Are you an atheist?

[Brianwarnock]

No we don't.
Sometimes we apologise for things we say, unless one is from the USA where it's ok to accuse someone of having a mental condition with no qualification to diagnose such complex conditions.

I'm led to believe that person has now left the forums.

Col

You still sticking pins in his image all these years later? For the record he did apologise.

Brian

 

[Dayton]

It would be interesting to know your reasoning why you consider the UK to be better to live in and be a citizen of, rather than the USA.

Col

Should I create an itemized list? lol

Personally, I can't stand the mentality and disconnect of many places in the US.
By disconnect, I mean the general disconnect with the rest of the world. The United States promotes isolationism, until they want something from you. Then, they will just blow you up and take it from you.

Education would be other point. While I consider myself fairly well educated I'm sure my knowledge and point of view are limited because of the lack of educational advances without going into massive financial debt. For example, learning another language when I was growing up was not promoted.
The UK, in my personally opinion educates their citizens far better than the US.
This is a big deal to me, considering that I will likely be a father soon, and I want my son or daughter being a responsible and well educated human being.

I also love the history and there is simply more history in Europe and the UK.

Oh! I also hate American Politics, policies, and foreign policy. Which, you can draw your own conclusions from why, but likely the same reason why the rest of the world does.

The better health care and humane treatment of your citizens and lack of fire arms and violence is another bonus.

The list continues and I don't really feel like writing a thesis paper, but I believe you get the idea.

 

[nanscombe]

... humane treatment of your citizens ...

Not that you'd know that from comments on some other UK fora.


Zero hour contracts - (Currently) Exclusive contracts to be on call to a company with no actually guarantee of any work.

Workfare - Unpaid work placements for the long term unemployed, described by some as "forced labour" or "slave labour".

Bedroom Tax - A reduction in the amount of housing benefit if you have a surplus of bedrooms in your rented accommodation.

Benefit sanctions - Periodic cessation of benefits for "trivial", or allegedly non-existant, reasons.

Official Job Sites - filled with jobs that don't actually exist.

Foodbanks - More people, even employed ones, having to rely on food parcels.

Payday loans - Short term, high interest loans for those who can't get a loan through other means.


Oh, it can be fun and games over here.

 

[Dayton]

Not that you'd know that from comments on some other UK fora.


Zero hour contracts - (Currently) Exclusive contracts to be on call to a company with no actually guarantee of any work.

Workfare - Unpaid work placements for the long term unemployed, described by some as "forced labour" or "slave labour".

Bedroom Tax - A reduction in the amount of housing benefit if you have a surplus of bedrooms in your rented accommodation.

Benefit sanctions - Periodic cessation of benefits for "trivial", or allegedly non-existant, reasons.

Official Job Sites - filled with jobs that don't actually exist.

Foodbanks - More people, even employed ones, having to rely on food parcels.

Payday loans - Short term, high interest loans for those who can't get a loan through other means.


Oh, it can be fun and games over here.

Interesting. Thank you for the information.

 

[Vassago]

Zero hour contracts - (Currently) Exclusive contracts to be on call to a company with no actually guarantee of any work.

Workfare - Unpaid work placements for the long term unemployed, described by some as "forced labour" or "slave labour".

How are either of those even ok? Why would you sign a contract with a company that isn't offering work?

Foodbanks - More people, even employed ones, having to rely on food parcels.

Payday loans - Short term, high interest loans for those who can't get a loan through other means.

These exist here for sure.

 

[Vassago]

No we don't.
Sometimes we apologise for things we say, unless one is from the USA where it's ok to accuse someone of having a mental condition with no qualification to diagnose such complex conditions.

I'm led to believe that person has now left the forums.

Col

You certainly don't help your case.

 

[nanscombe]

How are either of those even ok? Why would you sign a contract with a company that isn't offering work?

The answer to that one may soon be "Do you want to receive any benefits .... or not?"

ETA:

Benefits risk to jobseekers refusing zero-hours contracts

Jobseekers risk losing benefits if they turn down certain zero-hours contracts without good reason, the government has said.

The change comes with the incorporation of income-based jobseeker's allowance into the new universal credit system.

People claiming jobseeker's allowance had been able to refuse to accept such jobs without facing penalties.

But under universal credit, which is being rolled out gradually, people will have to accept the casual contracts.

Zero-hours contracts, which allow employers to hire staff with no guarantee of work, are popular with many companies because they offer flexibility.

But critics say they can leave workers with little financial stability or security, few employment rights and not enough work.

The government says such contracts offer an average 25 hours work a week and can be a good means of gaining experience.
...

ETA: I've just gone back and added some Wikipedia links to my previous post (3948).

 

[scott-atkinson]

Interesting. Thank you for the information.

Are you sure you still want to come here...

The Tax in the UK is crippling this is why so many with money employ expensive accountants to find the loop holes in the Tax system, whilst the average Joe pays the full amount. I lose well over a third of my income to income Tax, I then have to pay an extra 7.5% on my domestic fuel costs through Value Added Tax, I then pay an extra 20% Value Added Tax on everything I purchase. And finally I have to fill my car with heavily tax levied Diesel....

Yeah, Welcome to the UK... or using it's other title, the Ununited Taxdom

 

[Brianwarnock]

Are you sure you still want to come here...

The Tax in the UK is crippling this is why so many with money employ expensive accountants to find the loop holes in the Tax system, whilst the average Joe pays the full amount. I lose well over a third of my income to income Tax, I then have to pay an extra 7.5% on my domestic fuel costs through Value Added Tax, I then pay an extra 20% Value Added Tax on everything I purchase. And finally I have to fill my car with heavily tax levied Diesel....

Yeah, Welcome to the UK... or using it's other title, the Ununited Taxdom

It sure as hell makes you wonder why all those immigrants pass through the other EU countries to come here.

Brian

 

[scott-atkinson]

It sure as hell makes you wonder why all those immigrants pass through the other EU countries to come here.

Brian

I guess it is because something is better than nothing...

 

[scott-atkinson]

So why not just say asylum seekers?
Why is any further qualification necessary?
Is there by any chance a bias towards East Europeans in your views?

Brian

Brian,

I guess I am biased in my view, but before I started mixing, and in some cases living amongst Eastern Europeans, I had a very similar view to Colin, I felt that the EU Migrants were scroungers, and here taking British jobs. But having seen the other side of the fence, I now feel that before I was ignorant, and fueled by the propaganda in the UK against Migrants.

The Eastern Europeans are extremely hard working, mostly loyal, and very friendly, they are here working because the English people do not want to. We can debate the reasons why English do not take the jobs, whether it be due to pay, location, loss of benefits etc... but the bottom line is that the Migrants exist in the UK because of us, if English people filled the jobs, then the migrants would not come.

As for all the fuss over Romania and Bulgaria joining the EU and the so called influx of gypsies from these nations to the UK, well I was in Romania two weeks ago and was living close to a gypsy area, and believe me some of the houses I saw were like mansions, believe me the gypsies are doing just fine in their own countries.

 

[Brianwarnock]

I guess it is because something is better than nothing...

Which is in keeping with a comment I made earlier that they will work for buttons driving down our wages.

Brian

 

[Galaxiom]

The "work for buttons" scheme was invented by the British Empire while it grew fat and lazy on the backs of those it exploited at a distance.

You can hardly blame some of them turning up in the new smaller world wanting to enjoy some of the fruits of their ancestors labour.

What one sows so shall ye reap.

 

[Galaxiom]

The "work for buttons" scheme was invented by the British Empire while it grew fat and lazy on the backs of those it exploited at a distance.

You can hardly blame some of them turning up in the new smaller world wanting to enjoy some of the fruits of their ancestors' labour.

What one sows so shall ye reap.

 

[pr2-eugin]

I guess I am biased in my view, but before I started mixing, and in some cases living amongst Eastern Europeans, I had a very similar view to Colin, I felt that the EU Migrants were scroungers, and here taking British jobs. But having seen the other side of the fence, I now feel that before I was ignorant, and fueled by the propaganda in the UK against Migrants.

Scott, so you do agree there is always two sides to a story then? If so, you should also try and understand why "Africans" and "Asians" might not all be scroungers of the system; before plainly categorizing them !

 

[pr2-eugin]

What one sows so shall ye reap.

LOL ! Like the way you have put that.

 

[Brianwarnock]

The "work for buttons" scheme was invented by the British Empire while it grew fat and lazy on the backs of those it exploited at a distance.

You can hardly blame some of them turning up in the new smaller world wanting to enjoy some of the fruits of their ancestors' labour.

What one sows so shall ye reap.

The East Europeans were never part of the British Empire.

Brian

 

[scott-atkinson]

Which is in keeping with a comment I made earlier that they will work for buttons driving down our wages.

Brian

The EU migrants that I know all earn just above the Minimum Wage, they are not working for buttons, this is the legal limit set by our Government, if it is wrong it is because our Government has made it so.

 

[scott-atkinson]

Scott, so you do agree there is always two sides to a story then? If so, you should also try and understand why "Africans" and "Asians" might not all be scroungers of the system; before plainly categorizing them !

You are quite right, and again my views on this are probably based on propaganda and news stories...

It is after all news when a Somalia Family get paid by our Government to live in a mansion in London rent free with benefits for their 6 children...

 

[Brianwarnock]

Scott

I have recently lost a good friend, Zolly, who came over from Hungary with his family in 1956, having seen his work ethic I never believed that all asylum seekers or immigrants were lazy.

The fact remains if these people will work for low wages then employers will exploit that to maintain low wages, this is no different to whole companies moving to a low wage economy at the expense of jobs here.

Brian