I knew it!

BBC is telling the world something I knew all along, that Mediterranean diet is best way to tackle obesity. They also say it's good for the prevention of heart attacks. What they don't say is that it also fights sadness. What can make people happier that a meal of good food with a glass of the best wine in the world? Yes, those who insist that wine from the New World is just as good as the wine from the FIPS (France, Italy, Portugal and Spain) is because they need a nice Mediterranean meal to go with wine to notice the difference.

And talking about immigration...

After yesterday's post, today I came across the curious (or not so much) fact that "immigrants from the 10 countries which joined the EU in 2004 contributed more to the UK than they took out in benefits, according to a new study."

Immigration and EU

This is at the moment one of the most contentious political issues in this country. I am not exactly an immigrant, as I study full time, but I am still a EU foreigner. Therefore, this issue is particularly interesting for me.

The first question is, why are British so worried about this issue?

There are those who say foreigners will destroy the British way of life and are, therefore, unwelcome. This argument would make some sense in a country that has been closed for a long time. I wouldn't agree with it, but it would make sense... Now Britain has been home to waves of immigration since as long as it exists. Cultural diversity is part of the British character. To stop this immigration is to actually harm this specific feature of this country.

There are also those who say that EU citizens are here to take advantage of British social security system. I am sure they do not contest that British do it as well, it is just that they are okay with the fact that "their own" do it but not foreigners. That is a perfectly fair point, but why not just make the system fairer to everyone? Anyone can have benefits, even if they've never work nor try to find work! This is open to a lot of abuses anyway. Just be pragmatically British about it and change it.

At last, there is always the argument that foreigners come here to steal British's jobs. That is when I say: stop moaning and be British about it! To me being British is about having a sport's culture of fair game and open competition. If you are better, nobody will give your job to a foreigner. Just the fact that one is a foreigner is always a disadvantage anywhere in the world being lost in the culture, loosing time to integrate and know how things work... Foreigners will always have these disadvantages so they will not even get the jobs of British in equal circumstances. Besides, sports spirit would say: fight back! Take your own EU citizenship and go to other countries - salaries in Sweden and Denmark are higher than in the UK, for example. Taxes in Luxembourg, Ireland and the Netherlands are lower. There are many economic advantages for you to relocate, not to mention the cultural ones. Besides, if nothing else, you always have the advantage to be native speakers of the Latin of the XXI century: the universal language of business, trade and politics.

So, just be British about the subject and welcome free movement of people. To start with, be a sport and buy a pint of lager to the next foreigner you see in a pub. 

And now I must end this and go to a pub expecting pints from the crowds reading this blog.