Why The UK?

Reading the article below regarding the thousands of immigrants in Calais waiting for the chance to enter the UK illegally makes me wonder why on earth do they want to come here. I mean, is surviving in a squatters camp any different than surviving the streets of the UK where they will ultimately end up?

Why doesn't the UK Government send people over there to Calais to explain to them that the UK is not the promised land they expect, especially if you arrive there with no money, nowhere to live and little or no knowledge of the English language.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-31008193

Economics is probably the primary factor. Most of the countries these folks come from pay a pittance in daily wages.

If you visited and stayed in some of these poor areas these people come from, you might understand why they want a better life.

I spent over twenty years working all over the world and I still don't understand why they transit through many wealthy countries to get to the UK illegally.

People often quote the UK as having the most generous benefits system in Europe, but does it?

As you rightfully pointed out, "the indigenous needy need not apply", I couldn't survive on benefits much as the average UK family couldn't.

Take a look at the attached article, we in fact do not have the most generous benefits system in Europe. Probably true to say though that we are the softest touch.

http://leftfootforward.org/2014/10/...cking-to-britains-soft-touch-benefits-system/

They probably already have contacts here then many will live together in one house. Also, they can learn English.

Which ever way you look at it, they are trying to come to the UK illegally and something needs doing about it by the British Government.

You are exactly right, that's why it is important they do not make it here to the UK, surely in this day and age we should have some way of shutting down the Calais route. As it is now the average immigrant in Calais works on the "if you first don't succeed try and try again" basis, that should not be allowed to happen. There was an illegal Indian chap on TV a while back who came to Britain via the Calais route and decided after that he wanted to go back home to India, because he had no ID or passport it took eighteen months and thousands of upon thousands of tax payers money to finally get shut of him.

Yes, definitely cut this nonsense off at the route and shut down the camps at Calais.

The problem is, its mostly the wrong kind of people who are queuing up at the UK door.

I believe that the UK benefits system has been developed for an island nation with general entitlement, the EU systems tend to pay out on the basis of people having contributed to the system as residents of the country.

The real problem is that war-torn countries across the planet produce refugees whose second language is English.

More like the soft headed MP's of Westminster, who dole out billions of tax payers hard earned money on these people.
French is spoken in some of these counties, why don't they stay there?

If there were loads of illegal immigrants at Dover trying to escape to France do you think we'd try and stop them?

Maybe. But it's not irrelevant to the point made about why the French aren't doing anything to stop them.

From what I have seen on TV, the vast majority of them do not speak English, as someone mentioned, quite a few come from the old French colonies.

If you want something done about all the potential migrants amassing in the Channel ports, you might wish to vote for the Green Party on May 7th. They propose abolishing all immigration controls and will happily give-away your tax Pounds to anyone from anywhere.