Playing the blame game – it’s all the immigrants fault…

Don Flynn is the director of the Migrants’ Rights Network

Papers don't really like migrants much... Today’s article in the Daily Telegraph by employment minister Chris Grayling and immigration minister Damian Green gives a picture of hundreds of thousands migrants arriving and marching straight down to the job centres to claim benefits.

Whipping up a storm of innuendo and misrepresentation, they link students, tourists and people “coming in the backs of lorries” to the fact that 370,000 claiming work-related social security benefits were born abroad.

Here’s a much-needed reality check:

Of this 370,000, over one-half are actually British citizens. They didn’t arrive here yesterday – many will have come ten, twenty or more years ago.

Another point: 370,000 sounds like a big figure, but it represents a fraction of just over 6 per cent of the 5.5 million people in receipt of these benefits. Not such a large figure after all.

It might also be worth mentioning that people born abroad make up around 14 per cent of the UK workforce. If they were represented in that proportion amongst benefit claimants we’d need many more of these ‘foreigners’ to get down to the dole queue and sign on.

The statistics the ministers are quoting also say nothing about the real cost of the benefits claimants – both foreign-born and native – to the public purse. It’s all very well saying on such-and-such a date 6 per cent of social welfare recipients were born abroad, but how many were amongst the long-term unemployed, and how many just needed help for a month or so before their next job turned up?

Anyone closer to the ground in this debate knows that benefits are only paid out when strict tests of entitlement are gone through by social security officials.

Most non-EU migrants who have arrived within the previous five years (two years if the spouse or partner of a person settled here) are barred from receiving the large number of income-related, child and incapacity benefits which figure on the immigration rule’s ‘public funds’ list.

Even EU nationals, who are supposed to have the same rights as UK citizens in these matters, have to have been in employment or self-employment, or the partners of someone who has, and to show that they are ‘habitually resident’ in the UK before they receive benefits.

So why has the government released these numbers now? When so much of the news about the economy and unemployment is as dire as it is, and the tsunami of joblessness that is now sweeping over us is associated with austerity measures, is it any surprise that some of its ministers are yet again speaking about migration and abuse of the system?

See also:

• DWP evidence says migrants aren’t benefit cheats. DWP’s spin says… – Alex Hern, January 20th 2012

• How to create a Telegraph migration scare story – Matt Cavanagh, September 9th 2011

• Express and Mail fail the migration stats test – Sunder Katwala, August 26th 2011

• The bad news in yesterday’s employment stats (and it’s not about migration) – Declan Gaffney, July 14th 2011

• When will politicians stop taking the public for fools on immigration? – Declan Gaffney, July 2nd 2011

http://twitter.com/britishroses1/status/160325949538320384 BevR

RT @leftfootfwd: Playing the blame game – it's all the immigrants fault… http://t.co/LPrjsld3 #spartacusreport
http://twitter.com/britishroses1/status/160326204371648512 BevR

RT @leftfootfwd: Playing the blame game – it's all the immigrants fault… http://t.co/LPrjsld3
http://twitter.com/rosiejanele/status/160327054020190208 Jane Leach

RT @leftfootfwd: Playing the blame game – it's all the immigrants fault… http://t.co/1lh6JwDy
Anonymous

It’s not the immigrants fault. It’s your fault. You let them in, when they would be a drain on public resources.

You gave them citizenship, when they would be a drain on public resources.

I don’t blame them one bit, but that doesn’t mean we should remove them from the UK.

Migration into the UK should just be for those who are a net economic benefit.

No central planning about quotas or permitted occupations, or pass laws, …
http://twitter.com/therightarticle/status/160331387583479808 Michael

Playing the blame game – it’s all the immigrants fault… – http://t.co/eiOapd5I
http://twitter.com/deardaveandnick/status/160331617364217856 Bern O’Donoghue

Playing the blame game – it’s all the immigrants fault… – http://t.co/eiOapd5I
http://twitter.com/pulpark/status/160332136908460032 Pulp Ark

Playing the blame game – it’s all the… http://t.co/oeilUFh7 #Clean_Politics #Immigration #migrants #migration #muslim #tcot #sioa
http://twitter.com/shamikdas/status/160332411366932480 Shamik Das

Playing the blame game – it's all the immigrants fault… http://t.co/y761n0s0 by @donflynnmrn
http://twitter.com/patronpress/status/160332748966477824 Patron Press – #P2

#UK : Playing the blame game – it ’s all the immigrants fault … http://t.co/qmNSfaIZ
http://twitter.com/lipotidae David Mace

This is yet another smoke screen and attempt at hate stirring up. Surprisingly its bonus season again. A better focus and more financially rewarding investigation into tax avoidance would be a better waste of tax payers money.
http://twitter.com/eimainoksia/status/160333414233419776 ei mainoksia

Playing the blame game – it's all the immigrants fault… http://t.co/y761n0s0 by @donflynnmrn
http://twitter.com/titteryenot1/status/160334135020367872 Barry Checkley

Playing the blame game – it’s all the immigrants fault… – http://t.co/eiOapd5I
http://twitter.com/politicalplanet/status/160335307324141568 Political Planet

Playing the blame game – it’s all the immigrants fault…: Don Flynn of the migrants' rights network responds to C… http://t.co/dp0QOH3V
http://twitter.com/leftlinks/status/160335673247801344 leftlinks

Left Foot Forward – Playing the blame game – it’s all the immigrants fault… http://t.co/Lc5HtAG2
Blarg1987

And nothing to do with the vested interest of buisnesses who wanted to import cheap labour reducing wage increases for working people and terms and conditions?

I would bet my life savings that the conservatives would have done the exact same policy on immigration adn say it was EU rules as there interestes are in those that fund them, and the rewards politicans believe they can achieve as are all political parties.
http://twitter.com/britishroses1/status/160339033208266752 BevR

Playing the blame game – it's all the immigrants fault… http://t.co/y761n0s0 by @donflynnmrn
RedFish

I assume the “your” was directed at the Thatcher government for signing up to the Single European Market, or perhaps the Tory Governments form 1950-64 which allowed mass immigration from the Commonwealth??
Patrick

I think we should abolish all immigration controls and allow anyone who wants to come and live here to come straight in.
Daggsat

We have!
http://twitter.com/martinrusso_/status/160362494458728448 Martin Russo

Playing the blame game – it's all the immigrants fault… http://t.co/y761n0s0 by @donflynnmrn
http://twitter.com/jintyg51/status/160368217750122496 Janet Graham

Playing the blame game – it's all the immigrants fault… http://t.co/y761n0s0 by @donflynnmrn
http://twitter.com/samiaq/status/160388101322194944 Samia Qumri♀

Gov ministers & #media spinning the numbers, yet again..".Playing the blame game"
http://t.co/udgIWDXT #migration #in
http://twitter.com/migrants_rights/status/160401349505335296 Migrants Rights Net

Playing the blame game – it's all the immigrants fault… http://t.co/y761n0s0 by @donflynnmrn
http://twitter.com/esolnexus/status/160401817522540545 British Council

RT “@leftfootfwd: Playing the blame game – it's all the immigrants fault… http://t.co/6hPHqTDm by @donflynnmrn”
http://twitter.com/aladdinpr/status/160402369224523776 Arman Alan Ali

Playing the blame game – it's all the immigrants fault… http://t.co/y761n0s0 by @donflynnmrn
VIM.INC

It is no surprise that ‘the migrants abuse of the system’ is still a topic on certain publications and ministers agendas. I don’t understand why the British press and government have this regressive habit of using migrant workers to detract attention from national crises. In this seemingly modern and international world the importance of this (often temporary) workforce should be apparent to all. Chris Grayling and Damian Green’s article in the Telegraph is inflammatory and skates over the neatly pointed out statistics above. To suggest that the majority of migrants arriving in the UK are heading straight to the benefits office is ludicrous and it is refreshing to see such a short, supported response as above. Does this move to ‘migrants claiming our benefits’ from ‘migrants taking our jobs’ seem desperate to anyone else? Particularly when the released figures do not indicate the bigoted belief being pushed.
http://twitter.com/gregorycallseng/status/160415148689989632 Gregory Callsen

http://t.co/ioPQEAdI Playing the blame game – it's all the immigrants fault… | Left Foot …
http://twitter.com/jfishersay/status/160418224331161600 James Daniel Fisher

RT @leftfootfwd: Playing the blame game – it's all the immigrants fault… http://t.co/6Xl2f1V7
http://twitter.com/davechivers/status/160428762209599488 David Chivers

Playing the blame game – it’s all the immigrants fault…: http://t.co/ICb15THM
http://twitter.com/orf2012/status/160429005558910976 Oxford Radical Forum

@manishtas thanks for tweeting @leftfootfwd http://t.co/vFVW1n4h
Nick Leaton

I’m sure lots of them love it.

However its not good for the country. The end result is poor people subsidising migration. Hence the need to restrict migration to those that pay more tax than the average government spend.

It has lots of things going for it.

1. Non-racist.
2. No central planning
3. Easy to administer – check the tax returns.

However, you’ve got too many MPs benefiting. For example the Attorney general. The one they changed the rules retrospectively to make her expenses fraud legal.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1231427/Attorney-General-Baroness-Scotlands-illegal-immigrant-housekeeper-charged-police.html
Blarg1987

I think to hit two birds with one stone, the simplist solution would be for immigration outside the EU the employer must provide private medical cover and shooling for the family of the employe in question as well as have them pay taxes for the first 5 years, this would mean that if buisnesses needed them they would pay for it or if not be encouraged to train up local people.
With regards to the EU we have national insurence which pays for treatement etc, the simple solution would be to ensure all EU citizens working here have a valid insurence card from their member state covering the costs of their employement otherwise certain things would be witheld, I am sure once this has reached far and wide immigration to the UK would drop like a stone for people who come here for low paid jobs and skills, granted we need these people but they need a living wage and the only way to do that is make it more expensive to bring in cheap labor then to employ and train local people on a higher wage.
http://twitter.com/Newsbot9 Newsbot9

The same rules need to be applied to everyone.

So you’d cut access to the NHS for the poor here. *claps*
Al

Just remember, ‘Lord Blagger’, that these are human beings, not some faceless mass just waiting to pounce and drain the British purse. They are individuals who share in common with every other individual a wish and a need to provide for themselves and their families, to live in peace and comfort and security. Perhaps if they see our country as enabling them to realise these goals, we should be flattered, rather than demonising them and blindly focussing on self-interest and profit?
http://twitter.com/ligomersall/status/161028777915322368 liane gomersall

RT @leftfootfwd: Playing the blame game – it's all the immigrants fault… http://t.co/chywTqaU
Ed’s Talking Balls

You can be flattered by someone’s interests yet still rebuff said interests. I suspect Rihanna has quite a few people interested in her but, ultimately, cannot accommodate everyone.
Blarg1987

Please reread my last comment again as I said we have NATIONAL INSURENCE which covers all UK citizens so how would that descriminate against the poor here?
Under the EU we have to trate EU citizens under the same system we have so in some countries you have to pay etc yet they get it back form the state etc, so if we have a simular system where by foreign nationals must obtain an equivelent national insurence card in which we can reclaim any ssociated costs from their state of origin we are still in the rules an it would make it far harder for health tourism, which I accept is a very small amount of people.
http://twitter.com/Newsbot9 Newsbot9

Of course they’re not Human to him.
http://twitter.com/Newsbot9 Newsbot9

NI is something which is not fully paid by the poorest workers. Not to mention the temporarily unemployed. But never mind them!

The NHS’s problems with claiming back relate to the lack of a proper central IT system, which is something mismanaged repeated by governments of all types.