Very few foreign workers/residents in Northern Ireland

Darkglasses · 26-02-2014 08:53PM

MadsL wrote: »

Yeah, I can't think why immigrants don't choose to live in NI.

Oh wait...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/belfast-mob-threatened-to-kill-romanian-children-1707891.html

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/01/18/Homes-of-Polish-immigrants-attacked-in-Belfast-No-Ireland/UPI-63811390025938/

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-17604977

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/arson-attack-on-immigrants-home-was-racist-28740649.html

orangesoda wrote: »

Not all of Northern Ireland is like Belfast you know, where i live in Mid-Ulster nothing like that goes on

You're right orangesoda, but these kinds of stories have a big effect on the perception of all of NI.

Pretty much from the first day I moved to Belfast, I noticed there were far, far less Eastern Europeans around compared to my hometown Wexford. I asked a few of my Polish friends why this might be, and rightly or wrongly there is the perception among the Polish community that the North isn't safe for them.

Obvious disclaimers - Yes, I know NI and indeed Belfast is a very safe place to live. I have had zero trouble since I moved here, probably safer than Wexford. And yes, I haven't spoken to EVERY Polish person. I am just speaking from my limited experience, and what my Polish friends have told me.

orangesoda · 26-02-2014 09:14PM

Darkglasses wrote: »

You're right orangesoda, but these kinds of stories have a big effect on the perception of all of NI.

Pretty much from the first day I moved to Belfast, I noticed there were far, far less Eastern Europeans around compared to my hometown Wexford. I asked a few of my Polish friends why this might be, and rightly or wrongly there is the perception among the Polish community that the North isn't safe for them.

Obvious disclaimers - Yes, I know NI and indeed Belfast is a very safe place to live. I have had zero trouble since I moved here, probably safer than Wexford. And yes, I haven't spoken to EVERY Polish person. I am just speaking from my limited experience, and what my Polish friends have told me.

Belfast is the roughest area here and even then it is only in certain areas, most other places are relativaly normal nowadays, in my old school there was polish pupils, american, asian, english and irish-african and never any problems, some people like to think it is some sort of satanic pit of evil up here

el pasco · 26-02-2014 09:16PM

cml387 wrote: »

Official answer: Because the UK had different rules to immigration from new EU states up to this year.

Can you clarify this please?

MadsL · 26-02-2014 09:21PM

orangesoda wrote: »

Fair enough, i didn't hear about that, surely everything hasn't been complete roses and sunshine for them across the border either? Over the last 10 years i have heard very little negative things happening them, in some cases it has actually been them causing the bother

Riiiiiiiight. Bit of true colours being shown there...

And people wonder why immigrants don't move to NI.

Pug160 · 26-02-2014 09:22PM

I was always under the impression that there were quite a lot of foreign nationals everywhere (everywhere being the whole of Ireland, in case anyone makes a wise crack) these days. At least in the major towns anyway.

orangesoda · 26-02-2014 09:26PM

MadsL wrote: »

Riiiiiiiight. Bit of true colours being shown there...

And people wonder why immigrants don't move to NI.

What do you mean true colours? I'm just pointing out that they do bad things as well, about 6 years back a girl was raped in my village by a foreign national. You seem to have a deep hatred for Northern Ireland, i'm not sure why

Darkglasses · 26-02-2014 09:28PM

orangesoda wrote: »

Belfast is the roughest area here and even then it is only in certain areas, most other places are relativaly normal nowadays, in my old school there was polish pupils, american, asian, english and irish-african and never any problems, some people like to think it is some sort of satanic pit of evil up here

Honestly I really like living in Belfast, it's not perfect but personally I prefer it to Dublin (but not Wexford, that place was the best :cool:). But it only takes a small number of stories like what Madsl shared to sway perception of a place unfortunately.

Technically I live East of the Lagan, but it's more like South Belfast than what people would think of as proper East Belfast. Everywhere from where I live all the way to the city centre is very quiet and very safe, especially at night. There's plenty of non-Eastern European immigrants, there's probably more Chinese on my street than any other nationality. My main gripe with the place is how few shops are open after 6.00 or 7.00 pm...

Northern Monkey · 26-02-2014 09:34PM

orangesoda wrote: »

Not all of Northern Ireland is like Belfast you know, where i live in Mid-Ulster nothing like that goes on

What part of mid ulster? We could be neighbours.

Santa Cruz · 26-02-2014 09:34PM

anynews14 wrote: »

I went shopping in Newry and Dundalk yesterday.
In Newry there were no foreign workers and almost no foreign residents.
In Dundalk there were loads of foreign workers and foreign teenagers.
Newry and Dundalk are only 15 miles apart and both are in EU.
Even the hospitals in the North hire nearly all Northern Irish nurses and doctors.
Why are there so many foreigners on the Irish side of the border and so few on the Northern side?

They probably prefer the other parts of the United Kingdom.

orangesoda · 26-02-2014 09:37PM

Northern Monkey wrote: »

What part of mid ulster? We could be neighbours.

South derry, magherafelt region

Northern Monkey · 26-02-2014 09:38PM

orangesoda wrote: »

South derry, magherafelt region

Almost neighbours. I'm Maghera

ZeroThreat · 26-02-2014 09:38PM

This racist thread needs to be closed down by the mods.

Kiwi in IE · 26-02-2014 09:39PM

As a foreigner, NI is the very last place I would choose to live out of the UK and Ireland. If I wanted to live in the UK I would live on the mainland, and if I wanted to live in Ireland I'd live in the Republic.

MadsL · 26-02-2014 09:40PM

orangesoda wrote: »

What do you mean true colours? I'm just pointing out that they do bad things as well, about 6 years back a girl was raped in my village by a foreign national. You seem to have a deep hatred for Northern Ireland, i'm not sure why

So let me see. From your statements so far...

1. "in some cases it has actually been them causing the bother"
2. One of them is a rapist.

...and I am the one with "a deep hatred"?? Really not sure where you are pulling that from?

Who is 'them' and what is the 'bother' exactly?

anynews14 · 26-02-2014 09:40PM

This is a topic that should be discussed not a blind eye turned.

ZeroThreat · 26-02-2014 09:41PM

anynews14 wrote: »

This is a topic that should be discussed not a blind eye turned.

N.I. & R.o.I are like chalk & cheese, like comparing Russia with the US, ie. very hard to do.

Pug160 · 26-02-2014 09:41PM

Data from the WRS reveals that, relative to the rest of the UK, Northern Ireland has
received a disproportionate number of A8 migrants. Between May 2004 and March
2011, Northern Ireland had 25 per cent more A8 citizens registering with the WRS on a
per capita basis, than the UK as a whole. This is one measure of the relative scale of
A8 migration to Northern Ireland.
During the above period, over half (55.2%) of the 42,525 registrations were from
Poland, followed by Lithuania (18.8%) and Slovakia (13.3%). Nearly two-thirds (62%)
were male and just over three-quarters (77%) were aged 18 – 34 years. This tends to
confirm other sources, which indicate that A8 nationals migrate to Northern Ireland,
mainly for work but also for family reasons.

http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/Documents/RaISe/Publications/2012/general/3112.pdf

dundalkfc10 · 26-02-2014 09:44PM

Hootanany wrote: »

And in the North they wouldn't be the most attractive people.

Northern women are twice as good looking as Girls from the Republic

MadsL · 26-02-2014 09:46PM

dundalkfc10 wrote: »

Northern women are twice as good looking as Girls from the Republic

I too prefer women to girls.

Kiwi in IE · 26-02-2014 09:46PM

orangesoda wrote: »

What do you mean true colours? I'm just pointing out that they do bad things as well, about 6 years back a girl was raped in my village by a foreign national. You seem to have a deep hatred for Northern Ireland, i'm not sure why

Really? Wow! About 6 years ago? And there have been no rapes in NI in the proceding 6 years that were perpetrated by NI nationals?

Darkglasses · 26-02-2014 09:47PM

Kiwi in IE wrote: »

As a foreigner, NI is the very last place I would choose to live out of the UK and Ireland. If I wanted to live in the UK I would live on the mainland, and if I wanted to live in Ireland I'd live in the Republic.

Ideally I'd like to live in the Republic, but cannot because there's much more jobs in my field available up here. Very happy where I am, wouldn't move to the mainland UK without a very good reason.

Icepick · 26-02-2014 09:48PM

fewer opportunities and worse weather

anynews14 · 26-02-2014 09:50PM

Is the jobs market really worse in Newry than Dundalk?

Darkglasses · 26-02-2014 09:50PM

Icepick wrote: »

fewer opportunities and worse weather

Depends on what sector you're in, there's waaaaay more opportunities for me up here (Museum and heritage). The weather is bloody terrible though.

I like the cheap medicine though. 16 paracetamol for 27p in Dunnes

orangesoda · 26-02-2014 09:51PM

MadsL wrote: »

So let me see. From your statements so far...

1. "in some cases it has actually been them causing the bother"
2. One of them is a rapist.

...and I am the one with "a deep hatred"?? Really not sure where you are pulling that from?

Who is 'them' and what is the 'bother' exactly?

What's wrong with pointing that out? Many of our own lot are rapists as well. What is wrong with saying 'them'? It's only a word. The bother i have heard is fighting in bars, etc and the raping incident in my village.
I assumed that you have a hatred for the place because you posted a sarcastic comment and posted links to crimes that some scumbags carried out, your trying to make our country look like a hole, racist crimes are present everywhere in the world

RDM_83 again · 26-02-2014 09:52PM

MadsL wrote: »

Yeah, I can't think why immigrants don't choose to live in NI.

Oh wait...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/belfast-mob-threatened-to-kill-romanian-children-1707891.html

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/01/18/Homes-of-Polish-immigrants-attacked-in-Belfast-No-Ireland/UPI-63811390025938/

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-17604977

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/arson-attack-on-immigrants-home-was-racist-28740649.html

I won't deny that Northern Ireland might be more racist than the Republic, but immigration draws tend to be economic, there is countless examples of large scale in-migration into areas with ethnic tension.
Northern Ireland tends to have poorer wages than the ROI (in real terms even taking into account cost of living differences), one of the worst unemployment rates for a region in the UK, much much worse benefits than the ROI.

If racist violence was the contributing factor for lack of immigration then there would be substantially higher levels of migration East of the Bann in Catholic/Nationalist areas where these incidents are much rarer, there isn't though.

In relation to this incident here
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/belfast-mob-threatened-to-kill-romanian-children-1707891.html
AFAIK this was a substantial number of people but actually very very few addresses in the region of 4 properties but i might be corrected on this, would an attack on 3/4 houses occupied by Irish Travellers even make the national newspapers in Ireland I have my doubts.

orangesoda · 26-02-2014 09:54PM

Kiwi in IE wrote: »

Really? Wow! About 6 years ago? And there have been no rapes in NI in the proceding 6 years that were perpetrated by NI nationals?

There has but i'm trying to point out that it is not just our lot who are causing the bother, they can give their share as well

jr22 · 26-02-2014 09:56PM

Slightly better minimium wage in the South (€8.65) compared to UK (£6.31 which is €7.69).

Not inconsiderable if that money is going back to somewhere else in Europe where a Euro goes further than it does over here.

hfallada · 26-02-2014 09:59PM

Maybe because wages in NI are ****. When people were raving about how cheap NI is, maybe they should have taken into account people were earning a third less than people in the south.

For Forks Sake · 26-02-2014 09:59PM

Belfast January 2014: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/seven-attacks-in-10-days-as-racist-gang-targets-polish-community-in-east-belfast-29924518.html

Belfast August 2013: http://www.u.tv/News/Victim-left-scared-by-racist-attack/5901a11d-4647-456f-af3c-4915b0f8d8c5

And thats before you even look at the Bermuda Triangle that is Portadown-Craigavon-Lurgan

http://www.portadowntimes.co.uk/news/local-news/racist-claim-as-car-is-torched-in-attack-1-3804749

http://www.portadowntimes.co.uk/news/local-news/migrant-families-targeted-in-their-homes-by-racists-1-3728195

http://www.portadowntimes.co.uk/news/local-news/woman-injured-in-racist-attack-1-1652342

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/25750/content/218410/lessons-american-schools.html

http://www.portadowntimes.co.uk/news/local-news/lithuanian-man-is-assaulted-in-racist-attack-1-1650539

Very few foreign workers/residents in Northern Ireland

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