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Originally Posted by RichardCoulter
There are approximately one million British people living in other EU countries and approx three million of them living here, so that shows who benefits the most from this EU policy.
Those that come here are able to take full advantage of our superior health, education, social security etc systems. They will also usually need rented housing, a job and/or benefits and are likely to have children that need maternity care, education etc.
Most of those who have moved from Britain will be pensioners wanting a warmer climate.
They usually purchase a place in an English community with the proceeds from their house sale, their pension is paid for by the British Government ie they bring money into their host country and take little out. For obvious reasons, they are unlikely to have any young children.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inves...duk/2017-09-05
I don't think that our welfare state should be dismantled, nor do I have any problem paying taxes to help those less fortunate than myself. I do have a problem with others coming over from abroad who, intentionally or otherwise, milk our system.
Our welfare state isn't an international system open to everybody, it's paid for and meant for people who are legally and morally entitled to it in the UK. |
The other spin on it is that EU citizens of working age - so we didn’t educate them - and enter our workforce. Immediately being net positives to the Treasury as opposed to someone born here who has had at least 11 years of education out.
The evidence simply doesn’t exist to support that there is wholesale abuse of our welfare system by people from abroad any more that the population in general. According to the newspapers the benefit system is awful anyway, maybe it needs to be cut further if it’s attracting foreigners to travel here - it’s a safety net not a lifestyle choice.
While UK citizens abroad do contribute, you ignore that EU citizens contribute here. For example in our NHS and other areas with skills our workforce doesn’t have. Once you roll the dice of racism and xenophobia it’s entirely likely that nationalist forces in other countries will do the same. Can the UK cope with a million pensioners being sent home? Even if not, do we want to facilitate our citizens losing rights in Spain and elsewhere? Increased taxation, medical costs, any other areas they see fit. They can be selective too, send home the poorest, the most ill, etc. Could we cope with that?