Nearly a month ago Daily Express interviewed Denis Macshane, a former Minister for Europe and currently a labour MP. He said that Brits abroad could find themselves under attack in the same way that Polish workers were/are in the UK

This man also made statements like:

“There are already some low-level rumblings in Spain that the ageing end of the British population are demanding the care and attention that older people do,”

Yes of course there have been ‘rumblings’. Just looking at the brits, 800.000€ have made Spain their home. Considering many of these are retirees or intend to retire to Spain there is obviously an additional strain to the Spanish medical system. There will also be the additional needs for translators and dual language staff in the hospitals. Also 800.000 people have created a distinct demographic shift in some areas. In some parts of the Costa Blanca there are villages that 10 years ago had 600 natives. Now these villages have a population of over 2000 as expats have poured into urbanisations outside the village. Don’t you think this would cause a shift in priorities for the nearest hospitals/clinics???

“But as Spanish unemployment is rising faster than anywhere else in Europe you will see the gradual arrival of anti-foreigner feeling – much as there has been anti-foreigner feeling generated in Britain by the tabloids against the Poles and Eastern Europeans.

I just love it when people make unfounded statements about ‘anti-foreign’ feelings. Yes unemployment has risen faster in Spain than in many other countries in Europe. With the slow down in the construction industry this was bound to happen. Please note the primary, secondary and tertiary industries involved in the construction industry account for around 15% of Spain GDP, a figure substantially higher than any other in Europe.
but even when unemployment was at its lowest here in Spain, it was still substantially higher than it is now in the UK, yet little to no racism.

This is not to say there is no racism in Spain. If anything at times it does appear to be higher here than back in the UK but at the same time it isn’t. It’s hard to explain so I’ll give an example. I was talking with señorita A who will tell you how she does not like Moroccans (for example) and in the same breath tell you about her wonderful son-in-law called Mustafa!!!
As opposed to my experiences in the UK and in other countries where every one talks about how accepting they are of foreigners as long as they’re not living next door!
Of course these are generalisations, but if that twit MP is going to make broad sweeping statements, why can’t I?

Another important point to remember about Spain and the Spanish, is that until recently Spain has had more people emigrating than immigrating. Many went to work and live in other part of Europe and the world for many reasons. Now that the table are reversed, they are proving on the whole to be accepting hosts.

Just think about it for a moment, in the last 10 years the amount of immigrants in Spain has gone from 1.6% of the population to 11.3% in 2008! In fact, booming Spain was Europe’s largest absorber of migrants from 2002 to 2007, with its immigrant population more than doubling as 2.5 million people arrived here.

Year          immigrant pop.      Percentage
1998              637.085            1,60%
2000              923.879            2,28%
2001            1.370.657            3,33%
2002            1.977.946            4,73%
2003            2.664.168            6,24%
2004            3.034.326            7,02%
2005            3.730.610            8,46%
2006            4.144.166            9,27%
2007            4.519.554            9,99%
2008            5.220.600            11,3%

Yet with this vast demographic change, there have been none of the race riots that Britain experienced during its influx of immigrants. Of course Spain has had the advantage that the majority of its immigrants have similar religious and cultural backgrounds as many have come from Latin America.

So the next time someone reads about anti-british sentiments, I would recommend you take it with a pinch of salt please.

Regards
Andrew Bellés

Two of the key reasons that are responsible for this are the gradual ageing of Spanish society and the country’s low birth rate.

According to the Secretary of State for Immigration, Consuelo Rumi, the Spanish government will orient its policies according to market needs and the need to integrate immigrant workers and their future descendants.

Furthermore the study showed that along with highly trained professionals, there is need of technicians in sectors such as production, operations and maintenance and of qualified tradesmen (or women) such as electricians and welders.

Interestingly enough, the Socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is offering financial incentives to newly jobless immigrants to return to their homelands.

But there is a certain logic to this contradiction. Many of the immigrants that have arrive over the last few years have mainly been low skill workers that have worked in tourism and construction. With the vast downturn in residential building many of the workers have found themselves without work and do not have the necessary skills/education to find work in other fields. And unfortunately most of the skills that are required cannot be taught in the time it would take.

So if you have the skills or knowledge and you’ve thought of moving to Spain, now might be the time.

Regards
Andrew Belles