vide https://www.economist.com/sites/default/files/images/print-e...
from https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/12/18/why-have-danes-t...
And I highly doubt other governments don't have similar calculations or aren't aware of them.
I do agree that there needs to be a honest conversation about what (economic) immigrants offer vs. what they cost, but it needs to be done properly.
We will need immigrants because we are below 2.1 in Total Fertility Rate. But, the EU doesn't need to be the comfy life raft of the world as it has been for the past 2-3 decades.
Like voting for AfD. I doubt many people look at this organization and its leaders to conclude that "ah, here is the talent I would love to have running my country." They're merely the only available option against. Same with brexit.
But when they face deficit, they raise taxes instead of, crazy idea, not spending billions of money taken from UK citizens to provide free housing and food for foreigners.
UK citizens are rightfully pissed off that their life is getting worse.
That's not the social contract and being pissed off about that is not racism. It's self preservation.
The same happens in Spain, Germany, France, Italy.
That's your big mystery of why AfD or Reform UK are popular: because the parties currently in power are flat out refusing to implement clear desires of their voters.
That's how democracy is supposed to work: AfD and Reform UK and Le Pen are gaining because they are promising to implement the desires of citizens of German, UK or France.
The foreigner-hate is so short-sighted. Your underpaid hospital worker, house cleaner, fruit picker, taxi driver, UberEats delivery is usually foreign, they don't mind working the exploitative conditions because for them the money is much better than home, providing you with affordable fruits, taxis and delivery (until the rent-seeking corporations want even more than 30%...). Get rid of them, and you'll have to pay living wages for your fruits and delivery. Heh, Westerners, still wanting to enjoy the fruits of colonization.
(Yeah the solution shouldn't be to continue allowing the exploitation, probably a better wealth distribution, but hey, why are you looking at my wallet, look at Elon's wallet!)
Crazy idea: educate more people, lower barriers to entry, hire people from poorer western countries and not Africa.
Poland has hospitals staffed 100% by Polish people. What prevents UK from doing the same?
Second, if immigration was only for skilled workers to plug shortages of certain skills, it would not be a problem.
It's a problem because in 2025 estimated 41 thousand unskilled people, mostly young men, landed in UK just via small boats.
Those are not doctors or nurses or engineers or even fruit pickers. They are unemployed and therefore a massive drain on British resources.
UK gov for some unexplained reason decided that they are responsible for housing and feeding them. The money comes from taxing UK citizens.
The housing is zero sum game so it also comes from depriving some UK citizens, driving up the prices.
And those people get sick too so they also take away hospital resources from UK citizens.
And they don't work so you now have mostly young males loitering in neighborhoods.
