OT It's another world out there

I've just got off to phone to a bloke who could have been a comedy
sketch if he wasn't serious. He told me that Brussels interfere with
car manufacturers, in fact they interfere with everything and they are
trying to crush us because the Krauts hate us, the Frogs have never
forgiven us and the Belgians never liked us anyway and it is there
fault that Rover closed down. The he started on how everyone wants to
come and live here. I recovered the power of speech and ended the
call.

I was only trying to buy a car...

 

'The Sun's long and successful tradition of being rude to foreigners -
"The Wapping world is peopled by wops, eyties, spics, krauts, yanks,
frogs, argies" ...'
http://www.intellectbooks.com/europa/number6/franco.htm

D.

 

One wonders if he would have been happy or suicidal if the MG Rover-FSO
deal had ever happened.
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We don't let them past St Katharines Way.

 

<Al Murray>

Wonderful Anglo-saxon name, Hema.

</Al Murray>

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7288430.stm

Resident Hema Patel agrees. "They should put a stop to immigration
totally," she says "...whether they be Europeans, from the Far East,
whatever. And they should sort out the problems now."

Riiiiight.

 

from Greybeard?

 

There was your first mistake.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, ogden

The more interesting part of that article to me was the job-centre
denizen saying that he'd "rather sign on" than accept the £7 an hour job
vegetable picking.

I rather think he shouldn't have the choice.

 

He should have *a* choice.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, DR

Oh quite. There's no reason he should have to take any job.

Just so long as he doesn't expect to be paid by the state if he refuses
to take one that he's capable of doing.

 

The howler for me was "I don't want to work in like no cornfield."

 

I think the expression I'm looking for here is *ding*.

 

Would you want him foisted upon you if you were the farmer, when you can
legally employ someone from Poland who does a good job? Someone who will
work long hours in the season, even if that is December in a freezing
sprouts field.

There is an academic body of thought that proposes a social wage for those
that choose not to work. Andre Gorz was one. I'm not saying I agree with
this POV but it's an interesting topic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre_Gorz

 

I don't think there should be any choice for someone who's currently
unemployed and is offered a job paying them more than they're
currently receiving on benefits or the minimum wage, whichever is the
higher.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, wessie

Ah, now, therein lies another problem entirely. Of course, the absence
of an "easy"[1] option might act as an encouragement to either make a go
of this job, or get another, better one.

I've read that argument before. I remain unconvinced, so long as there
are unfilled jobs available.

[1] One can, of course, argue that signing=on is not an easy option, but
in this case it is clearly preferable to working at a manual labouring
job.

 

As long as he's being offered more than he'd get on benefits or the
minimum wage.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Andy Bonwick

Oh, for sure. The job in question pays £7 an hour. Significantly over
the minimum wage.

 

Ah, customer service isn't dead...

 

See my earlier post.

He should be forced to take the job (if it's over the minimum wage)
and if it's lower than he's currently getting on the social then I
don't object to it being made up to that level with handouts.

I actually worry about people coming in from Eastern Europe and
working for lower wages and by doing so forcing down the accepted rate
of pay for certain jobs.

It might be ok for half a dozen Polish workers to share a house and
work for the minimum wage but that doesn't mean a local worker could
support a family on that salary. This doesn't make me some kind of a
BNP supporter but it does make me someone who's concerned about
unskilled workers being shafted by employers taking the cheaper
option.