Multicultural Newbury Options

[Sherlock]

I'm sure I'm not alone in welcoming the changes we've seen in Newbury over the past few years. What was once a largely white, locally born population has been transformed by new residents from around the world. South Africans, Eastern Europeans, Filipinos, Chinese and many newcomers from the Indian subcontinent have been added to the mix.

The latter are particularly in evidence around the town, with many smart young men (increasingly accompanied by wives, children and elderly parents) to be seen on our streets. I expect quite a few of them are engineers and programmers brought into the area by Vodafone and other local businesses which need their skills and which find, given our very low levels of unemployment in West Bekshire, that it's impossible to recruit locally. The recent problems of the Indian economy probably make working in the UK very attractive. Can anyone confirm that this is the case?

[Andy Capp]

...and that was a party political broadcast by the Liberal Democrat party!

[Sherlock]

...and that was a party political broadcast by the Liberal Democrat party!

I'll ignore that insult, Mr Capp, as my post has nothing to do with party politics.

But anyone who thinks that we can continue to have a successful economy (and, whatever anyone chooses to think, we still have a successful economy) while preventing the free movement of both capital and labour is kidding themselves.

The USA is still massively more successful than its main economic rival (Google per capita GDP) China and that's largely because it recruits from the population of the planet whilst China recruits almost exclusively from the population of China.

You don't believe me? If you try that Google search it'll be partly thanks to the fact that the USA allowed Sergev Brin's parents to move to their country. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Brin

I have nothing but disdain for all our political parties but if the UKIP Neanderthals get their way they'll be sending this country back to the stone age.

[Andy Capp]

Touched a nerve!


However, having an economic model based on the US would never be something I would be proud of.

[motormad]

Do I need to be Sherlock to actually comprehend your OP?

Why don't you ask the companies if you're that bothered.

[Andy Capp]

That is why I made my joke; it was a post typical of a party a political one. It was loaded.


I have no issue with foreigners, but I feel for us to have a skills shortage is damning of our education system. Also, UKIP claim they have no issue with immigration if it is to fill an identified need; however, what is never raised with discussion like this is that if we are getting the cream of other countries, is that not damaging for those other countries?

I feel that while for the short term we need economic growth, we need to find a model to replace the capitalist method; it is not a sustainable ideology.

[r.bartlett]

Having travelled all over I can't ever remember thinking of -say India- "Whilst I love the cultural heritage what this country needs is 10%
black, 5 % Chinese 25% Polish............". Rather enjoy visiting predominately monocultures and what they have to offer. That is why I visit.

Soon (many years) Europe will be just like every high street full of the same just transposed to different area's. Blue Mink vision of the future coming to pass....

So not sure why a large (mainly while middle class etc) section of the indigenous population here feel so unworthy. Post colonial guilt syndrome possibly?

[pbonnay]

The USA is still massively more successful than its main economic rival (Google per capita GDP) China and that's largely because it recruits from the population of the planet whilst China recruits almost exclusively from the population of China.

Talk about comparing apples and pears on a single statistic!

Do you think the fact that China is a communist country might have something to do with it - e.g. being run by a single centralist party conceived on the principles of Marx & Lenin?

They have only in very recent times engaged in anything like free market economics.

Although your argument flawed, you do seem to be to be describing the benefits of a managed and skills-based immigration policy (like in the US or Australia) - and with that I agree.

[On the edge]

I've never been quite sure who we are supposed to be afraid of when guarding our boarders. Most of the people who come here are so called economic migrants, that means they are actually looking for work! That also means they get to pay tax and NI contributions. AndyC's comment is right, that it's a damming indictment of our educational system that we actually need to encourage 'skilled' immigration. Taking the same argument, it's a damming indictment of our welfare system that we have sufficient jobs to attract unskilled immigration!

[JeffG]

I've never been quite sure who we are supposed to be afraid of when guarding our boarders.

I don't have any boarders, but if I had to guard them, presumably from passing thieves if doors are left unlocked.

[MontyPython]

.....

The USA is still massively more successful than its main economic rival (Google per capita GDP) China and that's largely because it recruits from the population of the planet whilst China recruits almost exclusively from the population of China.

....

Or largely because China has massive intervention by Government officials and the USA is mainly business and entrepreneur driven.

[Andy Capp]

Perhaps 'successful' should be defined.

[Biker1]

...and that was a party political broadcast by the Liberal Democrat party!

No, he has disdain (and nothing else) for ALL our political parties.

[Andy Capp]

No, he has disdain (and nothing else) for ALL our political parties.

Allegedly.

[Simon Kirby]

Having travelled all over I can't ever remember thinking of -say India- "Whilst I love the cultural heritage what this country needs is 10%
black, 5 % Chinese 25% Polish............". Rather enjoy visiting predominately monocultures and what they have to offer. That is why I visit.

Soon (many years) Europe will be just like every high street full of the same just transposed to different area's. Blue Mink vision of the future coming to pass....

So not sure why a large (mainly while middle class etc) section of the indigenous population here feel so unworthy. Post colonial guilt syndrome possibly?

This has to be one of the most ill-informed posts I've seen for a while. India is a country of remarkable ethnic diversity with a population of over 1,000,000,000 and more than two thousand different ethnic groups and all of the major world religions. Europe is positively homogeneous in contrast.

And as a white aspiring-middle-class member of the indigenous population, whatever that means (are we talking Angles, or Jutes, or Normans, or Romans, or Saxons, or Huguenots, or Vikings, or the Celts who more or less got here first in the stone age from the Iberian coast of Spain and - this will make you choke - Romania!) I feel perfectly worthy thank you very much, and I am content and confident with my heritage and the history of my culture.

[newres]

Whatever the case, Sportsdirect must be very happy with the custom the Eastern Europeans bring.

[Turin Machine]

Celtic / Angle / Jute here, I think.:-)

[NWNREADER]

This has to be one of the most ill-informed posts I've seen for a while. India is a country of remarkable ethnic diversity with a population of over 1,000,000,000 and more than two thousand different ethnic groups and all of the major world religions. Europe is positively homogeneous in contrast.

And as a white aspiring-middle-class member of the indigenous population, whatever that means (are we talking Angles, or Jutes, or Normans, or Romans, or Saxons, or Huguenots, or Vikings, or the Celts who more or less got here first in the stone age from the Iberian coast of Spain and - this will make you choke - Romania!) I feel perfectly worthy thank you very much, and I am content and confident with my heritage and the history of my culture.

While India has many ethnic groups, very few are 'European', 'African' or 'American' by %age, even fewer by number


Ethnicity of India

[JeffG]

Whatever the case, Sportsdirect must be very happy with the custom the Eastern Europeans bring.

Afraid that rather went over my head.

[Simon Kirby]

While India has many ethnic groups, very few are 'European', 'African' or 'American' by %age, even fewer by number

Does that makes any difference? r.bartlett was complaining about Blighty not being the monoculture that India is, when India is nothing of the sort.

In any case, what about the Indo-Aryan migration?