Wednesday, Jun 24, 2009
Bloody immigrants
BBC: Hard times in Spain send expats home
Thousands of Britons, who had been tempted into living the sunshine lifestyle in Spain, have packed their bags and headed home, driven by the double-whammy of a strong euro and a weak local economy. Jobs have dried up, house prices have crashed and Eldorado is turning to dust. Unemployment is at 17%, and the weakness of sterling means those earning money in the UK have seen their income drop.
"It's quiet, quiet," laments Marion. "We don't see the cars. The bars and restaurants are empty at night. Many are going out of business."
Rebecca has returned to London after two years in Spain. "People talk about living the dream but all it seems to be is sunshine, cheap cigs and wine. This area had low wages anyway and we're fed up living hand to mouth."
12 Comments
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1. gone-to-colombia said...
I watch property prices in Spain each day on Rightmove, I have noticed a dramatic decline in the prices of property listed.
Over here in Colombia there are very few expats, nearly all teach. I've never seen an English bar here or Watneys Red Label.
2. happy mondays said...
@1 I've never seen an English bar here or Watneys Red Label.. Let's keep it that way..
3. flashman said...
I have just spent a month in the Languedoc and crossed over into Spain several times. I was amazed to see that the bars and restaurants (in Spain) were heaving and the beaches were full. The prices in my favourite tapas bar in Sitges were sky high and they had no shortage of takers. One thing I will say though is that I didn't hear a single British voice. The Brits and Germans seem to have been replaced by Russians and Slavs
4. alan said...
To show the other side of the coin...the government's £1m scheme to repatriate asylum seekers has just one family taking part!
link:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5620229/1m-asylum-seekers-scheme-helps-just-one-family.html
...the benefits syestem in the UK are just too good to be true....businesses and industries are closing their gates each week.... how long before our AAA rating goes?
5. Neil B said...
@ Alan This is asolutely true. In conenction with these 'ex pats' - a lot of them claim benefits in the UK whilst still living in Spain. Even the retired ones are milking the system by claiming winter heating allowances while they are in Benidorm
6. little professor said...
alan - tell me, what benefits do you think asylum seekers are entitled to claim?
7. tudorian said...
According to the rightsnet website, asylum seekers may be able to claim .....
Income Support
Income-based Job Seekers Allowance
Housing Benefit
Council Tax Benefit
Social Fund
Disability Living Allowance
Attendance Allowance
Invalid Care Allowance
Severe Disablement Allowance
Non-contributory incapacity benefit
Working Families' Tax Credit
Disabled Person's Tax Credit
Child Benefit
However these benefits are NOT the entitlement of all asylum seekers , and there are strict conditions to be met before a claim is granted.
However, asylum seekers aside, I do agree with Alan and Neil B ... the benefit system in the UK is too lax and open to abuse. I have been on benefits myself for 11 months during my working life (40 years old now). I found life relatively comfortable... I had very little disposable income, but enough to eat, a paid-for roof over my head, free education / classes, and best of all, my time was my own. (i do not miss being unemployed now though, my life has moved on and I have responsibilities now and dread the thought of being without work)
8. alan said...
LP,
Income Support
Income-based Job Seekers Allowance
Housing Benefit
Council Tax Benefit
Social Fund
for more info try:
http://www.rightsnet.org.uk/pdfs/roap-benefits.pdf
BTW, I am not a member of any political party. I am not wanting to "get at" any section of society, its just that the UK is handing out cash like there is no tomorrow and should realise there are consequences to every action.
9. Magnaman said...
My father has lived in Spain for 32 years and has never returned to Blighty. He has always worked running a small catering business and has fully integrated in to the Spanish way of life and speaks fluent Spanish. We lived there as children in the 1970's during Franco's reign and Spain was a fantastic country - since democracy took hold, the Spanish have become greedy and not prepared to do the menial jobs. Credit became very easy and Spain has been caught up the rush and its population are very materialistic. The Spanish people my family have known for over 30 years, recognise this and want Spain to return to the good old days. They have a huge influx of immigrants and crime (Romanians according to a senior Spanish policeman I know) has spiralled however, most Brits who leave the UK for Sun and Sangria, fail to integrate and tend to live in urbanisations populated by other Brits, insist on shopping in English supermarkets and subscribe to Sky TV! I plan to live in Spain but for all the right reasons. The culture, food, hospitable people, staggering countryside and healthy climate.
10. mark said...
Estate agent Marion Atkins is quitting Spain to run a pub in Britain
Intelligent woman, from one failure to another failing business.....
11. little professor said...
Alan - that was a list of benefits asylum seekers can't claim.
12. shipbuilder said...
The old benefits chestnut, eh? Never let the facts get in the way of a good finger-pointing session.
As LP said, from the page http://www.rightsnet.org.uk/pdfs/roap-benefits.pdf
"Asylum Seekers
Most asylum seekers are excluded from most benefits. If you are an asylum
seeker, unless you are covered by one of the groups listed below, you are not
entitled to any of the following benefits –
Income Support
Income-based Job Seekers Allowance
Housing Benefit
Council Tax Benefit
Social Fund
Disability Living Allowance
Attendance Allowance
Invalid Care Allowance
Severe Disablement Allowance
Non-contributory incapacity benefit
Working Families' Tax Credit
Disabled Person's Tax Credit
Child Benefit
You can claim other benefits not on this list, but you must meet the all the
conditions of entitlement. The main group of benefits, which you may be able to
claim, are contribution-based benefits. To be entitled to these you must have paid
sufficient national insurance contributions as well as meet the other conditions."
How about that? Someone phone the Mail! C'mon, guys.