Janet, I think we have to look upon the world as a global village today. Yes, people from the West Indies did come to Britain after the war, invited by King George 6th to come and help us build a new Britain. Now, the influx is people from Europe is happening because we are all part of the European Community. Why should our young people want to leave Britain because of this? A week or so ago, I visited our local (Southport) indoor market, and called at the Chinese supermarket stall. I was amazed to find that a lot of the stock, far from being Chinese, was Polish, and not only that, but the people buying the stuff were Polish too. The lady working on the till was Chinese, but she was actually speaking Polish. It was a surreal experience and I loved it. I know there has been a big increase in our local Polish community, because it has been in the news. In fact, the Parish Priest in a town Church has learnt a phrase of welcome in Polish. I look forward to the influence of the Polish culture, to their arts and crafts appearing in Southport, and perhaps their music and dance. So far I can only speak about the Polish people, but no doubt there will be other communities springing up. Marged I don't know if this is an untimely interception because I don't really have anything definite to contribute here, but when I was about going out to work, late 50s/60s a lot of young people were emigrating to Canada and New Zealand. I wanted to go to Canada myself. At the time the British government was shipping in people from the West Indies to do the jobs that the Brits didn't want to do like sweeping the streets, cleaning out the public lavatories, and working on the underground. Does this sound familiar to those of you who are young in Britain today because it ought to. Whilst we are opening our gates to the European I feel sure there will be a brain drain out of the UK to other parts of the world again, if there is not already; I know it is taking place in our Teaching Hospitals, I have experienced it. That's not to say I don't welcome entrepreneurial spirit. I happen to think there ought to be more incentive to stay in the mother country.

The Polish people have been with us here since the end of WW2. Some of them flew as airmen in our RAF. I know as much because my grandmother was an HEO in the Civil Service, evacuated to Norbreck, Blackpool during the war, ultimately analysing the case histories of the Polish Airmen who remained in this country for their eligibility for a State Pension. Maybe some of you will know enough about our Civil Service at the time to know that married women were not permitted into the Civil Service. My Mother was illegitimate, but my Grandmother still got through Establishment, examinations and medical because the doctor who examined her chose to ignore what he found. As she reached for the door he asked her about it. I think we can eliminate the Polish people who have been here for years from any analysis of the current day situation; many of them have already served their torment. Janet ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marged" <marged36@btopenworld.com> To: <eng-merseyside@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, December 18, 2006 9:09 PM Subject: Re: [ENG-MERSEYSIDE] Christmas > Janet, I think we have to look upon the world as a global village today. Yes, people from the West Indies did come to Britain after the war, invited by King George 6th to come and help us build a new Britain. > > Now, the influx is people from Europe is happening because we are all part of the European Community. Why should our young people want to leave Britain because of this? > > A week or so ago, I visited our local (Southport) indoor market, and called at the Chinese supermarket stall. I was amazed to find that a lot of the stock, far from being Chinese, was Polish, and not only that, but the people buying the stuff were Polish too. The lady working on the till was Chinese, but she was actually speaking Polish. It was a surreal experience and I loved it. > > I know there has been a big increase in our local Polish community, because it has been in the news. In fact, the Parish Priest in a town Church has learnt a phrase of welcome in Polish. > > I look forward to the influence of the Polish culture, to their arts and crafts appearing in Southport, and perhaps their music and dance. > > So far I can only speak about the Polish people, but no doubt there will be other communities springing up. > > Marged > > > I don't know if this is an untimely interception because I don't really have anything definite to contribute here, but when I was about going out to work, late 50s/60s a lot of young people were emigrating to Canada and New Zealand. I wanted to go to Canada myself. > At the time the British government was shipping in people from the West Indies to do the jobs that the Brits didn't want to do like sweeping the streets, cleaning out the public lavatories, and working on the underground. Does this sound familiar to those of you who are young in Britain today because it ought to. Whilst we are opening our gates to the European I feel sure there will be a brain drain out of the UK to other parts of the world again, if there is not already; I know it is taking place in our Teaching Hospitals, I have experienced it. That's not to say I don't welcome entrepreneurial spirit. I happen to think there ought to be more incentive to stay in the mother country. > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ENG-MERSEYSIDE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Absolutely agree with you here Janet, and I think part of the reason that the new Polish people have found Southport a good place to come to is that we already have a Polish community, probably the World War 2 people that you mention. When I mention the Poles in Southport, I am speaking of about 6,000 recent immigrants. My own Great Grandfather was an immigrant to Liverpool from Germany in about 1877 - probably intending to pass through on his way to America - who knows what stopped him and kept him here? Marged The Polish people have been with us here since the end of WW2. Some of them flew as airmen in our RAF. I know as much because my grandmother was an HEO in the Civil Service, evacuated to Norbreck, Blackpool during the war, ultimately analysing the case histories of the Polish Airmen who remained in this country for their eligibility for a State Pension. Maybe some of you will know enough about our Civil Service at the time to know that married women were not permitted into the Civil Service. My Mother was illegitimate, but my Grandmother still got through Establishment, examinations and medical because the doctor who examined her chose to ignore what he found. As she reached for the door he asked her about it. I think we can eliminate the Polish people who have been here for years from any analysis of the current day situation; many of them have already served their torment.