Immigration and Bad Food Induced Health Problems
David Cameron did one important thing in his speech and that was lay out facts. People will argue he has been selective, but at least he tried.
I live in Inner London and as I’m a double immigrant in the 1800s, I can’t really moan about immigrants can I? But I do get fed up with the proliferation of junk food shops everywhere, often staffed by exploited low-wage earning people with dodgy immigration status. These establishments also are constantly putting flyers for gluten-rich food through my door. I am getting a notice made that politely asks the delivery people to put them in the wheelie bin by the door, to save me the trouble.
So perhaps we should make junk food more expensive for health reasons and to combat obesity. The easiest way to do this would be to impose a high minimum wage for those who work in the fast food industry. And then make sure it is strictly enforced!
The Anonymous Widower 
The problem is separating the good from the bad in “junk” food. Gluten aside, I would not buy from somewhere which offered “burgers, pizza, kebab,curry”, since they are native to several totally different countries.
But I am only about 4 or 5 miles from Curry Mile in Manchester, which is pretty much a mile of curry houses, using curry in its widest sense, with the odd shisha place or sanwdich shop, or the very sweet sugary colourful MIddle Eastern sweets. Some of the food there is excellent, and it is often nicer in the less fancy places.
Sadly there will always be people to work for less the minimum wage. I dont know the answer to that one.
Comment by liz | April 14, 2011 |
Partly what I said was tongue in cheek. I am also a bit disappointed that round here I can’t find a good Indian restaurant. But there are endless numbers of kebab houses, fried chicken and burger places. I wouldn’t use any of them, as I’ve got four good pubs locally and some good restaurants within a couple of bus stops.
On the other hand, you could argue that a higher minimum wage would discourage some of the worst exploitation of immigrants, if it was properly enforced and the books were subject to very strong scrutiny. It might also prompt some of those born here to take a job, they thought as too low class for them.
Comment by AnonW | April 14, 2011 |
Yes we have lots of fried chicken, burger and kebab places, some combining all three. And lot of them rather grimy and unsavoury looking – up in city centre there is often a strong smell of pot around them too.
People who wont take jobs which they consider are too low class for them really irritate me. And the people doing that are not just people who are unskilled or poorly skilled. Both my daughters have degrees. Both were willing to take pretty much anything after graduating whilst they looked for job which would use their qualifications – during uni holidays both had got themselves experience, and in the case of older daughter that was unpaid, but directly led to the job she now has. YOunger daughter signed on with an agency, got a couple of short admin temp roles, and then got a temp role answering the phone at the place she now had a very good job on a permanent contract.
Both girls had friends who wouldnt take a job unless it was relevant to their degree. I know some of younger daughter’s friend signed up to do a Masters when they hadnt got anything by Autumn after graduation. They are now almost finished, and will be re-entering the job market with even higher expectations of the “class” of job they will accept, and even more over qualified.
Comment by liz | April 14, 2011 |
Its not that bad as that was the 1800’s but over the past years there have been a lot coming over here and I don’t think we need them. All they do is course trouble there was town shops in a local town that have been found selling fake vodka that is basically ethanol. You would never get that from an English run shop.
Comment by Wheelie Bins | July 5, 2011 |