Non-EU citizens will be able to work in Britain after Bulgarian restrictions lifted

[Jay Sata]

The UK Border Agency have been busy clearing up the mess around Marble Arch.

A group of Romanian migrants sleeping rough close to London’s Marble Arch were rounded up just hours after British immigration rules were relaxed.

Officials from the UK Border Agency swooped on the dozen men and women who had gathered around the famous landmark.

Among them was a woman who claimed she had moved to Britain in order to claim free hospital treatment on the NHS.

The group were detained, finger printed and photographed, before being driven away in three Home Office vans.

The detentions came just a day after restrictions on migrants from Romania and Bulgaria working in Britain, were lifted.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/10547989/Border-officials-round-up-Romanian-migrants-at-Londons-Marble-Arch.html

I support anyone who want's to enter the UK and work. Pickpockets ,vagrants and beggars need to be treated under the Vagrants Act 1824.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo4/5/83/contents

[JoeLing]

Hmmm, just wonder, what are property prices in Bulgaria?

Suppose once every one has left for Russia or the UK, I'll just grab it.

Might get a nice mansion by the Black Sea, build a huge casino and

retirement homes for disgruntled G13 citizens.

Anyone interested in investing? Please contact my Nigerian agent, he

conveniently moved to Regency Street with his Ghanes financial advisor.

Joeling apparently all you have to do is claim Bulgarian ancestry, and you can get a Bulgarian Passport, I hear it is excellent for swatting flies

Ps: i already contacted your Nigerian agent, actually he contacted me, and as it turns out , there was a tragedy in his family and his brother the president of the republic was arrested, and he need to get his money out of the con try, I already send him my bank account and routing number, and as soon as his funds are deposited in my account we will be investing in your venture.

Excellent for swatting flies ?

Perfect, just perfect. Will call the place "Little Australia" maybe abrevate it to "Bend Ower", Briths will love it.

Now I'm very sorry about our little family problems but nothing to worry about.

[JoeLing]

Say millions do arrive.

Where are they going to live?

Is there not a housing crisis in the UK due to the lowest house building output for decades?

There's not even sufficient 'accommodation'.

No worries, Milton Keynes 2 on Dartmoor, MK 3 on Exmoor and MK4 in the lake district will take care of

a million. Maybe one more somewhere in Lincolnshire to welcome all those millions of immigrants. Maybe

somewhere around Boston just to give it a bit of a historical flair. That would even stimulate the economy,

create new jobs and those "foreign invaders" wouldn't need to queue in front of us in the benefits offices.

So you are not in favour of National Parks then?

Nothing against National Parks, maybe we could relocate them to Bulgaria?

[copa8]

^^ Yup, look how China's reviewing its one child policy. Now there's a demographic time bomb!

and India is not?

[samran]

If they're working what's the problem? They'll pay tax and contribute to the economy just as the Poles and other EU citizends have done.

The problem is the poles, Romanians etc will work for a lot less than Brits and will put up with harsher conditions, making the minimum wage the norm and taking away any rights the workers had.

Well I do agree with you, that they will be working for much less then the Brits would

but don't blame them, blame the employers who pay less to those foreigners because

they are convenient, cheap and are not organised.

Not the immigrants fault. We just use them to fill our empty spaces and as cheap

labourers and when things go wrong in our countries, we feel very nationalistic,

we want them all out. We will even point our fingers at people who have foreign

sounding names or looks but have our nationality.

I believe it's not just a British syndrome but all over our "developed" world.

Everywhere a little bit different but same-same.

I never blame them, I blame the government 100%. It is what they want, to make the uk more competitive with the rest of the world, but as a result life is getting harder for working class Brits and the rich get richer.

It is everyone elses fault isn't it? Try looking in the mirror.

You want someone to build your houses so that they are at least affordable. You need people to do all the drudge work for a couple of quid an hour so your council taxes, and utility bills don't get even higher.

You need someone to drive all the goods and services across the country so you can consume them. You need someone to pour you a beer behind the pub and not have the pub owner charge you a pretty penny for that pint. You need someone to sweep up at the NHS hospitals.

Don't look anywhere else, look at your reflection to see who is creating the demand for these workers. If they didn't, you'd all be paying much more to eek out our lives on mud island.

[GentlemanJim]

 

This should be a most interesting topic. I am sure there will be a lot of people happy to hear this news.

Having led off with a piece from the Telegraph it will be interesting to keep score as to how many links are posted to the Telegraph and Daily Mail, two "newspapers" that have a certain take on immigration. For those not aware, the link below gives a fair summary of some of the typical headlines found in the Mail...

While the muslim population of Romania is less than 1%, in Bulgaria it is around 8%, which will present a classic two-for-one offer for those of a bigoted mindset....

Heaven forbid we allow people the same opportunity to migrate that is enjoyed by some 5 million Brits. I am sure that Spain and Thailand are really grateful for some of the cultural enrichers that have washed up on their shores.

 

Awesome video !

[MJP]

^^

In the comments section . . .

Ryan:

The argument concerning the dependency ration is unpersuasive and ridiculous. In the short term yes it helps the dependency ratio, but you fail to highlight that in the long run immigrants themselves become old, and more immigrants are required to fill up the ratio- a never ending, uncontrollable cycle. For example to keep the UK 4 plus to 1 ratio (that is 4 working to support one pensioner) WOULD REQUIRE 199 MILLION BY 2051 AND TO 303 MILLION BY THE END OF THE CENTURY (source migrationwatch- immigration and pensions study (1.24- 25/1/2010)

Whatever happened to those 1950's documentaries about how everyone was going to live a life of leisure because of technology?

Present monetary system is unsustainable and plain does not work. A system dependent upon infinite growth in a finite environment. Not going to work.

The entire world has bought into consumerism. You constantly need more and more people to justify the system and keep "growth" as your ultimate value, in terms of production, profits, and, of course, the ever consuming population. It's a giant Ponzi scheme, and eventually it will crash.

It's debt interest based monetarism (I think that's what it's called).

[MJP]

^^ Yup, look how China's reviewing its one child policy. Now there's a demographic time bomb!

and India is not?

They didn't have a one child policy.

[buckoy]

If they're working what's the problem? They'll pay tax and contribute to the economy just as the Poles and other EU citizends have done.

The problem is the poles, Romanians etc will work for a lot less than Brits and will put up with harsher conditions, making the minimum wage the norm and taking away any rights the workers had.

Well I do agree with you, that they will be working for much less then the Brits would

but don't blame them, blame the employers who pay less to those foreigners because

they are convenient, cheap and are not organised.

Not the immigrants fault. We just use them to fill our empty spaces and as cheap

labourers and when things go wrong in our countries, we feel very nationalistic,

we want them all out. We will even point our fingers at people who have foreign

sounding names or looks but have our nationality.

I believe it's not just a British syndrome but all over our "developed" world.

Everywhere a little bit different but same-same.

I never blame them, I blame the government 100%. It is what they want, to make the uk more competitive with the rest of the world, but as a result life is getting harder for working class Brits and the rich get richer.

It is everyone elses fault isn't it? Try looking in the mirror.

You want someone to build your houses so that they are at least affordable. You need people to do all the drudge work for a couple of quid an hour so your council taxes, and utility bills don't get even higher.

You need someone to drive all the goods and services across the country so you can consume them. You need someone to pour you a beer behind the pub and not have the pub owner charge you a pretty penny for that pint. You need someone to sweep up at the NHS hospitals.

Don't look anywhere else, look at your reflection to see who is creating the demand for these workers. If they didn't, you'd all be paying much more to eek out our lives on mud island.

It's the big companies that benefit not individuals. So English people get everything cheaper now do they?

You are talking total rubbish. They compete against British workers and undercut them and bosses use them as they put it with a lot more shit than Brits

[samran]

If they're working what's the problem? They'll pay tax and contribute to the economy just as the Poles and other EU citizends have done.

The problem is the poles, Romanians etc will work for a lot less than Brits and will put up with harsher conditions, making the minimum wage the norm and taking away any rights the workers had.

Well I do agree with you, that they will be working for much less then the Brits would

but don't blame them, blame the employers who pay less to those foreigners because

they are convenient, cheap and are not organised.

Not the immigrants fault. We just use them to fill our empty spaces and as cheap

labourers and when things go wrong in our countries, we feel very nationalistic,

we want them all out. We will even point our fingers at people who have foreign

sounding names or looks but have our nationality.

I believe it's not just a British syndrome but all over our "developed" world.

Everywhere a little bit different but same-same.

I never blame them, I blame the government 100%. It is what they want, to make the uk more competitive with the rest of the world, but as a result life is getting harder for working class Brits and the rich get richer.

It is everyone elses fault isn't it? Try looking in the mirror.

You want someone to build your houses so that they are at least affordable. You need people to do all the drudge work for a couple of quid an hour so your council taxes, and utility bills don't get even higher.

You need someone to drive all the goods and services across the country so you can consume them. You need someone to pour you a beer behind the pub and not have the pub owner charge you a pretty penny for that pint. You need someone to sweep up at the NHS hospitals.

Don't look anywhere else, look at your reflection to see who is creating the demand for these workers. If they didn't, you'd all be paying much more to eek out our lives on mud island.

It's the big companies that benefit not individuals. So English people get everything cheaper now do they?

You are talking total rubbish. They compete against British workers and undercut them and bosses use them as they put it with a lot more shit than Brits

so the local pubs, restuarants, building contractors and other small business do not hire these cheaper labourers? When the average british household hires a nanny to babysit for the night, they are only good British stock who come to do those jobs, and of course, you, the customer, like every other good Brit, is happy to may more for the privelege (not to mention the waiting time for finding one). You are a saint.

So it is only the big mean corporations is it then who benefit (and I guess they don't hire any hight priced expats either do they...).

[MJP]

Samran, it's not immigration that's the problem, it's the rate of influx and the uncontrolled manner with which it's being done.

I work in construction management and very few of our workforce are 'foreign'.

A lot of skilled and semi-skilled British people want work, but the consistency of work isn't there anymore. Everyone is on zero hours contracts or self-employed day rate. Only the contracts managers and quantity surveyors and the 'one' health and safety manager are actually employed full time now.

The house price thing is all about land prices in a credit bubble, not so much about construction costs. The big house builders are retaining their land banks, not developing them, to maintain high prices. Prices rose another 8.4% in 2013.

[Sing_Sling]

the UK is going to get a taste what the rest of west europe has for far too long: many many non willing people bringing in all their family and all living on social welfare

The UK has been sheltered from the influx of people from the, mainly, Eastern part of Europe . . . but their press is certainly more vociferously xenophobic ad their readership more bigoted and easily frightened

Of course Canadians and other citizens of commonwealth nation will still be banned from working in the U.K. without special Visas.

Can British citizens work in Canada, or any other Commonwealth nation, without a visa?

Can't say for all, but certainly for Canada and most others: no.

Whereas British citizens have the same freedom of movement rights in other EEA states as other EEA nationals have in the UK.

Rights currently being exercised by approximately 1 million Brits.

Oh, those cursed foreign workers, the Brits!!! They'll work cheaper than your average Sven or Manfred . . . curs

[Sing_Sling]

Can British citizens work in Canada, or any other Commonwealth nation, without a visa?

Can't say for all, but certainly for Canada and most others: no.

Whereas British citizens have the same freedom of movement rights in other EEA states as other EEA nationals have in the UK.

Rights currently being exercised by approximately 1 million Brits.

Yup. But it takes some doing. Canada is desperate for highly skilled people at the moment and I know Brits who've been very happy out there many years now.

It took my GP friend over a year to get his Aus visa mind and they're short of medical staff there. In the end he called 'em up and gave the Embassy an ultimatum. Either we get the visa this week or you can forget it. Visa was with him the next day!

Gave the embassy an ultimatum . . . cor blimey, guv'nah!

Knowing full well how the system works I highly doubt that your threat made the Embassy move at such lightning pace. Firstly, it isn't the embassy that handles this, rather the consular section and then it is Canberra, not whatever embassy you visited.

It's nice to believe in the mouse that roared . . . but let's keep it real

If they're working what's the problem? They'll pay tax and contribute to the economy just as the Poles and other EU citizends have done.

The problem is the poles, Romanians etc will work for a lot less than Brits and will put up with harsher conditions, making the minimum wage the norm and taking away any rights the workers had.

So, it is the employer who is ruining the system . . . Brits.

[Sing_Sling]

I read somewhere that the UK gov admitted it. Goooooooooooo search. You folk make me sick. When in business in the UK I knew about the influx of non tax or NI payers. If you want to live in your ivory tower and close your eyes, that is up to you. BUT, isn't it strange that in LOS my friends from many nationalities talk and think the same as me, BUT they cannot air their views, as it might be construed as racist in their homeland.

Mate, telling someone to google something YOU claim is poor

Samran, it's not immigration that's the problem, it's the rate of influx and the uncontrolled manner with which it's being done.

I work in construction management and very few of our workforce are 'foreign'.

A lot of skilled and semi-skilled British people want work, but the consistency of work isn't there anymore. Everyone is on zero hours contracts or self-employed day rate. Only the contracts managers and quantity surveyors and the 'one' health and safety manager are actually employed full time now.

The house price thing is all about land prices in a credit bubble, not so much about construction costs. The big house builders are retaining their land banks, not developing them, to maintain high prices. Prices rose another 8.4% in 2013.

I'm confused - you say that in your field there are very few foreigners and then go on to say the opposite. My apologies if I have misunderstood

[MJP]

I read somewhere that the UK gov admitted it. Goooooooooooo search. You folk make me sick. When in business in the UK I knew about the influx of non tax or NI payers. If you want to live in your ivory tower and close your eyes, that is up to you. BUT, isn't it strange that in LOS my friends from many nationalities talk and think the same as me, BUT they cannot air their views, as it might be construed as racist in their homeland.

Mate, telling someone to google something YOU claim is poor

Samran, it's not immigration that's the problem, it's the rate of influx and the uncontrolled manner with which it's being done.

I work in construction management and very few of our workforce are 'foreign'.

A lot of skilled and semi-skilled British people want work, but the consistency of work isn't there anymore. Everyone is on zero hours contracts or self-employed day rate. Only the contracts managers and quantity surveyors and the 'one' health and safety manager are actually employed full time now.

The house price thing is all about land prices in a credit bubble, not so much about construction costs. The big house builders are retaining their land banks, not developing them, to maintain high prices. Prices rose another 8.4% in 2013.

I'm confused - you say that in your field there are very few foreigners and then go on to say the opposite. My apologies if I have misunderstood

There's so little house building actually going on in the UK there actually aren't the jobs available, even for the established Brits in those domestic industries. So, I haven't said the opposite at all. A lot of these people going to the UK for work are going to be disappointed. Any predatory practices come from the pretty much unregulated employment agencies who will charge say £16/hour and pay the person (British or foreign) a small fraction of that above national minimum wage.

Many of the homeless people you see on the streets in the UK are from Eastern Europe. It's so very sad.

Something else I really don't like about this predatory immigration is the 'rich' countries yet again plundering the natural resources of poorer nation states. Yes, many countries have this skewed demographics problem and taking their young and their skilled workforce is only going to make living conditions much worse in those countries. They can't develop these countries for the better without young and skilled people.

So all these holier than thou left wing types thinking their open door immigration policies are of great benefit to all . . . think again.

[bundoi]

The headline is very misleading; these people are not Bulgarian or Romanian citizens at the moment, but once they become Bulgarian or Rumanian citizens they will then have full EU rights - once the restrictions have been lifted.

Apparently they can become Bulgarian or Romanian citizens due to historical ties.

Isn't that the same (but a bit different) as citizens of former British Empire countries being able to claim British citizenship and thereby availing themselves of full EU rights?

[MJP]

We'll see what happens, but I have this horrible feeling that this uncontrolled migration of people will ultimately result in the rise of the extreme right in the UK.

No one needs that either.

[Sing_Sling]

I read somewhere that the UK gov admitted it. Goooooooooooo search. You folk make me sick. When in business in the UK I knew about the influx of non tax or NI payers. If you want to live in your ivory tower and close your eyes, that is up to you. BUT, isn't it strange that in LOS my friends from many nationalities talk and think the same as me, BUT they cannot air their views, as it might be construed as racist in their homeland.

Mate, telling someone to google something YOU claim is poor

Samran, it's not immigration that's the problem, it's the rate of influx and the uncontrolled manner with which it's being done.

I work in construction management and very few of our workforce are 'foreign'.

A lot of skilled and semi-skilled British people want work, but the consistency of work isn't there anymore. Everyone is on zero hours contracts or self-employed day rate. Only the contracts managers and quantity surveyors and the 'one' health and safety manager are actually employed full time now.

The house price thing is all about land prices in a credit bubble, not so much about construction costs. The big house builders are retaining their land banks, not developing them, to maintain high prices. Prices rose another 8.4% in 2013.

I'm confused - you say that in your field there are very few foreigners and then go on to say the opposite. My apologies if I have misunderstood

There's so little house building actually going on in the UK there actually aren't the jobs available, even for the established Brits in those domestic industries. So, I haven't said the opposite at all. A lot of these people going to the UK for work are going to be disappointed. Any predatory practices come from the pretty much unregulated employment agencies who will charge say £16/hour and pay the person (British or foreign) a small fraction of that above national minimum wage.

Many of the homeless people you see on the streets in the UK are from Eastern Europe. It's so very sad.

Something else I really don't like about this predatory immigration is the 'rich' countries yet again plundering the natural resources of poorer nation states. Yes, many countries have this skewed demographics problem and taking their young and their skilled workforce is only going to make living conditions much worse in those countries. They can't develop these countries for the better without young and skilled people.

So all these holier than thou left wing types thinking their open door immigration policies are of great benefit to all . . . think again.

I would identify myself as being quite left of centre, though I am an employer . . . but I agree with your assessment regarding migratory demographics, though a country like Poland has a population close to 40 million and a few hundred thousand - a percentage of which return home - migrants won't make a large difference.

. . . the headline does cater to the xenophobic, however, as the UK isn't the main target of these people . . . look at Germany for that.

But yes, I do see your point about developing countries losing - even if for a short while - some of their brightest and best

[bundoi]

Well I also see myself as left of centre, but giving away citizenship is a policy which really has no clear left/right genesis, though some might argue it fits with international socialism (if that exists anymore).

I am personally in favour of controlled immigration, of the sort that existed in the UK up to the mid 20th century, but the mass immigration of the last 60 years is a recipe for disaster imho, and it's pretty much unprecedented.

I'm also a firm believer in Europe, but some of the policies of the EU are not constructive imo.

I think this particuar issue with new Rumanians and Bulgarians has probably been exaggerated and is just a drop in the ocean of the bigger issue.

I once worked with some Rumanian professionals - they told me never to go to Rumania as it would be too dangerous for me! No disrespect to any Rumanians who may be reading this !

Edited January 4, 2014 by bundoi

[Steely Dan]

We'll see what happens, but I have this horrible feeling that this uncontrolled migration of people will ultimately result in the rise of the extreme right in the UK.

No one needs that either.

Sshh. talk like that will get you into the Kafkaesque situation where you yourself are accused of belonging to the extreme right for even voicing such concerns.

[MJP]

We'll see what happens, but I have this horrible feeling that this uncontrolled migration of people will ultimately result in the rise of the extreme right in the UK.

No one needs that either.

Sshh. talk like that will get you into the Kafkaesque situation where you yourself are accused of belonging to the extreme right for even voicing such concerns.

It's crazy isn't it?

The ivory tower policy makers need to spend a little time actually considering the real consequences of their actions, not just the consequences for the receiving countries but especially for those societies losing their people.

[ravip]

If they're working what's the problem? They'll pay tax and contribute to the economy just as the Poles and other EU citizends have done.

The problem is the poles, Romanians etc will work for a lot less than Brits and will put up with harsher conditions, making the minimum wage the norm and taking away any rights the workers had.

Well I do agree with you, that they will be working for much less then the Brits would

but don't blame them, blame the employers who pay less to those foreigners because

they are convenient, cheap and are not organised.

Not the immigrants fault. We just use them to fill our empty spaces and as cheap

labourers and when things go wrong in our countries, we feel very nationalistic,

we want them all out. We will even point our fingers at people who have foreign

sounding names or looks but have our nationality.

I believe it's not just a British syndrome but all over our "developed" world.

Everywhere a little bit different but same-same.

It is a human trait not to accept that one-self is wrong.

Think back in history... how were "Empires" made?

By absolute dirty, inhuman means, isn't it?

Can those "Colonizers" be proud today and advertise their actions while preaching about "rights" whatever they might be?

To put it very simply - disgraceful!

Edit

What exactly is this "superiority conmplex" I wonder?????

Edited January 4, 2014 by ravip

[buckoy]

If they're working what's the problem? They'll pay tax and contribute to the economy just as the Poles and other EU citizends have done.

The problem is the poles, Romanians etc will work for a lot less than Brits and will put up with harsher conditions, making the minimum wage the norm and taking away any rights the workers had.

Well I do agree with you, that they will be working for much less then the Brits would

but don't blame them, blame the employers who pay less to those foreigners because

they are convenient, cheap and are not organised.

Not the immigrants fault. We just use them to fill our empty spaces and as cheap

labourers and when things go wrong in our countries, we feel very nationalistic,

we want them all out. We will even point our fingers at people who have foreign

sounding names or looks but have our nationality.

I believe it's not just a British syndrome but all over our "developed" world.

Everywhere a little bit different but same-same.

It is a human trait not to accept that one-self is wrong.

Think back in history... how were "Empires" made?

By absolute dirty, inhuman means, isn't it?

Can those "Colonizers" be proud today and advertise their actions while preaching about "rights" whatever they might be?

To put it very simply - disgraceful!

The colonisers died a long time ago, absolutely nothing to do with me. That is a pathetic statement. Yes I am English but that's were the similarities end. If I was a coloniser, I would want the cheap labour to fill my big factories.

That really is a weak comment and to compare it to today's situation is stupid. Infact I don't know why I am wasting my time replying.

[MJP]

Mass immigration:

It's not about the integration of Europe.

It's not about taking care of people from poorer countries.

It's not about the multicultural ideologies of an Islington dinner party.

It's not about a happy clappy all inclusive world (which the world should be!)

It's all about plundering one of the most in demand natural resource to fill a hole. That resource is people and the hole is the debt/demographic of Western countries.

It's no different to colonization. It's just a different way of plundering their resources.

[7by7]

Except the immigrant is making a choice denied the colonised. That choice may be based upon economic necessity, but it is a choice.

This is as true of the EU immigrants today as it was of the New Commonwealth immigrants of the '50s and 60's.

[MJP]

Except the immigrant is making a choice denied the colonised. That choice may be based upon economic necessity, but it is a choice.

This is as true of the EU immigrants today as it was of the New Commonwealth immigrants of the '50s and 60's.

That is true. The colonisers were brutal.

A friend in the UK from Ghana said of them, "Back then they'd imprison you physically, now they they imprison you mentally and economically".

He was living in Buckinghamshire at the time.

[bundoi]

The most comprehensive book I've read about this issue is called "Bloody Foreigners" (the left-of-centre writer was using the term ironically). It was published about 5 years ago I think.

As far as I remember from the book, the immigration starting in the 50s and 60s began almost by chance, not by design, with a captain returning from the Caribbean with an otherwise empty boat. From then on for quite a few years the right of British citizenship which had been established in the 19th century, and which no-one had ever expected to be taken up, was exercised until successive UK governments, both left and right, introduced legislation to limit that mass immigration.

It's a great book and well worth the read, though I disagree with the author's view that the mass immigration of the mid-late 20th century is just the same as earlier waves of immigration - it is clearly not, either by number or by qualitative change within the UK.

Worth noting that the main sources of the mass immigration into the UK - Pakistan and India - were never colonised by the British, who simply arranged trading deals initially (later backed by big guns) with the local leaders. Even at the height of the Empire, the number of white British in India was measured in thousands not tens or hundreds of thousands, never mind millions; and as a percentage of the indigenous population was miniscule, nay - infinitesimal.

As regards the true colonies - for example in North America and what is now ANZ - I'm sure there are many here who have much better info on that than me.

[Steely Dan]

In a perverse way those who suffer the exodus of people searching for higher incomes and a better lifestyle elsewhere will benefit in the long run. They have no capacity to join the debt based neo-Keynesian economic model and will have to adopt a policy of more conservative money management, smaller government etc. They may indeed become more productive and when the debt based economic bubble bursts the migrant workers will return from whence they came, with whatever they can take with them before our currency collapses.

Edited January 4, 2014 by Steely Dan

[folium]

The most comprehensive book I've read about this issue is called "Bloody Foreigners" (the left-of-centre writer was using the term ironically). It was published about 5 years ago I think.

As far as I remember from the book, the immigration starting in the 50s and 60s began almost by chance, not by design, with a captain returning from the Caribbean with an otherwise empty boat. From then on for quite a few years the right of British citizenship which had been established in the 19th century, and which no-one had ever expected to be taken up, was exercised until successive UK governments, both left and right, introduced legislation to limit that mass immigration.

It's a great book and well worth the read, though I disagree with the author's view that the mass immigration of the mid-late 20th century is just the same as earlier waves of immigration - it is clearly not, either by number or by qualitative change within the UK.

Worth noting that the main sources of the mass immigration into the UK - Pakistan and India - were never colonised by the British, who simply arranged trading deals initially (later backed by big guns) with the local leaders. Even at the height of the Empire, the number of white British in India was measured in thousands not tens or hundreds of thousands, never mind millions; and as a percentage of the indigenous population was miniscule, nay - infinitesimal.

As regards the true colonies - for example in North America and what is now ANZ - I'm sure there are many here who have much better info on that than me.

You are confusing "colonization" and "colonialism"

Colonization is strictly to do with migration of people from place of origin to a new place. However the numbers are not stipulated and thus a small number of people can effectively "colonize" an area without the need for huge numbers of immigrants/settlers.

Colonialism is the establishment, exploitation, maintenance, acquisition, and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a set of unequal relationships between the colonial power and the colony and often between the colonists and the indigenous population.

Thus India most certainly was a colony (Pakistan did not exist as a separate entity until 1947 and was part of the Crown Colony of India). India was initially run by the East India Company until the Indian Mutiny 0f 1857 and then split approximately 50:50 between direct British rule from Calcutta/New Delhi and some 560 Princely states (see map below, direct rule pink, Princely states yellow)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:British_Indian_Empire_1909_Imperial_Gazetteer_of_India.jpg

The British Empire always majored on trade and being able to "wash its face" financially. Great use was made of local assets both in terms of leadership and manpower as it made economic sense to do so. During WW1 almost 1 million Indian troops served overseas and during WW2 the largest ever volunteer army was raised to fight for the Allies, numbering 2.5 million.

The classic colonial clash came post WW2 in the biggest battle of the Indonesian Independence campaign that in Surabaya in Nov 1945 and commemorated today as Heroes Day. This involved almost entirely Indian troops under British commanders attempting to crush Indonesian nationalist forces and not a Dutchman in sight!

[MJP]

Here's an extreme example of part of the numbers problem facing the West . . .

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25566868

If the trend in birth rate persists, Japan's population will have a third fewer people within the next 50 years and 40% of them will be over 65 years old by 2060.