1 in 9 British residents were born abroad...

[max_tranmere]

This figure was released by the Office of National Statisitics (ONS) which is a non-political body, and the minister "in charge" of immigration (like anyone is in charge of it!) Phil Woollas isn't happy about the release and claims the ONS are playing politics with the issue. If it was down to him the figure either wouldn't have been released or would have been hugely disorted and a differnt figure would have come out altogether.

The last immigration minster Liam Byrne had the following said about him by The Sun newspaper "putting Liam Byrne in charge of immigration is like putting an arsonist in charge of the Fire Brigade". This guy seems just as useless. It is very worrying what is happening now and the public can not do anything about it. And people wonder why the far-right are on the rise...

[number 6]

You believe what you read in the sun do you??

[max_tranmere]

No, this is from a press release. Yahoo have the story. I remember reading the thing about the former minister Liam Byrne in The Sun a few years ago. The bit about him isnt the key thing in my post - the key thing is what the ONS have said today, about the 1 in 9. I haven't read a copy of The Sun for ages.

[andy at handiwork]

So what if they are?

[max_tranmere]

That's quite worrying. I doubt any other country in the world could "boast" a figure like that.

[Dave Wells]

And the other 8 wished they had been !

[beutelwolf]

max_tranmere wrote:

> That's quite worrying. I doubt any other country in the world
> could "boast" a figure like that.

I think quite a few can.
In Germany, 91% of the population are German citizens, but only 81% are German citizens without immigrant background - some of those would have been born in Germany, some not.

The stats in the Netherlands are pretty similar.

In Sweden, in 2007, 17.3% of the poulation had foreign origin, which again includes some Swedish-born.

In the USA, the foreign born population in 2003 was 11.7%.

[andy at handiwork]

Why is it worrying?

[colonel]

Agreed.

This whole thread is in danger of going into a Nazi night out.