http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1044978

White immigration into UK makes many see red

Prasun Sonwalkar
Wednesday, August 02, 2006 00:00 IST

LONDON: A new shade of colour has been added to the immigration debate with much concern being expressed over the migration into Britain of thousands of people from east European countries who have recently joined the European Union.

The concerns and fears currently expressed are similar to the ones that were cited when many people from Asia and Africa and the Caribbean islands migrated to Britain in the 1960s and 1970s. The colour of concern is increasingly shifting from the earlier ‘black or brown’ immigration to ‘white’ immigration from the east European countries.

Citizens of what are called Accession 8 (A8) countries that joined the European Union (EU) on May 1, 2004, are eligible to work in Britain. The eight countries are the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Ireland, Sweden and Britain are the only countries that have not imposed restrictions on citizens of the A8 countries on taking up employment in these countries. Five more countries are expected to join the EU in 2007: Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Sine the accession of the eight countries in 2004, thousands of people from these countries have moved to Britain. This has already affected the employment potential of people of non-EU origin such as doctors from the Indian sub-continent.

The most famous example of change since the migration of people from the A8 countries is what is called the phenomenon of ‘Polish plumbers’ — plumbers from Poland virtually taking over the plumbing industry.

Official records show that 2,30,000 Poles have registered to live and work in Britain, but the unofficial estimate is that as many as 7,00,000 to 8,00,000 Poles have travelled west, the majority to Britain.

Ministers have expressed concern that the surge in immigration from these countries would put enormous pressure on Britain’s education, health and welfare service.
—IANS