Post by Jaga on Apr 1, 2015 9:58:57 GMT -7
I could not believe how many Polish stores were in England last year when I visited. Here is an article about Polish migrants:
uk.reuters.com/article/2015/03/31/uk-britain-election-boston-insight-idUKKBN0MR1YN20150331
Insight - Migrants remain political bystanders in England's 'Little Poland'
(Reuters) - In the market square of Boston in eastern England, shoppers chatter in Slavic and Baltic languages as much as in English.
A main street is lined with delicatessens and grocers like Baltic Food Store, catering to a large population of eastern European immigrants. The centuries-old town in the agricultural county of Lincolnshire is even nicknamed "Little Poland".
These workers are bystanders in a national election on May 7 in which immigration and Britain's place in Europe are prominent issues. As most do not have the right to vote, their fate is out of their hands.
"When people speak about, discuss, that you're an immigrant, you can't feel stability," said Jurate Matulioniene, who came to Boston four years ago from Lithuania and works as an English teacher and runs a community group for Lithuanians in the area.
The Conservative Party, which holds the parliamentary seat for Boston and Skegness, has promised a referendum on whether Britain should stay in or leave the European Union if it wins the election.
According to opinion polls, the ruling Conservatives are neck-and-neck with the opposition Labour Party in Britain's tightest election race for years. But in Boston, they are being pushed hard by the UK Independence Party (UKIP), which advocates strong curbs on immigration and a break from the EU.
SURGE FROM NEW EU MEMBERS
The election could further divide this area of England, which is already creaking with new arrivals.
Britain's migrant population has surged since 10 countries including Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia joined the EU in 2004. The population of Boston - which gave its name to U.S. city in the 17th century - grew 16 percent in the 10 years to 2011 to 64,600 people, double the rate of other English towns.
Current council estimates put the population at 75,000, with about 15 percent of those thought to be EU migrants. They work on farms, picking cauliflowers and cabbages, or in food packing and processing factories.
Some work on a seasonal basis, living in caravans provided by their employers, and many more have set up home in the town.
"Eastern European migrants live here, invest here, have their children here, and that's better for Boston in the long term, but there is short term pain," Shaun McGarry, chairman of the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce in Boston area, said.
Boston is bustling and free of the empty shops which blight some others in Britain, but its infrastructure and services are struggling to keep up. Local people complain they cannot get a doctor's appointment and there is pressure on schools and housing. Some say Bostonians find it hard to get a job.
Conservative Councillor Mike Gilbert recalled how in 2011, he confronted 200 local people in a hall upset about the new residents. A year later, 300 people protested against the growing immigrant population.
Benches had been removed in areas where eastern Europeans groups used to congregate, drink alcohol and urinate, and a ban on street drinking had been introduced.
In the UKIP office, its 22-year-old candidate Robin Hunter-Clarke says voters come to talk about tensions caused by the eastern Europeans. "There are some very angry people out there," he said. "It's mainly about jobs. There's too many people in the low-skilled labour market."
Boston's unemployment is below the national average, but the area has a worse than average full time wage for the region.
Factory worker Marius Wlodarczyk, 36, who is Polish, says he can feel the tension with local people. "They don't like us much. They keep saying that we're taking their jobs and they're blaming us," he said.
LINES BLURRED
Traditionally, seasonal migrants would work the land before returning home, but people have now found it makes economic sense to stay.
Matt Warman, the local Conservative candidate, said resentment was being fuelled by unemployed migrants who picked up welfare benefits.
....read more in the article:
uk.reuters.com/article/2015/03/31/uk-britain-election-boston-insight-idUKKBN0MR1YN20150331
uk.reuters.com/article/2015/03/31/uk-britain-election-boston-insight-idUKKBN0MR1YN20150331
Insight - Migrants remain political bystanders in England's 'Little Poland'
(Reuters) - In the market square of Boston in eastern England, shoppers chatter in Slavic and Baltic languages as much as in English.
A main street is lined with delicatessens and grocers like Baltic Food Store, catering to a large population of eastern European immigrants. The centuries-old town in the agricultural county of Lincolnshire is even nicknamed "Little Poland".
These workers are bystanders in a national election on May 7 in which immigration and Britain's place in Europe are prominent issues. As most do not have the right to vote, their fate is out of their hands.
"When people speak about, discuss, that you're an immigrant, you can't feel stability," said Jurate Matulioniene, who came to Boston four years ago from Lithuania and works as an English teacher and runs a community group for Lithuanians in the area.
The Conservative Party, which holds the parliamentary seat for Boston and Skegness, has promised a referendum on whether Britain should stay in or leave the European Union if it wins the election.
According to opinion polls, the ruling Conservatives are neck-and-neck with the opposition Labour Party in Britain's tightest election race for years. But in Boston, they are being pushed hard by the UK Independence Party (UKIP), which advocates strong curbs on immigration and a break from the EU.
SURGE FROM NEW EU MEMBERS
The election could further divide this area of England, which is already creaking with new arrivals.
Britain's migrant population has surged since 10 countries including Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia joined the EU in 2004. The population of Boston - which gave its name to U.S. city in the 17th century - grew 16 percent in the 10 years to 2011 to 64,600 people, double the rate of other English towns.
Current council estimates put the population at 75,000, with about 15 percent of those thought to be EU migrants. They work on farms, picking cauliflowers and cabbages, or in food packing and processing factories.
Some work on a seasonal basis, living in caravans provided by their employers, and many more have set up home in the town.
"Eastern European migrants live here, invest here, have their children here, and that's better for Boston in the long term, but there is short term pain," Shaun McGarry, chairman of the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce in Boston area, said.
Boston is bustling and free of the empty shops which blight some others in Britain, but its infrastructure and services are struggling to keep up. Local people complain they cannot get a doctor's appointment and there is pressure on schools and housing. Some say Bostonians find it hard to get a job.
Conservative Councillor Mike Gilbert recalled how in 2011, he confronted 200 local people in a hall upset about the new residents. A year later, 300 people protested against the growing immigrant population.
Benches had been removed in areas where eastern Europeans groups used to congregate, drink alcohol and urinate, and a ban on street drinking had been introduced.
In the UKIP office, its 22-year-old candidate Robin Hunter-Clarke says voters come to talk about tensions caused by the eastern Europeans. "There are some very angry people out there," he said. "It's mainly about jobs. There's too many people in the low-skilled labour market."
Boston's unemployment is below the national average, but the area has a worse than average full time wage for the region.
Factory worker Marius Wlodarczyk, 36, who is Polish, says he can feel the tension with local people. "They don't like us much. They keep saying that we're taking their jobs and they're blaming us," he said.
LINES BLURRED
Traditionally, seasonal migrants would work the land before returning home, but people have now found it makes economic sense to stay.
Matt Warman, the local Conservative candidate, said resentment was being fuelled by unemployed migrants who picked up welfare benefits.
....read more in the article:
uk.reuters.com/article/2015/03/31/uk-britain-election-boston-insight-idUKKBN0MR1YN20150331