A NEW APPEAL FOR INTERNATIONALISM!

I would really like to connect-the-dots so to speak
between the rhetoric on immigration and the threats
to reduce welfare benefits (in the UK at least but
there are parallels with Australia and the US).

And there is an implicit connection here as claims
that immigrants "don't want to work" (asylum seekers
have been given quite harsh prison sentences for
doing just that-getting a job) and "just want to
scrounge" (often this just means access to emergency
treatment on the NHS) presume that there is an element
of 'undeservedness' going on, which would naturally
follow to all recipients of welfare and health support.

And there have been many comments, that unemployment
benefits are somehow too generous and encourage idleness.
Unemployment benefits are not in the least bit generous,
especially assuming the recipient has enough support to
actually be able to find and keep employment, and much
idleness or apathy is from only getting the most menial
and degrading kinds of short-term after-a-day-yer-told-to-fu

ck off kinds of work.

The current under-25 rate for JSA and Income Support is
less than 48 pounds a week (less than 59 for over-25).
I would estimate that a welfare recipient would need 45 to
cover basics like food and clothing, 15 to cover bills
(heating etc), 10 for bus fairs and probably another 10
for taxi and train fairs. This adds up to 70 pounds, but
doesn't take into account the fact that many housing
benefit recipients do not get the full amount (this usually
goes straight to the landlord) as they are considered to
be paying too much rent, never mind if it was the only
half-decent accomodation they could obtain.

It has been claimed by Sir Andrew Green of Migration
Watch that with zero immigration to the UK wages
would startto rise.
I would counter this assertion by stating that with zero
immigration (and statements by Sir Digby Jones ex of
CBI seem to confirm this) Capital would begin to demand
(even more) some very strict cuts in unemployment
benefits to force people into poverty wages. I would
also ask: if immigrants undercut wages, why not
a)Increase the minimum wage to say eight pounds an
hour b)allow all migrants to recieve JSA so that they can
be properly integrated into the UK job market?

I think that if we are serious about defending the
rights of British workers we have to take an internationalist
approach and defend the rights of migrants everywhere.

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