UK population will hit 70m earlier than thought

[Mich the Tester]

That doesn't make sense unless Britons are breeding like rabbits?

Britain has traditionally had very high emigration; in the past that was mainly to the Commonwealth, now it's more to the EU. There really are a lot of Brits spread around the rest of the world. Not to say that the concerns of people who are seeing more and more immigration are invalid, but I think it's unwise to only look at one side of the coin.

[DimPrawn]

Scrap the NHS, welfare state and pension system and watch the immigration/emigratioin figures then.

[TimberWolf]

I am one of the 5.5 million British citizens who lives outside the UK. At the last count, that was 500 thousand more people than there are foreign people living in Britain.

That doesn't make sense unless Britons are breeding like rabbits?

I'm hopeful that the situation will improve once the UK becomes poorer. Hopefully not needing to be poorer than every corner of the expanding EU that it continues to attract people in vast numbers.

[Mich the Tester]

Just so I can put your post into context- IIRC you were not born a British Citizen but aquired it how?

I was born outside of the UK, a British citizen from birth jus sanguinis.

[Troll]

Well you see I have a vested interest in things like free migration in the EU. I live in another EU country, and have the freedom to do so thanks to the EU's migration laws. I am one of the 5.5 million British citizens who lives outside the UK. At the last count, that was 500 thousand more people than there are foreign people living in Britain. The last thing I would want to see is the British government adopting policies that would damage the EU's freedom of movement agreements or annoy the rest of the world so much that they start chucking out the Brits. Somehow, given the numbers involved , I don't think the population-scare people would like that either. So while I understand that the immigraion system may need some improvement, and better planning is required to deal with future migration flows, I think it would be somewhat hypocritical of mee to call for stopping immigration to the UK.

All European governments have been warned for decades about growing and potentially very large migration flows and the near impossibility of stopping them, but none have taken steps to prepare their systems, their laws or the public for the effects of increasing migration. All they do is tell the standard lie that they will make everything stricter, demand that people 'integrate', police the borders more effectively, which costs a tulipload of money and doesn't seem to have much effect, etc etc. Time for new thinking.

Just so I can put your post into context- IIRC you were not born a British Citizen but aquired it how?

[Mich the Tester]

Mich, it's easy to make glib comments. But all those posters do have a point, even if it is a bit comical that they're immigrants themselves.

Well you see I have a vested interest in things like free migration in the EU. I live in another EU country, and have the freedom to do so thanks to the EU's migration laws. I am one of the 5.5 million British citizens who lives outside the UK. At the last count, that was 500 thousand more people than there are foreign people living in Britain. The last thing I would want to see is the British government adopting policies that would damage the EU's freedom of movement agreements or annoy the rest of the world so much that they start chucking out the Brits. Somehow, given the numbers involved , I don't think the population-scare people would like that either. So while I understand that the immigraion system may need some improvement, and better planning is required to deal with future migration flows, I think it would be somewhat hypocritical of mee to call for stopping immigration to the UK.

All European governments have been warned for decades about growing and potentially very large migration flows and the near impossibility of stopping them, but none have taken steps to prepare their systems, their laws or the public for the effects of increasing migration. All they do is tell the standard lie that they will make everything stricter, demand that people 'integrate', police the borders more effectively, which costs a tulipload of money and doesn't seem to have much effect, etc etc. Time for new thinking.

[OwlHoot]

Mich, it's easy to make glib comments. But all those posters do have a point, even if it is a bit comical that they're immigrants themselves.

[Mich the Tester]

Those people, going over there, living the life of riley and straining their health and education systems, they should bring back the birch!

Here's why the Australians call the Brits 'whingeing Poms';

Too little, too late!
- Dennis Expat, Brisbane, Australia,

The UK can't handle 70 million people and are having trouble now with 62 million. Another 8 million will be another London. Where are the people going to live in years to come? The cities are far to big now and really places like LIverpool and Manchester and all the other areas are just like one big city. South east England can't take any more people.
- Dr Malcolm, Melbourne Australia,

Nothing will be fixed in UK until the people demand (not ask for) exit from the useless EU. Immigration is the root of almost all UK's problems and must be stopped completely if it is to survive.
- hillus, Perth, Australia

Here's a crazy idea, why don't you stop migration to the UK altogether until the GFC is consigned to history, until the strict austerity measures imposed have had some effect, until the economy shows some signs of mending itself, until the illegals have been dealt with but, most importantly, until you get your act together and recognise the actual (not spin) size of the problem and come up with a proper solution as to how to deal with it long-term. The decision you make now will make or break the UK.
- GPO, Perth, WA, ex-UK

What, and sit back and watch as the Australian government chucks out a load of Brits?

It seems perfectly clear that you need to follow Australia's example and only allow people to settle here if they are actually needed and can make a real contribution. Australia also only allows in people who can prove they already have a job lined up, a place to live and will not be a burden on the public purse. Concerning casual workers - bar work for example - Australia allows this as a "working holiday", again only if the person has a return flight ticket and enough money to live on. The difficulty, though, is that as Britain is part of the EU you're not going to be able to do this for EU member countries - but it would be a step in the right direction to clamp down on non-EU immigrants.
- Brett McBain, Heraklion, Crete (ex-pat) , 27/6/2011 6:17

Yes Mr McBain, precisely the same EU that gave you the freedom to go and live in Crete!

The "broken immigration system" of the UK cannot be "fixed" - only replaced, root and branch, by one that will have to be totally radical. A very bumpy ride lies inevitably ahead, if whichever government is in power wants to get ahead of the otherwise unavoidable social disorder that will arise, if this insane situation is allowed to continue.
- Ex-pat Tom, Wuppertal, Germany

[gingerjedi]

Why is everyone so obsessed with the 70m figure? It's not as if it will stop there, budge up.

[Mich the Tester]

Interesting that of the first 6 comments calling out for stopping immigration, 3 are made by Britons who are immigrants in other countries.

[TimberWolf]

Runaway migration will drive the UK population above 70million in 15 years – three years earlier than previously predicted.

As if the population isn't already > 70m

Cameron says this target should not be reached and has urgently put in place policies designed not to count immigrants.
Population in the UK will hit 70m even earlier than feared | Mail Online