gawain

Birmingham Post

August 17, 2006, Thursday
First Edition

Influx of migrant workers keeps lid on interest rates

SECTION: BUSINESS; Pg. 22

LENGTH: 635 words

The Government's so-called "open door" policy to Polish and other migrants from eastern Europe is keeping a lid on wage inflation and indirectly preventing the Bank of England lifting interest rates further, analysts said after another subdued labour market report. Though official figures showed average earnings pushing higher in the three months to June, analysts said the rise in the labour force had limited the spike and reduced the need for tighter monetary policy.
The increase in the labour force was evident in the latest employment figures, with the office for National Statistics reporting the number of economically active was up 133,000 in the second quarter from the first and 482,000 higher, or 1.6 per cent, year-on-year. One consequence has been to increase the number unemployed, indirectly helping hold down inflation, analysts said."Not surprisingly, this huge growth in the labour force, of which 223,000 is from increased numbers of economically active people over the age of 50 and much of the rest from migration, especially from Poland, has held down wage inflation," said Douglas McWilliams, chief executive at the Centre for Economic and Business Research.
The statistics office said average earnings, including bonuses, rose by 4.3 per cent in the three months to June last year, higher than expectations for a second consecutive 4.1 per cent. But in its Inflation Report last week, the Bank of England indicated there were few signs past increases in energy prices had fuelled pay pressures. Governor, Mervyn King, has often stated the inflow from eastern Europe since 2004 has helped keep a lid on wage growth even though energy costs have surged. However rate-setters get concerned if average earnings rise by 4.5 per cent or above.

The UK Independence Party, which seeks to get out of the EU and came second in the last European elections, yesterday lambasted the Government for its stance to migration, with Romania and Bulgaria poised to join the EU next year. UKIP MEP Nigel Farage said an additional 300,000 Romanians and Bulgarians could come to the UK and strain public services.

In the Government, there are growing calls for a new formula.This week, ex-minister John Denham called for a delay in allowing people from Romania and Bulgaria to work in the UK.Mr Denham, who chairs the influential Home Affairs Committee, said he thought a "breathing space" was needed "to absorb" recent immigrants.The UK was one of only three EU countries in 2004 to give all the new EU citizens work rights, but seriously under-estimated the response. Instead of the expected 13,000 arrivals, around 600,000 came."I think it would be sensible to delay the step of allowing people to come here to work until we have had more time to absorb the much bigger inflow from Poland and other eastern European states that's taken place," Mr Denham said. Even if the Government does impose limits on Romanian and Bulgarian migration, analysts reckon there will be sizeable inflows from existing EU accession countries."It is unlikely the inflow of migrant labour will slow significantly anytime soon," said Michael Saunders, economist at Citigroup. "UK pay levels remain several times higher than in Eastern Europe, low-cost flights are available, a growing number of specialist agencies facilitate employment of eastern Europeans, and there is no limit, quota or restriction on their employment."He said this implied UK potential growth would stay high."Hence even GDP growth of 2.75 per cent this year and in 2007 probably will not be enough to stop unemployment rising further - thereby keeping a lid on pay deals," he added.It is unlikely that the inflow of migrant labour will slow significantly anytime soon, unless regulatory barriers are imposed

Cornish Guardian

August 16, 2006 Wednesday

Man from Cornwall to contest leadership of a political party

SECTION: Pg. 32


A man from Cornwall is a candidate in the election to lead the UK Independence Party.Present leader Roger Knapman is standing down at the end of his four-year term. UKIP won two Cornish constituencies outright in the 2004 European elections, where it got 12 MEPs and beat the Lib Dems into fourth place nationally.There are four candidates: Nigel Farage, from Bromley, Kent, Richard Suchorzewski from Wales, David Campbell Bannerman from London W4 (who stood for North Cornwall in the General Election), and David Noakes, the candidate for Truro and St Austell, who lives in Falmouth.In the last few weeks David has been on national TV twice, Radio 4, and been interviewed by BBC Radio Cornwall and Radio 5 live.

He has been regarded as the most radical of the four candidates.If elected, he promises the party's 20,000 members will explain the true nature of the EU to every Briton, which he is already doing on a popular website at http://eutruth.org.uk"It's way past time we told the truth about the European Union," said Mr Noakes."If you read it all, the EU has the constitution of a dictatorship, the laws of a police state, and 111,000 regulations that, when enforced, will suppress our personal lives."The Queen could sign the seventh and final EU treaty in just three years. Then we'll be imprisoned inside the EU, they can then enforce the constitution, laws and regulations, and the police state will hit us like a tonne of bricks."The EU Constitution will completely abolish Britain, all our 48 counties and all our 19,579 councillors. Cornwall will be abolished and replaced with an EU region that stretches from Land's End to Cheltenham and Poole.

The EU regional government is already established at Exeter, and thousands of Government employees have already moved out of the counties and into the regional structure."Ballot papers for UKIP members started arriving this week.

The Express

August 16, 2006 Wednesday
U.K. 1st Edition

We cannot give in to demands for Sharia laws


WHEN Dr Syed Aziz Pasha asked the Government for Muslim bank holidays and Islamic laws, Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly should have sent him away with a flea in his ear ("The Muslim leader who says: We must have our own Sharia laws and holidays", August 15). Muslim terrorists are inspired by a vision to impose a form of fundamentalist Islamic totalitarianism on Britain.A line must be drawn in the sand and we must tell British Muslims that they are welcome if they adapt to our Western, liberal and democratic ways, but we will not adapt to theirs.There is a fundamental clash of world views and we in Britain and the West must protect our way of life and never compromise.

Gerard Batten, MEP for London (UKIP)

Daily Post (Liverpool)

August 16, 2006 Wednesday

LETTER COMMENT & ANALYSIS - IMMIGRATION


WHILE wholeheartedly welcoming Frank Field's call for an end to mass immigration (Daily Post, July 31), it is curious to note why it has taken so long. An end to mass immigration and the restoration of our own borders has been a manifesto issue for quite a few years within UKIP. It is interesting to note that government departments have been tasked to prepare contingency plans as mass immigration leads to excessive demands on health and social services. Add to that the gun running and prostitution perpetrated by East European gangs operating within the UK.The resolution to the problem is very simple - we must get out of the EU - there is no room for delay, there is no chance to re-negotiate, the only way to stop this immigration is to close our borders and as the EU control our borders - the only way is out.

Joe Moran, Liverpool Branch Secretary, UKIP

Herald Express (Torquay)

August 16, 2006 Wednesday

Ignoring immigration won't make it go away

Next January two more countries will be joining the EU: Bulgaria and Romania.

As it stands we will keep the open door policy even after the government got its numbers wrong on how many would arrive from the last new member states two years ago. An influx of 662,000 migrants have come to Britain, 20 times more than predicted two years ago with some people saying 140,000 are waiting to come next year.

When do we stay stop? Is this mass immigration good for us plus the countries where they have come from? Where are the new homes going to be built? What about the pressure on schools and the NHS? Some councils across the country are already reporting problems.

In the last few weeks there has been reports of companies in Poland struggling to keep up with production as the workers left in the country are having to work extra, plus hospitals are short-staffed. Even the Polish government has made its concerns known to the British embassy in Warsaw. Poland's mayors plus company bosses are planning to come to Britain to persuade some of the Polish workers to return home due to the shortage of qualified people back home. This shows we and Poland have got problems with this mass immigration from the East European countries.

The open door policy has even got the likes of Polly Toynbee agreeing with UKIP's Nigel Farage on the BBC Newsnight programme. Ms Toynbee for years has held the view anybody who wrote or talked about mass immigration was a racist. Now even she admits immigration is a problem. Immigration has become our biggest problems and not talking about it will not solve the problem.
MIKE SIMPSON
Vice-chairman UK Independence Party Torbay Branch

Western Morning News (Plymouth)

August 15, 2006 Tuesday

Pearson's philosophy


It seems that people like Michael Price ("Petty nationalists", August 7) are increasingly concerned by the rising popularity of UKIP and seek to ridicule it in an attempt to undermine public opinion. It is a sad fact that UKIP is the only organisation dedicated to our salvation from the EU, whatever other politicians say. We will be much better off in all respects when we come to our senses and withdraw.If more people took some time to examine Lord Pearson of Rannoch's speeches - which can be found on the Internet - and apply some common sense, instead of the abject apathy which seems to affect the British population today, they would see the truth. The clock is ticking and our freedom is fast disappearing.
Alick Lavers Torquay

One Londoner

Fantastic work, gawain. You should send Croucher away on holiday more often. :roll:

mkpdavies

Serioulsy, we have had more coverage during this leadership election than normal.

I think it is fair to say that the immigration issue flairing up and UKIP being proven right, has to have some credance for this too.

Dick Morris will probably be feeling pretty vindicated right about now.

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gawain

What I like about this is that the range of issues is broadening, and the range of people is broadening.
Could I make a request. The press office does not have the physical resources to keep track of the whole country. We are strong in Yorkshire East Mids and the South West for picking up stories in the local media, but in other areas for one reason or another (mostly because they are not always on line) we miss them.
So if anybody spots a UK Iindependence Party reference in their local press, let everybody know about it - positive stories of course preferable, some ghastly Lib Dem denouncing us for having beliefs or ideas isn't exactly what I mean.
I suspect we will all be suprised by quite how active the membership is up and down the country.

C_steam

Thank you Gawain - good job, even if I don't like your choice in waistcoats!

Millennium3

Yes, excellent work - all we need now is a new leader in place so that we can capitalize fully on our opportunities.

kernow

Here in the deep Southwest we have the Western Morning news which has been voted the best Regional newspaper in the Country. It's letter's column is phenomenally pro UKIP anti EU. It's Tuesday letters pull out section has 4 pages and 3 weeks ago contained 10 pro UKIP letters. I've had over 200 letters published by it!

Millennium3

Does anyone know if all of this positive publicity for UKIP has resulted in an increase in those applying for membership or for an application form?

gawain

Just a couple of points whilst I glow with undeserved self satisfaction, and by the way I am rather enjoying the pink double breasted number I am wearing today.

Firstly much of this work is nothing whatsoever to do with the press office, it is members and activists up and down the country getting on with fighting for it despite the obvious current distractions. (see Kernows comment)

Secondly, the press office is a team, all of whom are working on differing issues. Immigration, for example has been one of Annabelle Fuller's areas recently, which is paying dividends. I have been working on child fingerprints and other stuff, Mark is working on a variety of stories, Clive has been getting extremely good coverage on th e leadership for example. We have also been recieving some very good support from the regional press officers and ROs.


We all know that there are differences, it would be unnatural and all a bit Stepford Wives if there weren't, but as we can see we can achieve a darn sight more working together.

Bluemerle

Here, in the South West, there is a billboard campaign called "Lets Govern Ourselves". Each month the posters are changed and we are currently on our 3rd poster.

It has been put together by Trevor Colman, who wanted to run it across the whole country, but it was not approved of by Nigel and his pals, so it is just being tested in the SW.

So far we have had over 1700 enquiries I don't know how many new members have resulted, but it seems to be having an impact.

http://www.letsgovernourselves.com/main.htm