On Thu, 31 Oct 2013 10:50:57 +0000, Tim Streater wrote:

That would stop all this benefit tourism business (assuming it
exists).

It doesn't. Isn't it odd that, a quarter of a century ago, a big-name
right-wing Tory was calling for people to "get on their bike" and go
and chase jobs, rather than waiting for them to come to them. Now, it
appears that's a _bad_ thing in the eyes of the right-wing of the Tory
party...

If somebody's willing to get off their arse and turn their life upside-
down in a bid to earn money and change their family's lot, fair play to
'em. Does it really matter if they're going from Inverness, Kerry, or
Gdansk to London?

But that didn't seem to be what was under discussion. Looked to me like
the discussion was about people coming here, and then being on benefits.

Which they don't - can't - do.
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/englan...ndex_benefits/
faq_benefits_entitlement_if_coming_from_abroad.htm

Remember, this is talking about EEA, not EU - so even if we left the EU,
they wouldn't change, unless we were to leave the EEA - which not even
Farage is suggesting.

"In practice, even if you come from one of these countries, you won't
automatically get benefits. For example, if youre an EEA jobseeker who
has never worked in the UK, you won't be able to claim benefits like
Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's allowance, Child Benefit,
Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction. But if you're an EEA worker who
has been employed in the UK before becoming unemployed, you might be able
to claim benefits whilst youre looking for new work. This depends on
which EEA country you're from and how long you've worked in the UK."

The problem, IMO, is about people coming here to be residents, when the
country is overcrowded to the point that there is a shortage of houses

....and yet people whine and whinge when a political party suggests that
people being funded to live in larger homes than their family requires
isn't ideal...