TVN24 - Polish independent news channel has just broadcasted program about 3 Polish men who have just come back from London, England. They came to England for work without enough money, without basic knowledge of English, and without any contract. Yet another three who believed that UK and Ireland was the Eldorado - a promised land, where is plenty of job, and you can find it almost instantly. Because they couldn’t communicate they were very easily exploited, loosing money instead of earning. They ended up on the street without money, job and perspectives. Finally they met Travellers, who took they papers and forced them to steal. After some period of time they escaped and met another Polish homeless who helped them and teach them how to beg properly and to get from begging about 20 - 100 GBP per day. They were spending theyir days on begging and then drinking cheap cider. Finally they came back to Poland and now they are struggling to came back to normal life.
Here is the link to the video at TVN24 website. The video is in Polish, but with my description you probably get a basic notion about the program: http://www.tvn24.pl/2071288,0,0,2,1,wideo.html
I wonder, why UK and Irish governments don’t want to limit the number of emigrants that are flowing into UK and Ireland. There is a simple factor to decide who would be let in or not - people with knowledge of English enough to communicate and to fight for their rights. In my opinion problem of Polish homeless and beggars will be increasing since there is not barrier nor system to prevent unprepared people to come over.
The requirements for the newcomers would be quite simple:
- basic English, to be able to communicate (kind of certificate)
- having at least 1000 Euro
- having proof of booked hostel or accommodation for first couple of days
- clear files in Police database (in any European country, such data system exists)
I know it is not ease to introduce such things on the borders, but it would prevent Poles of becoming homeless and begging on the streets, it would keep Polish troublemakers in Poland, it would prevent Irish or British employers of exploiting Polish workers, thus it would assure equal chances to get a job both for foreigners and natives, and finally it would prevent most of racial behaviours since, natives wouldn’t have and big reasons to dislike emigrants (of course if they not regard emigrants as a strangers and if natives not to judge emigrant only in the way that they are emigrants).
). In fact, I know one Irish girl who has Polish boyfriend, and she couple of times complained that other Irish girls sometimes laughed at her emigrant boyfriend.
