The Sun should use language that reflects reality, not their readers' prejudices.
Foreigners now make up almost one in ten of all dole claimers, according to page 2 of today’s Sun.
The statistic is just the latest rejoinder in a row between the government and Brussels over the extent to which migrants are moving from country to country as ‘benefit tourists’ within the EU.
A total of 9.4 per cent of all Jobseekers Allowance claimants this year – 142,300 – were ‘not British born’, according to the Sun. This compares with the 3 per cent figure cited by the EU – prompting the Sun to boast that the “statistics used by the controversial [EU] report are almost two years out of date”.
The Sun’s story, however, is quite misleading.
Firstly, why has the paper chosen to use the broad term ‘not British born’ in a piece about benefit tourists coming to the UK from other EU countries?
One in 10 job seekers allowance claimants are ‘not British born’, according to the Sun. This is not the same, however, as one in 10 jobseekers allowance claimants being ‘benefit tourists’ from other parts of the European Union – as should have been obvious to the journalist writing the piece.
According to the 2011 census, one in eight – 13 per cent – of UK residents was born overseas. To give an example of just how fatuous the term ‘not British born‘ is, here are a few British national treasures who would fall under the paper’s definition of ‘benefit tourists’ should they ever sign on for jobseekers allowance (unlikely, I know):
Tory MP Daniel Hannan – born in Lima, Peru
Joanna Lumley – born in India
Eddie Izzard – born in Aden, Yemen
Richard E. Grant – born in Swaziland
Boris Johnson – born in New York, USA
Bradley Wiggins – born in Ghent, Belgium
John Barnes – born in Kingston, Jamaica
None of these celebrities were British born. According to the Sun, they are therefore ‘foreigners’ and potential ‘benefit tourists’.
As to the wider row about migrants coming from places like Poland and Hungary to claim benefits and ‘steal our jobs’ (you’ve probably noticed a contradiction there that some of our political commentators are seemingly oblivious to), there is, as it happens, no precedent to support such claims.
Research published by the government last year found that almost 17 per cent of all British nationals were receiving working-age benefits compared to under 7 per cent of all those classed as non-UK nationals when they first arrived in the UK.
As of February 2011, those who were foreign nationals when they first came to the UK represented 6.4 per cent of claimants – despite making up 13 per cent of the population.
Working-age benefits are defined as income support, job seeker’s allowance, carer’s allowance and disability living allowance.
This is a long-term trend. In 2008-09, at the height of Labour’s policy of so-called ‘uncontrolled immigration’, A8 immigrants paid 37 per cent more in direct or indirect taxes than they received in public goods and services.
A8 immigrants also contributed 0.96 per cent of total tax receipts and accounted for only 0.6 per cent of total expenditures (see table; click to zoom).
The Sun may not have wished their terminology to have been interpreted in this way. They may also have been attempting to whip up hostility to migrants using phrases like ‘not British born’. Either way, they should use language that reflects reality, not their readers’ prejudices.
47 Responses to “Are 1 in 10 on the dole really immigrants?”
Alec
Why are you responding to one of my comments with a quote from the op-ed which I have expressed disagreement with? Is it ‘cos you’re: a) engaged in a purposeful attempt to mislead; b) so thick you cannot be trusted to find your bum in a darkened room using both hands?
~alec
Alison Piearcey
Please stop conflating Fat Cats with Civil Servants. Most Civil Servants are workers who are being shafted by management just as much as private sector workers are. As for ‘a small number of civil servants’ try about 6 million directly, with nearly as many again indirectly – both in companies that rely on public funds and in the NHS, which is counted as private, by the ONS
The 2 trillion is the number it would be if everyone got what they were promised when they were paying in. We are not getting that, no-one is – it’s not simply that some boss somewhere is drawing my pension. You seem to have missed the point I was making. Here it is again, as simply as I can
No, you didn’t pay into the work pension scheme my college used. (for which I didn’t qualify) You just paid National Insurance. Just like I did. So that anyone who didn’t have private pension contributions could have State Pension when they retired. Just like you can. Only now, the age you get it is going up again, and the amount is going down.Just like it is for me. Why does this lead you to assume and keep supposing I am somehow gold plated ?
When I worked in the public sector, I got no gold parachute, no guaranteed wage, no sickpay, no holidays, no pension rights and no sympathy from folk like you because I was stupid enough to
work for an employer called Government.
Even if I had been eligable, your mythical ‘gold plated’ really wasn’t. I din’t do all the numbers, since I didn’t qulaify, but it came out as ‘not much above inflation, and quite risky’ This would be the reason my landlord, a colleague, didn’t bother with it, but worked three jobs to afford another property. I am sitting in his retirement plan.
Your magic plan is what exactly? Let anyone who happened to work for the state starve, so you can be cushy?
Alison Piearcey
Please stop conflating Fat Cats with Civil Servants. Most Civil Servants are workers who are being shafted by management just as much as private sector workers are. As for ‘a small number of civil servants’ try about 6 million directly, with nearly as many again indirectly – both in companies that rely on public funds and in the NHS, which is counted as private, by the ONS
The 2 trillion is the number it would be if everyone got what they were promised when they were paying in. We are not getting that, no-one is – it’s not simply that some boss somewhere is drawing my pension. You seem to have missed the point I was making. Here it is again, as simply as I can
No, you didn’t pay into the work pension scheme my college used. (for which I didn’t qualify) You just paid National Insurance. Just like I did. So that anyone who didn’t have private pension contributions could have State Pension when they retired. Just like you can. Only now, the age you get it is going up again, and the amount is going down.Just like it is for me. Why does this lead you to assume and keep supposing I am somehow gold plated ?
When I worked in the public sector, I got no gold parachute, no guaranteed wage, no sickpay, no holidays, no pension rights and no sympathy from folk like you because I was stupid enough to
work for an employer called Government.
Even if I had been eligable, your mythical ‘gold plated’ really wasn’t. I din’t do all the numbers, since I didn’t qulaify, but it came out as ‘not much above inflation, and quite risky’ This would be the reason my landlord, a colleague, didn’t bother with it, but worked three jobs to afford another property. I am sitting in his retirement plan.
Your magic plan is what exactly? Let anyone who happened to work for the state starve, so you can be cushy?
OldLb
Let me explain your plan. After all you are in favour of the status quo.
Lets say I get burgled. Under your scheme of things, its now perfectly acceptable for me to go out and burgall someone else to get my property back or equivalent.
Or if you want a different scenario. A fraudster is up in court. You have to repay your victims says the judge. We’re going to release you until you go and defraud someone else to pay your victims back.
Eh? I can hear you say. That’s not acceptable. Well its exactly what you are saying. You’re saying that those who have been defrauded, the public sector workers, must get their pensions, even if the state has to make someone else poor by taking cash from them, so they are poor.
What’s my magic plan? For what? Solving the states pension mess? It’s very simple. They have to default because there is no other way out. That leaves the question, who gets hit the most. After all I didn’t cause it. The blame lies with politicians, and with the people working for them. That’s the new matra isn’t it. All bankers a guilty because some of them are fraudsters. Same with public sector workers if you are of the same opinion as the Labour party.
So let me answer your last question with the obvious one. Why should the public sector workers (small number) be comfortable, and everyone else starve? You’ve not answered that.
Alison Piearcey
At no point did I support burglary or fraud. Quite the reverse
I’m in favor of those collegues who PAID INTO a pension plan not being robbed simply because they worked for the state. How does this inconvenience you in any way, unless you are a pension fund manager? Let me reiterate, those public sector workers should get WHAT THEY PAID FOR. How is this robbery?
You are not paying for public sector pension any more or less than any other person who pays NI. Including all public sector workers. Further, those PSW who have paid into a pension schem did not do so with your money, but with their wages. Again, where do you get this martyr complex that you’re paying for everything?
How about we posit that nobody starves? No, the state doesn’t have to default on its responsibilities, we’ve ‘owed money’ for the last four hundred years, and seem to have managed to still exist. I don’t see why suddenly we can’t pay for state pensions, but we can still give rises to MPs – a welfare state seems somehow unaffordable but we can happily waste money on unneccesary wars. There isn’t a problem unless it is made to be so.
I’m just laying forth the argument that perhaps instead of blaming workers you blame owners.The blame does indeed lie with politicians, but not ‘those working for them’ since this is about a quarter of the working population. Your average civil servant did not cause there to be ‘a problem’.(the only problem is the perennial one of meeting everyone’s needs, which we’ve had ever since we recognised people to have needs) – perhaps if you think there is a problem, you should be asking – Is there no longer sufficient income? Why? Did some people stop paying in?
Why should PSW (a quarter of the workforce) be comfortable? why shouldn’t they? they’re people, ergo should be allowed to exist. You still seem to be subscribed to the idea that somehow public sector workers don’t earn their living. As I said before, the public/private divide is no longer meaningful. Workers are workers, and deserve a living wage while working and a pension when they retire