Tottenham Conservatives voice concern over Eastern Europeans & TB 26/01/04

It has been announced that as many as 100,000 Eastern European Gypsies from Poland and Slovakia will arrive in Britain after May 1st, when the EU is enlarged.  As citizens of the EU, they will be eligible for health, education and welfare benefits after 3 months' residence.

Britain is the only European Union state which has not made any plans whatsoever to prevent what might be a mass migration.  Germany and France in particular have specific clauses written into their E.U. accession treaties to prevent it.

Lydia Rivlin, Chairman of Tottenham Conservatives, is concerned that the government has not given more thought to the repercussions which might ensue from a sudden influx of so large a population.

Ms Rivlin said:

"I sympathise with the plight of all east Europeans, but Britain can only do so much to help.

We have in Britain a health service that cannot treat everyone on its waiting lists and is having to call in private companies to clear up the mess--some even from abroad! We do not have the resources for a full strength police force.  We do not even have resources to equip our own soldiers properly, but taxes continue to rise.

The Gypsies may not be living the best of lives in central Europe but nobody seriously thinks they are in mortal danger. We should be saving our resources for the people who really are in trouble.

Another thing that worries me is the placement of the Gypsies who do arrive.  The Government seems to think of Haringey as a convenient resource.  Population density in parts of the borough is worse than Dickensian.  I have heard of a young woman housed by the Council who had to sleep in a folding bed under the stairs in an entrance hall."  she then went on to point out "Haringey statistics for incidences of tuberculosis are among the highest in the country and one of the major causes for the spread of TB is overcrowding. Things will get worse unless the government acts now."

ENDS.