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Sunday 10 October 2010

Rochdale, revisited | The Spectator

Rochdale, revisited | The Spectator: "The answer is what I call the British Economic Dysfunction: that our growing economy sucks in people from overseas, rather than reducing dole queues. Unreformed welfare pays people not to work: and I blame the system, not those who follow its perverse incentives. Nor do I blame hardworking immigrants for filling these vacancies."

Pretty much spot on. Pulling in immigrants that pay less tax than the government spends, 11,000 pounds a year, is economic madness. If you pull in low paid immigrants, it just means that those on welfare stay on welfare.

That welfare adds up. 13K a year tax free in lots of cases, for what, 20, 30, 40 years rising with inflation? Half a million isn't unreasonable an estimate. That's a good sized lottery win.