Walked through the market place earlier and only heard Eastern European languages (Polish or Russian?) and Bengali being spoken. This was at about 4.00pm and they were all dressed casually and seemed very happy to be here. Can't help wondering what they were doing here. Perhaps they were just on holiday but I can't help feeling that Messrs Cameron and Osborne are deliberately letting the situation get completely out of control to keep wages down. Whatever the reasons this increasingly doesn't feel like my country any more.

Racist! racist I say!!!!

Any mention of immigrants triggers "racist" accusations from some; obviously a Labour supporter.

Most of us will agree to increasingly feeling marginalised if you are native born; try visiting London or many of our large cities. Some use the word diverse/multicultural to describe their populations,
I'd used another

Too many of these immigrants have absolutely no intention of integrating with our way of doing things and many (especially a well known segment) are intent on imposing their backward ways here, and authorities turn a blind eye eg Rotherham, Oxford etc etc for rear of the "R" word being levelled at them.

As it so happens, I agree with all your points, so please see my comment as being ironic and in advance of any REAL accusation of racism, though misguided.

And FYI, there is NO WAY I WILL EVER VOTE LABOUR!!!

We depend on a low wage economy to compete on a world stage. That is why all political parties sign up for extensive immigration: our economy needs it.

I was in Malaga the other week... couldn't move for English people. Refusing to integrate or speak the local lingo or eat the local food. The locals have to learn English in order to trade with them. They have to cook 'full English' every day from dawn till dusk to keep the buggers happy and the the ex-pats living there permanently wander around in herds and the only time they speak to a Spaniard is when they go to the post office to collect their Aid Packages of Marmite or tea bags from Blighty....


(It happens the other way too this foreign invasion thing.....)

It's disgusting.

Young people from abroad coming over here to do the jobs we won't, paying their taxes to keep the economy and NHS going, and our ageing populations in pensions.

Despicable.

But I thought they all did low wage jobs? So if they don't earn the threshold wage they won't be paying tax will they? And how many are working in the grey economy? Not much tax being paid there either.

I never thought I'd say well said User23, well done!

It's not "your" country that's why. It's everyones and I kind of hope you're joking but I'm guessing living in ultra conservative Newbury, sadly you are not.

Actually the truth is UK Immigrants 'Pay More Taxes And Draw Less Benefits' Than Native Brits.

And then there's this. (If you can wade through the adverts and bear to watch all of it!!)

And how many brits get onto the back of lorries, attempt to get into family cars, get squashed by trains and drown in the sea via the services of people trafficers?
I wonder if there is any comparable publicly paid for public service reduction to the Malaga economy.

I think you might have got confused between illegal immigrants, migrant workers and ex-pats. They're three different groups of people.

They can't ALL be just washing cars, working as pan-bashers in grubby restaurants, picking fruit, combing the beaches for cockles, or trying to sell Big Issue. There's a pile of Indian/Bangladesh people living in The Martingales area who pile onto the Vodafone buses every morning. Are they VF technician types or working the VF cafe? Either way they're not on subsistence wage and will be paying tax.(I hope)

...and by catching the bus they clearly aren't claiming travel allowance and parking outside someone's house!

Nonetheless it's a very good point. We seem to have a national shortage of well qualified technical expertise; something acknowledged by the Chancellor in today's budget. We haven't been training the right skills in the UK for quite some time. Now that 'saving' is coming home to roost.

I've got a lot of stick for saying what I think, and been called isolationist, racist and xenophobic, by certain people, simply because I don't agree with their love everyone, big melting pot viewpoint. They have little idea of my broad and complex political sensibilities, and it's easier, or either fits the bill of their leftist agenda, to just shout racist. As with most things political, you can apparently score points and appear better than your opponent if you can shout "racist!" at them.

These people are retards though, and I take little notice of what they say.

Being a bit racist is natural, as are all the other traits. The trouble is with such words is that they cover all, whether violently or barely detectable.

I work with all creeds and I'd say I was in a significant minority; however, that fact does even register while I work with Asians, Scots, women, Africans, French, Muslims, etc... from a day to day perspective. To me they are just work colleagues and I don't ever think that they are of 'alternative origin'. On the other hand, I have travelled to other parts of Southern England and I have found myself thinking similar to the OPs opinion too. It does feel a bit like an invasion to me to and I do feel rather out of place.

What I would say is that if this is a start of change in the population's cultural make-up, at least this current batch are a whole lot more friendly than the Nordic-French lot were when they did the same.

Your 'broad and complex political sensibilities' surely means you shouldn't be surprised. History shows anyone, pushing or pulling mainstream political change will be called names. The effect of change on culture is often misrepresented and misunderstood yet it is this which creates the most tension. In another example, you can hardly expect those of a certain age to embrace homosexuals easily, particularly when they were growing up it was seen as an offensive and rigorously policed offence.

Other countries have different ways of dealing with the cultural difference issue. For instance, both France and the U.S. Could be said to have essentially a national way; which all are obliged to adopt. On the other hand, we have ended up with a multi cultural society.
We did that with no debate and because over the years, it became 'culturally acceptable'. Ironically, for the 'right wing' an unintended consequence of a real free market economy; the free movement of labour!

So, rather than following suit by labelling everyone who disagrees with you as retards, why not explain why everyone else is out of step? That's how change starts.

That is a good point, but some might not like what they find-out about themselves!

All I will say is Enoch: you were so right and the idiots shouted you down. It is a pity you were right but people have very short memories.

Wot? Was he really right when as Health Minister, he actively encouraged immigration? Sure, academically Enoch Powell was clever, but like a lot of 'clever ' people he was significantly deficient in other areas.

Two additional things:

• It wasn't so long ago Brits were unwelcome immigrants across the world, in fact the wealth of our nation was (in part) built on Empire.
• Imagine British society without the things immigration and foreigners have given us. Say goodbye to everything from Rock'n'Roll to Reggae and Chicken Tikka Massala to Ice Cream. Doesn't sound like much fun to me.

All well and good but we have had far too much immigration, especially in the last 20 years. The multi cultural idea has led us to an incoherent and divided society.

Nope, quite right. But then drummer boys getting their heads cut off, bands of men abusing children, councils having to print leaflets in 17 different languages, schools where English is no longer the first language doesn't sound like much fun to me either.

Are you contesting that British society 100 years ago was more "coherent" and less divided?

You could add honour killings, forced marriage, the trade in 'bush' meat to that list.

Yeah, but then neither did firing rifles at unarmed crowds (1919 India), Public figures interfering with kids, etc. etc. of course, there are some indigenous populations in this Island who actually campaigned for schools to teach in 'their own language' - the Welsh, bless them!

I'm also quite sure several continental nations would be more than happy if visits by our 'sports fans' ceased with immediate effect. Similarly, I'm not quite sure that getting your kit off in foreign national monuments is a very good way to impress the locals.

Sorry, but I can't see how vile and bad behaviour is a consequence of immigration. It doesn't compute!

Getting smashed out of your head Saturday night and glassing someone standing at the bar, shagging anyone who breathes but failing to maintain the result, wasting huge amounts of fresh foodstuffs every day simply to maintain supermarket profits....Oooh sorry, we do that already.

Speak for yourself, some of us have better things to do, still, if it amuses you, carry on.

There's a lot of exaggerated argument and language. I doubt that anyone would endorse no immigration; it is the level that some question. And beyond that, people 'fear' the apparent power these foreign people have.

Apparently not!

Nope, quite right. But then drummer boys getting their heads cut off, bands of men abusing children, councils having to print leaflets in 17 different languages, schools where English is no longer the first language doesn't sound like much fun to me either.

Run out of road have we?

Let's face it, like most issues, there are good things and bad things about immigration.
Let's welcome the good things and try and deal with the bad??

Like the man said, retards!

Oh yes, I see now, 'broad and complex political sensibilities' actually boils down to calling anyone who disagrees with these parochial opinions retarded. Umm, could this be the real reason why so few politicians are willing to engage in any meaningful debate about immigration? Sad really, and ironically demonstrates why we need increasing numbers of highly educated immigrants to do the jobs the local population can no longer cope with.

Still, you'll be alright, what with that job at Burger King and all.

Having a job, whether at Burger King or B & M Law LLP is no disgrace.

Now we are getting somewhere! A huge number of immigrants are here because we have consistently failed to educate and train our children properly and made it so easy for many of our home population to live well without having to work. Something the government has only just recognised. That means the 'high end' jobs and those demanding reasonable levels of education are no longer available to the home population. For instance, if you want a lot of IT work done, or if you need nursing etc., that someone to do the job necessarily comes from abroad. Ironically, immigrants are coming to work; not necessarily claim benefits, that's what we do, hence the vacancies. Sure, stop immigration but, be aware of the consequences. Arguably, immigration isn't the result of our free and easy society; rather a consequence.

I'll only predict 2 things within 15 years.

The end of the European "dream"
A European war

The pressure of massive population increase and huge debt will marginalise people to the extent where lines will be drawn and society will breakdown. It will start in southern europe and gradually spread north.

Greece would be the start but the Troika will give in and throw the cat another canary for the meantime.
The longer they don't accept the inebitible though, the worse the eventual fall out will be, for all mankind.

A conventional European war is already underway what with Ukraine being gobbled up by Putin's troops deciding to holiday in the country. Whether a conflict of any sort spreads internally within Europe to the extent that it would require UK involvement is quite a Doomsday prediction but may only take something like Putin playing with the gas taps at a time when there's a particularly harsh winter.

Although we'll have all those hugely efficient wind farms in place by then so no worries....

There is a big difference between wars and uprisings of subjugated peoples. Frankly, the threat of war between the apathetic nation states in the EU is probably minimal. Externally, major threats exist and are likely to emerge, as ever. Nonetheless, immigration is yet but a symptom, not a cause. An uprising is likely when immigrants stop wanting to come and many of our home populations start to leave. The usual and most likely cause will be economic collapse. For us, the long term outlook is bleak; what have we left save dodgy banking and services? This fertile island imports most of our foodstuffs and our fuel stocks. Don't mention our national intelligence, green energy being yet another example of where we haven't even the wit get that right. So for me, at the moment, immigration is an indicator that there is still some hope.

Are you seriously comparing things ingrained in our society such as Ice Cream and Rock'n'Roll with one off tragic and despicable acts like "drummer boys getting their heads cut off"?

Many of the Indian engineers and programmers are here because industrial-scale tax dodgers like Vodafone (eg http://goo.gl/W1GVoH) find it in their business interests to hire cheap well educated labour from the subcontinent rather than contributing to the education system here. That's inevitable, it's how unconstrained capitalism works but those who are complaining about the poor quality of the UK education system need to understand that it's in Vodafone's interest to keep it that way so that they can import cheap labour from overseas while avoiding contributing here..

It's likely that many of those who are working for Vodafone here will have been employed by them initially in India because the current government's restrictions on migration do not apply to an organisation's employees.

Regarding net contribution to the economy, its obvious that some Indian workers have started families here and often have aged relatives with them. I'd be interested to know what their actual contribution is. If it's a net positive then that's excellent and they are, without doubt very welcome visitors. I for one welcome increasing diversity in Newbury regardless of the predictable slurs pumped out here.

But I seriously would like to know at what benefit/cost to our local economy. Does WBC have anything on that, I wonder? Specifically on West Berkshire, that is.

An understandable parochial view. It would be worth you visiting India, to see the schools and universities. Equally, in funding terms, the Government there has rather more difficulty than ours in collecting taxes. Then, even using world statistical comparators, our education system really doesn't stand scrutiny.

As for our local economy, yes I'd also like to see how much individuals contribute, but again, be very careful what you ask for. After all, many of the high end IT workers depart for elsewhere at the end of their project contract, whilst our growing indigenous low skill / low pay workforce stay with their ageing relatives.

Vodafone may well be astute when interpreting tax law; but then again, do any of us or any other firm 'err on the side of caution' and pay that little extra because it helps? Who made the broadly incomprehensible taxation rules in the first place...Aaah yes, our dear MPs. people who didn't think it appropriate to add receipts to expense claims...I don't think lessons in probity are therefore in order, do you?

I wonder if big employers like Vodafone have an adverse effect on local house prices and rent.

Yes, they probably do, as does employment or at least acceptably easy access. The proof of that is the low prices that prevail in areas of the country with limited employment opportunities. Sadly, without bigger employers, the community ability to sustain itself is strictly limited as indeed Newbury often found in the past when agriculture was depressed. Low accommodation costs are still of little benefit if your income is limited. Catch 22.

This day and age, working from home, people can have a good paying southern job but live up north .

So let's get the old DNS line open again then!

Seriously, that's right and it opens some interesting possibilities. For instance, as our dear local council have found, 'working from home' is popular with the staff. Perhaps then, we should be actively encouraging that further step. That would significantly reduce the number of 'key workers' needing 'affordable homes'?

While they might perform an important roll, I wouldn't regard jobs that could be done from home as key. Key workers are people who have to get their hands dirty: doctors, nurses, carers, etc.

Quite, but the rules get interpreted in different ways. I'm acquainted with two people who are considered to be key workers by the housing provider (central London) both of whom have purely admin. type roles easily delivered far from the madding crowd. In any event loosing a good few of the office bound roles would at least free up accommodation generally.