They have I believe stated numbers that will be allowed in from Bulgaria mainly because of how many Poles came here. It totally caught them out.
On the other hand most of the Poles are working and so are most English people so what would we have done without them - interesting thought. I suspect more people would be stretched doing the work of 2 because companies can probably employ 2 poles for the cost of one English person.
Also I know of at least one Pole who whilst waiting for her qualifications from Poland to be ratified working as a cleaner and tea girl at the local hospital. I wonder how many Brits would be willing to do that whilst various security checks were being made on them before getting a job - not many they would just take the social security money. On the whole whilst we complain about the Poles (numbers) most of them are game-fully employed and they work hard.
One grip I have is how they treat the local environment though. At lunch time they often sit on the grass or in their cars eating their lunch and they just throw the rubbish on the ground one wonders what Poland streets and countryside is like if they see this as acceptable behaviour.
That may be a difference that communism on Poles. I am from Buffalo and much of the population has Polish ancestry. Tossing trash on the ground would not be acceptable behavior.
I will also say that I have been told that people from Buffalo (not including news media types or Ralph Wilson) are the nicest people. I think that there’s a relationship, but I am not unbiased. :-)
Yes, I will say I was rather appalled by the rather casual attitute towards trash there seems to be in much of England. OF course I was in the touristy areas which may explain it.
I was on the Thames Embankment near London Bridge when the trash collectors picked up some trash from some business. Now this is a major touristy area and it was Easter weekend so thousands of people were walking around this area. One of the bags of trash broke and the trash collectors merely drove off and left the trash all over the side walks! Simply appalling.
However that was one of the few bleak spots in an otherwise superb vacation. I cannot wait to go back to England! My brother’s contract has been renewed for a year at a different school. This one is in Wokingham which is sort of England’s IT center. Lots of American companies have their HQs out there. I am all ready plotting how I can go back for a month next year!