Go to Britain for benefits says EU

[KidRambo]

I saw the title of this news article while I was waiting for a 17 bus in Middleton bus station

Title: Go to Britain for benefits says EU

Main body:

MEDDLING Euro MPs have provoked fury by heralding a £4million scheme to publicise Britain’s lucrative benefits and health care system to people from across the Continent.
The money will be squandered on a campaign highlighting every citizen’s right to move from country to country within the EU.
But commentators pointed out last night that the plan was an easy way of advertising Britain’s soft-touch welfare system and could encourage millions of people to travel to the UK for access to it.
The publicity programme, contained in a report put forward by a Greek MEP, prompted howls of outrage among campaigners and raised fears of a fresh flood of benefit tourists descending on the UK.
Britain is already the destination of choice for tens of thousands of eastern Europeans every year because of our generous state handouts compared with their home countries.
Those from Romania, Bulgaria and other poorer countries in eastern Europe need only sell the Big Issue for a few weeks before they are entitled to claim thousands of pounds each month in child, housing and council tax benefits, tax credits and even disability living allowance and carer’s payments.
We know that many will come to Britain because of our generous benefits system
Ukip Euro MP Gerard Batten
In contrast, some 73,000 Romanians were kicked off their country’s social assistance scheme in February this year in a bid to get its ballooning welfare bill under control.
Child benefits in Romania are a fraction of those in Britain. The state pays just £40 a month for children up to two years old when the benefit drops to only £8. In the UK, parents get more than £20 a week for their first child and an additional £13 for each one after that. And Britain’s free health services are also very attractive to visitors.
The impending end of the work restrictions on Romanians and Bulgarians will fuel fears of a new wave of migration to the UK and revive memories of the flood of eastern Europeans that arrived when eight former Soviet bloc countries joined the EU in 2004.

What do I think?
I think that this is outrageous as it just basically says 'Hey, come to Britain and take advantage of our money.' I feel like writing a letter to David Cameron saying, Fuck people coming to Britain just for benefits and shit like that


But

What do you think?

[troublemaker1111]

Here's the important bit:

"The money will be squandered on a campaign highlighting every citizen’s right to move from country to country within the EU."

Which The Express has sensationalised into meaning the EU is "advertising Britain’s soft-touch welfare system", which is bullshit. For one thing our welfare state isn't even that generous compared to some others in the EU. This is not what the campaign is about at all. Stop reading tabloids.

[Lunerica]

I'm going to maybe say something stupid here but; I think that we need to crack down and like make benefits to those have have been in Britain for at least 2 years. this will provide a good way for us to control what actually goes where. Yes fine it seems harsh to people but it is completely worth it.

[El Jamie]

I'm going to maybe say something stupid here but; I think that we need to crack down and like make benefits to those have have been in Britain for at least 2 years. this will provide a good way for us to control what actually goes where. Yes fine it seems harsh to people but it is completely worth it.

At least two years? If these people who haven't passed the border legally then why should they be offered benefits? Because that's about sums it all up over here. They only come here for benefits because they can't live in freedom in their home countries, but why should the proper British who are bred here pay for the housing of people who haven't passed the border legally, sure I don't have a problem with the legal migrants but I do have a problem with the illegal ones who come here just to claim benefits. The fact that the European continent's committee itself has said this I have to say, is no surprise, not to me anyway.

[troublemaker1111]

At least two years? If these people who haven't passed the border legally then why should they be offered benefits? Because that's about sums it all up over here. They only come here for benefits because they can't live in freedom in their home countries, but why should the proper British who are bred here pay for the housing of people who haven't passed the border legally, sure I don't have a problem with the legal migrants but I do have a problem with the illegal ones who come here just to claim benefits. The fact that the European continent's committee itself has said this I have to say, is no surprise, not to me anyway.

Uh you can't claim benefits if you are an illegal immigrant. How would that work?

[KidRambo]

We should be like America when it comes to benefits. If an American goes on the dole they only have 1 year on it, then they have to find another job, they are only permitted to go on the dole 2 times in 1 lifetime.

[Junkers]

Uh you can't claim benefits if you are an illegal immigrant. How would that work?

Exactly, they'd need to have an NI number to even get to stage two with the DWP. And I know this from experience.