Bingo! Peter this is only possible because the EU does not have any single explicit law against this fraudulent actions as we will see in the case of Greece. The EU has only loopholes for certain "investors" which was introduced by the "Trioka" (a Russian word) with its 89 billion. Its the best example with their shortsighted nonsense in the case of Greece. So, let's see when the Greeks say enough is enough. They are nurturing 15.000+ REFUGES (not migrants!!) to come finally to their beloved new countries. This is why I pay taxes in Germany, in France and in Spain. This really has to get to stop.
Peter you're not cynical - it's soooo true! They are the kind that also use UK builders, alongside their UK bought products, working illegally from just about every angle as well as on the black.
The rules don't seem to apply to them - a bit like drink driving - another highly popular expat trait - something that doesn't seem to count whilst they're in France.
I'm reminded of some folks who are French resident, with their UK reg car, insured by SAGA in the UK on a 6 month basis using a UK relatives address for the policy. I'm sure SAGA will be only too pleased to pay out on those policies - yeah right....
Absolutely Brian! I'd be more than happy to survey the Ariege 'group' - that would be such fun. To a wo/man - they nearly all bleat on about immigrants in the UK yet it affects none of them!! Nutters. There they sit on their pompous, self righteous backsides with their UK reg cars - spouting off how very clever they are. I'm just so very pleased that the net is tightening - ever so quickly......
...and of course those who insist on rewiring their dream home using products conforming to UK standards and bought in Homebase etc to later find out their systems don't conform to their house insurance policies ( this only applies to those who actually bother to insure their house in France)
Cynical, MOI !
Machiavelli springs to mind! What we need is a survey of people to find out if they are willing to pay taxes, TV licences, contribute to a health and social security system, re-register cars, declare interest in foreign bank accounts (doubt they have any, but...) and all the rest of it. Firstly we go to Calais and ask the people in the camps, then we select people who have been living here for years on end without doing any of the above. We do not tell the one group about the other, because we do not want the bad guys (not saying which ones) to be tainted by knowing that. Then we compare the findings.
I have been a gambler always, there I know where I would put my money and make it a good bet at that.
.....not to mention those 'forgetting'' to insure their UK registered cars.
Or re-register them....
Or affiliate to the French health system, or pay their TV licence, or declare capital gains in France and the UK, or complete P85's....but I digress.....
Wot's a dickshunarry mate ?
and cannot find contrôle technique in their dictionary...
.....not to mention those 'forgetting'' to insure their UK registered cars.
Tell me your secret...
Absolutely Peter - and avoid as many taxes as possible.....
I don't do simplistic. Simple, I would accept. ;-)
I beg to differ. Given the topic and the number of comments it has stayed off politics in the sense of left and right although it has gone into the politics of how migrants are/might be treated. So, not a political football. However, if it had no compassion it would have picked up a lot of flack for how insensitive a load of immigrants here in France are, etc, etc, plus a few people who see it otherwise. In fact, when you go back over the whole thread, there have been quite a few suggestions on how the situation be looked at and perhaps solved. Having said that, playing pseudo-gods is supposedly what we elect politicians, our representatives in whom we invest trust (sic), to do and the ball is in their court because they have the power and resources to resolve the situation.
So Phil, I would suggest you take a couple of hours to plough through this lot, including the links people have added, then telling everybody who has contributed exactly what we have failed to say or cases we have failed to present.
@ Simon
"as opposed to France..." ....where many of the migrants from the EU and elsewhere are fine upstanding indivduals but also where a fair share of expats come to sponge off the state and fiddle as many benefits as possible....
True Mike - as opposed to France where.....don't tempt me :-)
Maybe they would rather work than scrounge off social security?They already speak English?
The UK has a history of welcoming refugees?
(Am working to deadline so short) Because in the UK you don't have to produce an ID card.
Said it a few days ago but the 'connections' are in the equation. So many of the countries they are coming from, including in this article, have been occupied by, a protectorate of or have some kind of colonial status under the UK at any time back to the 1860s. The ties were forged back then, the USA has never had that, not Germany and France had less colonies and far fewer countries under its 'protection' historically. They go where they feel there are 'traditional' ties however old they may be. Not all, of course, but put that in the equation and then it all makes sense.
Great article Mike! I wonder why the migrants in France are scrambling to get out when they would receive more in benefits here than anywhere else? Makes you think....:-(