UKIP by-election victory increases concerns on immigration issue
Immigration issue has become a hot topic in discussions of current British politics, especially so with the decisive by-election victory of the UKIP in Rochester and Strood. With the party’s tough rhetoric on tightening up immigrants’ control, UKIP seems to be expanding its influence among voters.
So far it has managed to put the second MP to the Parliament and is quite determined to gain more ground in the general election next year. What the three major parties will do to counter the UKIP influence and maintain their majority in the Parliament will be interesting to watch in the coming month.
Will they follow the UKIP’s political thinking to make it harder for immigrants to come and settle in Britain? What are the general public’s real attitudes towards the issue?
The prevalent arguments seem to be that immigrants are taking away British jobs and they are claiming far more benefits from their host country than what they contribute. What do they think about these criticisms?
With these questions in mind, I went to the South Bank Center’s Real Food Market to talk with some business owners and customers.
Small food republic and peaceful existence:
If you want to have a taste of the best street food in London, the South Bank Center’s Real Food Market is strongly-recommended. Polish sausages, Romanian cheese cakes, Indian curry dishes, Japanese sushi and Turkish barbecues, there is no shortage of varieties.
The little food republic here is really a nice fusion of international cuisines catering to the varies needs of people visiting the South Bank Center and the adjacent London Eye. More than half of the shops here are run by immigrants.
Claire is a French woman in her late 20s. She’s been running this coffee shop and snack bar for more than 3 years. She’s proud of the tastes of her drinks and enjoys meeting people from all over the world.
She works hard and feels content to be able to make a living on her own. She knows some British people think people like her are stealing British jobs. But she argues this is not the whole story.
“But there are British people who are unwilling to work. And if we come into this country, it’s because we are willing to work and we want to work. I’m not claiming any benefits. 50 percent of the shop owners here are actually immigrants.”
British shop owners run their businesses and compete with immigrants here 3 days a week throughout the year. They seem to have no problems dealing with these new arrivals in their country. British Chef Oran Trant holds a quite egalitarian and global outlook on the presence of these immigrants in his country.
“I don’t have any problem with them coming here. As far as I’m concerned, we can’t hold all the wealth of the world to the major countries. We have to share it somehow. For a lot of people in third world countries, they don’t have that much wealth. If they come here to earn their money and take their money back, it’s fine with me.”
Oran also says hard-working immigrants are actually very nice addition to the British society.
“There are some who obviously do come and take advantage of the system here. But I think they probably are in the minority. There are a percentage of people in this country, who in my opinion, don’t want to clean toilet or do basic jobs.
I mean everyone wants to be a superstar. We live in an age of pop talent race, with X-factor and other shows around. Kids grow up with high aspirations. So for people who will come and do whatever jobs to earn their money, I believe they are filling in certain roles in modern society.”
The immigrants shop owners here that I talked to are all diligent and honest people. They cook good food, support their families, pay the taxes, but surprisingly, seldom claim any benefits.
Italian food trader Francesco Marchese has been in Britain for 9 years. He married a British wife and lives a quite prosperous life. He’s proud of the fact that he’s been able to pay taxes to this country without adding any financial burdens to it.
I pointed out to him that some British politicians are accusing them of getting much more from the country than what they contribute. He said such political thinking is quite understandable.
“If I work in this country, do business in this country, the money I earn should stay here in this country. Because all foreigners take benefits and take their money out of the country, in about 10 or 15 years, this country can’t offer anymore. “
Financial contribution vs financial burdens:
The financial contributions of the immigrants and the benefits they claim from Britain have been a top in heated debates. A recent report based on research led by Professor Christian Dustmann from University College of London has exposed some hitherto little-known facts in the contribution-benefit ratio.
The report found that highly-skilled migrant workers from the European Union, including the original members like Germany and France and new accessions like Poland and Lithuania, had contributed more than 20 billion pounds in tax revenues between 2001 and 2011. The figure far exceeds what they claim in benefits.
The report shows that migrant workers from the original EU15 member states paid 64 percent more in tax than they received in benefits. New arrivals from Central and Eastern European “accession” countries contributed 12 percent more than they took out.
Recent figures also show that there are 38,580 migrants from the EU claiming Jobseeker’s Allowances in the UK, just 4 percent of the 951,000 claiming JSA overall.
But Professor Dustmann’s report has been ridiculed by some British politicians as taking a very narrow focus which physical pressure migrants place on schools, hospitals and roads. There are also criticisms arguing that Professor Dustmann’s report excludes the potential future costs associated with the EU migrants getting older and using ore State services.
Voice of support from the street:
It seems that Professor Dustmann may find more supporters here at the South Bank Center food market.
Ben Axteel is a freelance video producer commissioned by the South Bank Center for art projects. He’s a regular customer to the Food Market just outside the Royal Festival Hall, where he works.
He enjoys mingling with international customers and owners at the market. And he thinks it’s unfair to accuse immigrants of taking away British jobs and adding financial burdens to the British government.
“If you look at statistics, EU immigrants have a net contribution to the country. I think it’s disconnected between the perception and the actuality of what’s happening. Britain’s based on immigrants coming to this country for decades or centuries even. It’s always been net positive.”
Apparently a keen follower of politics, Ben also said the immigrants’ issue actually serves as scapegoats to divert people’s attention from politicians’ inefficiency to lift the economy out of recession.
“My personal belief is that it’s a backlash against recession. You can see, in all countries of Europe, people are scared and worried about their jobs. And it’s easy to blame someone else for those things.
The factoring of partypolitics, the rise of UKIP for example, has taken up the subject matter. Because the UKIP are gaining headway. The conservative thinks they have to battle against the UKIP and cover the same top”
Uncertainty in the making of immigration policies
But the UKIP is quite determined to press ahead with its tough stance on immigrants’ issue. It has made it clear that it’s absolutely for the country to leave the EU to regain control of its border.
And Immigrants must financially support themselves and their dependents for 5 years. This means private health insurance (except emergency medical care), private education and private housing – they should pay into the pot before they take out of it.
David Cameron has also made it clear that his government plans to reduce the number of EU immigrants coming to the UK from the current level of 250,000 to below 100,000.
But for people who often frequent food streets at the South Bank Center and elsewhere in London, the varied nationalities of the shop owners there mean more diversity and better choices.
Some British shop owners tell me the only thing that concerns them about immigrants is the integration problem. In their eyes, immigrants tend to cling to their own people and seldom open up their minds enough to understand local people’s way of life, or let them gain more knowledge of theirs.
Maybe this is another important front that British politicians should take into account in making new immigration policies.
For more understanding of Professor Christian Dustmann’s report on immigrants’ financial contribution, please check out this interview he did with the BBC News.