UK taxes partially fund the Irish health service..

[Sam Slater]

[quote]many Irish people who do building and labouring jobs in London, Liverpool, and Manchester, do it cash-in-hand and illegally claim Beneifts whilst doing so[/quote]

Nothing wrong with earning a living. Brits worked on Germany's building sites in the 80s and haven't retired over there. Can you back up your claim that Irish workers claim benefits legally, and if so, are they any more likely than a British worker that's paid cash in hand?

[quote]I've known many Irish people in London who have admitted all this to me.[/quote]

So what? Ever thought that he realised what a div you were and was winding you up? And even if true, why does that mean all Irish workers are 'at it'? If a white, English guy with crooked teeth came into the pub and asked you if you wanted to buy a stolen playstation 3 would you naturally assume all white, English guys with crooked teeth are thieves?

[quote]My second point: many British residents retire abroad (to Spain, Australia, etc) after having paid heaps of tax here all their lives, and no money is given from the UK Treasury to their health services to co-fund them.[/quote]

Well, an old friends grandad pissed off to Spain, moaning the country had gone to the dogs about 5 years ago and then come running home when he realised he had cancer and that the treatment would cost him ?130 grand for a year's worth of treatment. He then had the cheek to complain when the local council wouldn't find him a council house where he wanted!

Swings and roundabouts I'm afraid.

[max_tranmere]

Sam, what I said about how lots of Irish navvies and labourers work cash-in-hand and claim Beneifts is something many people have said to me over the years - pretty much every one of them has been Irish himself. I have been around the Irish community in London, quite closely, all my life. All my life I have known many Irish people socially, and worked with many too. I see no reason why Irish people would bullshit to me about the things that go on in their community. One Irish fellow I knew said to me that the Irish community in London never had problems getting work for generations "but a hell of a lot of the wages was spent on alcohol". I imagine that to be true aswell, or else why would he have said it?

[JonnyHungwell]

The Irish have always been a scrounging nation. For the past 10 years they were fleecing the EU for grants, now they're pissed off because all the grants are going to Romania, Poland and Bulgaria - hence the piss poor status of their economy, the one they never really had.

[JonnyHungwell]

Any British citizen who goes abroad for more than 2 years should have their nationality and residence revoked. They should then be refused any NHS services and have no right to any public services.

[max_tranmere]

I read in an Irish newspaper in London recently an article entitled "Are the Poles the new Paddy's?". I think they may well be. Many building jobs here are now being done by the Poles, so maybe the typical builder in the UK being a Paddy is coming to an end.