on both country's citizens living and working in the UK will expire.

"I have asked the home secretary several times to give us an estimate as to how many Romanians and Bulgarians will enter the country in 2014 but she has not done so. Successive governments have failed to provide accurate estimates," said Vaz.

"On the one hand the Home Office doesn't want them in but on the other hand, the minister for Europe is saying there is freedom of movement. The government is actually in danger of encouraging more people to come … Ministers would be better off working with Romanian and Bulgarian counterparts and the EU to address the reasons migrants want to come here in the first place," he said.

The home secretary, Theresa May, has so far resisted making any estimate of how many Romanians and Bulgarians will come when the seven-year "transitional curbs" on them being able to work in the rest of the EU are lifted at the end of this year. However the Foreign Office has commissioned its own estimate from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research [NIESR].

Ministers have also set up a special cabinet committee which is looking at ways in which access for migrants from other EU countries working in Britain may have their access to public services restricted, including claiming welfare benefits when they become unemployed. But no firm conclusions have yet been reached as to how this can be done.

The prime minister's official spokesman declined to comment on the advertising campaign but confirmed the government was considering its options:

"The issue here is around dealing with potential damage to the UK labour market and potential scope for curbing immigration to that end. We are in the process of considering what we may be able to do. Clearly, there is a European legal framework within which we have to operate."

He said the experience of Polish migration showed how difficult it could be to provide a credible and robust numerical estimate. The Downing Street spokesman however confirmed that the NIESR had been commissioned to look at the potential impacts of Romanian and Bulgarian immigration to the UK.

A report over the weekend quoted one minister saying that a negative advertising campaign would "correct the impression that the streets here are paved with gold".

There was no word on how any advertisement might look or whether it would use the strategy of making Britain look as unattractive as possible or emphasise to would-be migrants the positive aspects of their own countries such as Romania's Carpathian mountains or Bulgaria's Black Sea resorts. With governments around the world spending millions on hiring London-based consultants to undertake "reputation laundering" there would be a peculiar irony if Britain chose to trash its own image perhaps by highlighting winter flooding of homes or the chaos of a Saturday night A&E ward.

There are precedents. In 2007, Eurostar ran advertisements in Belgium for its trains to London depicting a tattooed skinhead urinating into a china teacup. It remains unknown if any discussions have taken place over personalities who could carry off a similar exercise in anti-nation branding.

On Sunday a Downing Street source said: "It is true that options are being looked at but we are not commenting on the specific things mentioned … as obviously it is an ongoing process and we will bring forward any proposals in due course."

The source also said that the government did not think the rule changes would necessarily bring a big influx of people, since Romanians have closer links to Germany and Italy rather than Britain.

Other reported options include making it tougher for EU migrants to access public services. Another is to deport those who move to Britain but do not find work within three months.

The Home Office has not produced an official estimate of how many of the 29 million Romanian and Bulgarian citizens will take advantage of their new freedoms when controls are lifted.

Campaign groups such as MigrationWatch have predicted that 250,000 will come from both countries over the next five years, although these figures are disputed. One Tory MP, Philip Hollobone, has claimed that Romanian and Bulgarian communities will treble to 425,000 within two years.

These figures have been questioned by experts, because they are based upon the numbers of Poles and Czechs who moved to Britain in 2004. Then, only three countries opened their borders. This time, all of the 25 EU states will lift Labour market restrictions.

Buoyed by Cameron's offer of an in-out referendum, a growing number of Tory MPs now believe the UK should block the lifting of restrictions even if it were to prompt a row with the European commission.

The idea, however tentative, appears to clash with the billions of pounds Britain spent on the Olympics, partly to drive up the country's reputation. It also emerged as the Home Office launched a guide to Britishness for foreigners who would be citizens which opens with the words: "Britain is a fantastic place to live: a modern thriving society."

Fuck it, I'm going back to Canada.

[Grumman]

The campaign, which would focus on the downsides of British life perhaps by suggesting jobs are scarce and it rains all the time, is one of a range of potential measures to stem immigration to Britain next year when curbs imposed on both country's citizens living and working in the UK will expire.

Fuck it, I'm going back to Canada.

The system works!

[Hamstray]

Fuck it, I'm going back to Canada.

Wouldn't have noticed that it rains all the time if it hadn't been pointed out to you?

[Surlethe]

Yeah, fuck those poor eastern Europeans. We don't want their kind 'round here. They should stay where they belong, locked in poverty.

[Dr. Trainwreck]

Wot dis button do? *initiate self-smear campaign* Ooops, sorry boss.

Now if Britain actually does that... Once, the story goes, a cuckold cut off his own penis to spite his wife.

[Zaune]

Mildly off-topic, but my comment earned a Staff Highlight. I'm probably more proud of this than is entirely reasonable.

[Dominarch's Hope]

So Britian is still bigotted to hell, but only against fellow Europeans because thats still kosher?


The hell is wrong with you people?

[Dartzap]

Don't judge us by the bastards we didnt elect.

[Dominarch's Hope]

Would you like to apply that standard globally?

[Dartzap]

I was being slightly sarcastic. Insufficient smiley's I guess.

From what this article says, the Tories need not worry

Migrants paying gangs to smuggle them out of Britain
Illegal immigrants fleeing the authorities in Britain are paying criminal gangs to smuggle them out of the UK, the BBC's Panorama programme has found.
The migrants are charged as much as £1,500 for the chance to be taken to mainland Europe.

Some want to try their luck elsewhere in the EU instead of going to their home country, others are criminals.
The government said it is cracking down on organised immigration crime.

Using secret filming, Panorama reporter Paul Kenyon posed as a migrant from Moldova, which is outside the EU, who had no passport or documentation and who needed to leave the UK.
Disillusioned migrants

A gang member told the reporter he would be smuggled out to the French port of Calais in the back of a lorry with three or four others. The price for passage would be £1,500.
The man said the gang makes two or three similar trips a week and smuggling illegal migrants out of Britain is much easier than breaking in to the country.
The programme found three other gangs operating similar networks.
When Kenyon arrived at the appointed time to meet the smugglers, he and another man from India were driven through London's rush-hour traffic for two hours. They then reached another car that was to take them to meet a lorry bound for France.

The fellow passenger told the reporter that he was an illegal migrant to the UK and the increasing demand for documentation was the reason why he wanted to try to reach Spain and try life there.
The BBC was not prepared to hand over any money to the smugglers and confronted the man who had arranged the trip. The man, known as Munga, denied taking money in exchange for people smuggling.
Mark Harper, Minister of State for Immigration, said Britain is working with other European governments to tackle criminal gangs involved in the movement of migrants.

"One of the things we do with our colleagues in other, both EU countries and non-EU countries, is work closely internationally to try and crack down on these gangs who are committing organised immigration crime and preying on some of these vulnerable people."
'Ghosts'
There are no firm figures on the number of illegal migrants living in Britain, although in 2009 a London School of Economics study reported that there were at least 600,000.
The so-called "ghosts" are a mixture of failed asylum seekers who have not returned home and economic migrants living and working illegally in the UK.
Many first came to the UK on bogus students or tourist visas and overstayed in order to work.

In 2009, of all the non-EU students who came to Britain, the National Audit Office estimated that one in six - or between 40,000-50,000 - worked illegally instead. These bogus students led the government late last year to bar more than 500 colleges from taking non-EU foreign students.

Refugee support groups say migrants living beneath the radar are often driven by fear.

Dave Garratt from Refugee Action said in some instances, legitimate asylum seekers are having their claims rejected and are being driven to desperate measures.
"We see clients every day who are prepared to take up prostitution rather than return, prepared to take up criminal activity rather than return. In some cases prepared to take their own lives rather than return home," he said.

[madd0ct0r]

and ever helpful, the guardian sponsors an anti-immigration campaign:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/gallery/20 ... 52&index=0

[K. A. Pital]

Yeah, fuck those poor eastern Europeans. We don't want their kind 'round here. They should stay where they belong, locked in poverty.

This has been the official word since the crisis started; immigration laws have been tightened even way before that period. To maintain Heaven, the poor have to stay in Hell.

[Dominarch's Hope]

So Arab/African Muslims are let in, but Eastern Europeans get shafted? Is the warm and accepting multicultural deal only for those who look different too?

As an American, I dont sympathize or understand this racism against other Whites. It looks childish and primitive as hell.

[madd0ct0r]

As an american, you clearly don't understand how british immigration laws work Bakky.

once the country joins the EU, they are allowed free travel. no borders.
it will be a few decades yet before the EU borders reach around the top of north africa.

[Surlethe]

So Arab/African Muslims are let in, but Eastern Europeans get shafted? Is the warm and accepting multicultural deal only for those who look different too?

As an American, I dont sympathize or understand this racism against other Whites. It looks childish and primitive as hell.

But racism against non-white people - that totally makes sense, *I'm a smarmy asshole*

This has been the official word since the crisis started; immigration laws have been tightened even way before that period. To maintain Heaven, the poor have to stay in Hell.

It would probably be hyperbole to classify immigration restrictions as crimes against humanity, but not - I think - by too much. Amusingly, as we have discussed before, without strong restrictions on international capital flows, you cannot stop wages equalizing, so the racists still pay one way or another.

[Dominarch's Hope]

As an american, you clearly don't understand how british immigration laws work Bakky.

once the country joins the EU, they are allowed free travel. no borders.
it will be a few decades yet before the EU borders reach around the top of north africa.

....Im describing i from a pop culture point of view. Isnt Poland part of the EU? What about the other country?


And no, racism is not acceptable. But understanding it is entirely a different matter. I can understand why Jews and Muslims might dislike each other in the MidEast. I can understand Japan and all of its neighbors having issues.


I cant for the life of me get how white on white racism has continued. Minus maybe Slav/Germanic.


From my perspective, youre all 'white' and this bigotry against yourselve*s seems ludicrously paranoid.


*Not EVERYONE is obviosly though.

[Zaune]

It's really simple, actually. In these people's minds, you're either British or you're untermenschen.

[Stark]

And no, racism is not acceptable. But understanding it is entirely a different matter. I can understand why Jews and Muslims might dislike each other in the MidEast. I can understand Japan and all of its neighbors having issues.


I cant for the life of me get how white on white racism has continued. Minus maybe Slav/Germanic.


From my perspective, youre all 'white' and this bigotry against yourselve*s seems ludicrously paranoid.

You're just really ignorant. If you can make a distinction between the Japanese and their Korean buddies, you can make distinctions all over Europe.

'White' is basically a meaningless term redefined by each racist to include their own identification group and nobody else.

[Dominarch's Hope]

It's really simple, actually. In these people's minds, you're either British or you're untermenschen.

Thats just so sad. Europe claims to embrace multiculturalism/multiracialism, but are just so bad at it.


Stark, the "Melting Pot" was basically saying all Europeans(Northern Europeans at first) are as White as Anglo-Saxons. Thus, eroding that paricular level of discrimination.

Thats the start. Take those who look similar enough and are from the same "region" and say what minimal differences there are dont matter.

Then its just a step or two to say "Differences dont matter". Yet. Europe....is much like East Asia/Middle East. Still stuck in the old ways in regards to thinking. And its really sad since many in Europe claim otherwise.

[Stark]

Racist exists everywhere... thanks for catching on? People define themselves by belonging to groups and in opposition to other groups.

[Dominarch's Hope]

That last sentence. Its sad that there are people who disagree with that sentence, and then in the same sentence, put the hate on say, Republicans.


Dont ever go to Reddit.


But no, Stark, Im talking about how Europe has been all "More Multicultural than thou" lately, especially amonsgt certain aspects that are represented on the internet, but yet, policy makers do this.

Maybe it ties into why America has a history of being able to see more eye to eye with Russia and China. Not necessarily like them, maybe hate them, but still be able to shake hands.

They kinda just dont pretend to be us, and are outright and honestly not that "Free" or "accepting" and have a history of Authoritarinism. We can say "Thats their thing, it works for them I guess".


But Europe has a history of being stupid shits. Like claiming to be beacons of civilized behavior...up till WWI. Then beacons of peace...until WWII. Then eventually now beacons of multiculturalism...then this.

Its like watching a drug addict keep relapsing after claiming to be clean. Just say you like the drugs already. Is it really thatvhard?

[Thanas]

Are you freaking serious? Almost none of your above statement is rooted in anything that remotely resembles reality.

[Dominarch's Hope]

Isnt Britain representative of Europe as whole? Atleast nowadays?


Scratch that. Just replace "Europe" with "UK". Dont know what I was thinking.

[Thanas]

Even if you do that it still makes no sense and is wholly ignorant of European and US history.

[Dominarch's Hope]

Accepting them into the country is not the same thing as treating them right.