Is the birthrate going to boom in Britain?

[fullyautomatix]

Yes, birth rate will go up. And I have contributed to this, my daughter was born yesterday, woohoo I am a dad!

[TimberWolf]

"moths of reactionary forces".

Sounds scary. Doomed.

[PAH]

Indeed, the evidence I have at hand suggests that indeed many are returning from their lands of milk and honey to an uncertain life in the uk where the values of their assets from their adopted homelands does not strecth as far as they would wish back in the uk.

Lots of expats have returned to the UK from Europe since the pound has weakened against the euro.

Just as Spain have built hundeds of thousands of new apartments and homes in the typical expat areas of southern Spain, while their dodgy system has caused lots of news reports of land grabs or new build properties to be demolished, thus putting off the few still looking to move out there.

Might be worth looking out for a bargain villa or two to rent out at over a grand a week as their system unravels.

[Hill Station Murthy]

There seems to be some sort of problem with your keyboard.

"moths of reactionary forces".



P.S. Wot's a "habnd"?

I meant hand. As in out of hand. That is what I was trying to say.

[Mich the Tester]

P.S. Wot's a "habnd"?

Maybe HAB could answer that if he were still here.

[Hill Station Murthy]

I think it is true that not only through immigration that our population is growing at an alarming rate but there is also good evidence to suggest that this increase is also attributable to two other inportant facts.

1) We are seeing in these days that there are fewer British emigres. Indeed, the evidence I have at hand suggests that indeed many are returning from their lands of milk and honey to an uncertain life in the uk where the values of their assets from their adopted homelands does not strecth as far as they would wish back in the uk. But the reason for fewer peolple leaving the uk is, I postulate, that it is harder to sell houses for the right price and these gilt edged opportunities for westerners with the right skills are now going to natives of other countries.

2) The other important fact is that people who come to this country from countries outside of the EU are more likely to have more children. I do not think we can solve this problem by offering a wireless as incentive to sterilisation.

Of course, this potential Malthusian apocalypse that the newspapers. these purveyors of doom, needn't be considered so. I belive we have planty of land available for building here. If the population of England, yes, England - not the UK, were increased to 100 million, we would have the same popultion oas Jersey. I happen to have been to Jesey and found it very nice so I have no truck with this potential scenario.

The matter of concern though is the protection of our opublic services; particularly our NHS and for this I have no immediate answer as this NHS has sacred cow status in this country and any proposals, anything that suggests the radical overhaul that is rwequired, is dismissed out of habnd as emenating from the moths of reactionary forces.

[Mich the Tester]

Plenty of people are already having large families. Mostly the benefit scroungers* and 'those pesky foreigners taking over our country' who still like large families as 'we' used to do only a few generations ago.

Yep, but immigrant populations tend to have rapidly falling birthrates as they live in cities; after one generation you'll probably see there birthrate is lower than the non-immigrant population.

Child benefits and welfare systems haven't been demonstrated to have an upwards effect on birth rates; if anything, looking worldwide, they've had a downward effect, but in this matter it's almost impossible to demonstrate a causal relationship; more a statistical correlation between strong welfare states and low birth rates.

[PAH]

Plenty of people are already having large families. Mostly the benefit scroungers* and 'those pesky foreigners taking over our country' who still like large families as 'we' used to do only a few generations ago.

If the idiots in government encourage abuse of the system with disproportional benefits it can't be a surprise there's so many taking advantage. Plus it's hard for them to cut benefits when kids will be in poverty and the EU says they're infringing human rights.

* My best mate at school became a lazy scrounger. Hardly did a day's work after shacking up with his missus and now has 4 kids (so far). They're probably better off than most average earning workers.

[DodgyAgent]

No. One used to be able to exploit kids by sending them out to work. Now you have to send them to school. SG thinks its a change for the worst.

[Mich the Tester]

If our standards of living are to equalise with the third world as the CBI want and our social systems dismantled, health care go private and old age pensions disappear, will people look after themselves by having 10 kids like in the good old days?

Not likely unless a large chunk of the population leaves the cities and towns to live in the country. Poverty isn't the prime driver of higher or lower birth rates; education opportunities for women and the level of urbanisation are much more important (both drive birth rates down).

[bless 'em all]

Looking at some of the knuckle-draggers walking past my house on their way to school, a selective cull might be the best approach.

[BrilloPad]

No. One used to be able to exploit kids by sending them out to work. Now you have to send them to school. SG thinks its a change for the worst.

[TimberWolf]

If our standards of living are to equalise with the third world as the CBI want and our social systems dismantled, health care go private and old age pensions disappear, will people look after themselves by having 10 kids like in the good old days?