Hey

Just to clarify the matter of Poles sending their Pounds back home. Imagine that after calculations of their incomes and numbers you will end up with a figure of approximately £200m, which is way below over £34bn spent by British people annually on holidays abroad. Please, do not spread what some second class papers write, as you miss the truth. £200m will not affect really British economy. Believe me.

Regards,

Daniel, cardiff,

Wow! I'm quite suprised at the number of positive views on Poles. Thanks! :) I wanted to leave Poland, too, and go to work in the UK, but changed my mind eventually - apparently I'm just not ready to leave yet... I've been to London many times,met loads of great people,and felt like joining the Polish force, but ended up staying in Warsaw to work for the British government - you don't need to leave to work for Britain :) Anyway, just wanted to say that both me and my brother have done 'working holidays' in the UK, and that really helped our poor budget here. I would've had serious problems finishing my studies, had I not taken a chance to work 60 hrs a week in London restaurants... It was definitely worth the effort! However, none of my friends with university degrees are considering emigration to the UK - the pound's really low now, and it's slowly getting better and better here. So far, I'm staying, but thank you Brits for all good things you've given me. I'll be back for holidays!

MaryJ, Warsaw,

A couple of weeks ago on TV, I saw a Polish girl say " For me, to come to England was the natural thing to do because all my friends were already here." If you pour water out of large jug, eventually it will be empty.

There seems to be a lot of Polish working in London but the UK needs to tighten up the enforcement of the minimum wage, when the BBC asked Polish workers if they earned the minimum wage, 30% said "no".

Polish workers that are being exploited at least have the option of going back to Poland but what about the British working classes, they feel betrayed and have nowhere to go.

I would encourage any worker that is exploited to report the company to the Authorities and claim back the unpaid income.

Don't get angry, get even.

Graham, St. Albans, uk

Kula, I agree with what you say about crime and poor services here, but I really don't know what you are talking about when you say the British are overly proud and overrate themselves. I don't know of any other nation that has such a confidence crisis, a poor opinion of itself and almost a self-loathing. I don't personally know many British patriots: most Brits I know just want to leave this cold, damp island. Maybe this explains why our sportsmen are so bad. I think you have a preconceived or prejudiced idea of British arrogance that isn't really there anymore, at least in London where I live.

Terry Richards, Leytonstone, UK

Us British tradesman have learnt a lot. We have learnt that our government does not believe that charity begins at home. We
have also learnt that our government uses foreign labour to
control inflation and deprive British trades people earning what
they should now be entitled to after jumping through numerous
hoops set by them. Our government has insisted that our trades pay dearly to enrole in numerous schemes to justify
there "proffessionalism". It then hinders us from earning an
appropriate wage by injecting masses of foreigners into the
labour market. Divide and conquer eh Tony and Gordon!!!
I've seen some Polish workmanship and earnt well putting it
right!!!!! We have enuff home grown cowboys. We don't need any more. Mitch from Argi.

john, portsmouth, uk

"....the large German car companies moving operations to Poland....." Sorry, but its not true - I am polish and i dont know. Probably You think about Skoda and Czech Republic. Sorry for my language.

Seb, birchmoor,

A few points:

1. The photo's title. "Aric Jenac" is about as Polish a name as "Vigdis Augustdottir" is British. Possibly it was Arek Jenac, although the surname also doesn't sound Polish.

2. "Since Poland joined the EU in 2004, 274,065 Poles have signed up for work permits" - the author should check his facts. Poles do not need any kind of work permit. The WRS (Workers Registration Scheme) is not any kind of permit since no decision on behalf of the state is needed. It is simply registering the worker as benefits become available to the Poles after 1 year of continuous and legal employment.

It is a fact that with current GBP/PLN ratio working in Britain is no longer attractive for the Poles who worked for the national minimum. The highly paid specialists will probably stay longer.

Piotr Smolanski, London, United Kingdom

I'm a Polish student at an English uni. It's cool to see Polish folks coming back and setting up businesses contributing to a further development of our economy. I think the so far immigration has been of mutual benefit to the Poles and the Brits. I think the Poles were able to learn a lot from the Brits..and I'm thinking of positive things only, which they will bring back home. Hope the Brits learnt something from us as well.

Mikeyy, London,

PLease stay and have babies, we need you.

terry, watford, england

Little mention is made of the massive cash transfers that are happening. The effect on the UK economy of so much money leaving the UK should not be underestimated.

Ben in Australia, Queensland, Australia

Please come to Denmark we want you here !!!! Poles

Matt, Denmark,

Wojciech,

Having read your comments I can only offer my most sincere apologies for the way you were treated - some of our fellow countrymen are truly ignorant. Please be assured that we are not all like that, and we do understand how difficult it must be for you living so far from home, working hard to improve the life of your family and provide for them. I admire you - personally I would have punched the guy senseless!

Stuart, Glasgow, Scotland

I'm inclined to treat these claims with a pinch of salt, people come and go, but the current Polish government is keen to show its population that it has had success in putting a stop to the outflow of young, intelligent people and it may not have used the most reliable data. Many parts of the Polish press seem to be doing their utmost to drive Poles back home with a huge amount of negative stories at the moment, telling Poles how much they are "hated" here and how awful Britain is in general, which may influence some to leave. A lot of my Polish friends, patriotic people, just will not go back yet as it is still impossible to earn enough to raise a family on an average salary.

Michael, Edinburgh,

good luck to them! polite, hard-working, adaptable, christian people - I wonder what they thnk of us?

democritus, aylesbury,

im an english dude off to poland, very nice place and good people. farewell london.

joseph , london,

well, I think we've been lucky to have all these attractive, energetic, intelligent Poles come here. England has definitely been better off for having them and I think most of us will miss them - whether we know it yet or not! Lets hope loads stay for good!

paul, London, England

there go all the pretty girls in blighty then.

jason, Lake Jackson, texas

Shame. Will miss the smile of the Polish girls in restaurants and bars across London which lightened up the place. Please - STAY !

Chris, London,

I spent almost two years in England.I love Poland of course,I will always be Polish and I'm very proud to be Polish, but what I would like to say is that England has given me a lot of good memories. I've met many helpful , kind and wonderful people there.I visit England from time to time and every time I'm there I'm happy. Thank you England for your hospitality, thank you for everything you have done for me. Thank you British People:)

Magda, Polska,Łódź,

I appreciate nice comments from all british people concerning Poles in UK. Really guys!!! Many thanks and huggs to my mates from London!

Wojciech Rynkiewicz , polish journalist /The Polis, London,

Could it be that many Poles are leaving the UK as it lurches
towards becoming an Islamic state?

James Pawlak, West Allis, USA/Wisconsin

Nooo, I will miss that lovely Polish accent.

Howard, Manchester,

In 2005 I spent one year in England working as a comis waiter and after few mounths I was promoted to waiter. I met many English people who thought that Poles are idiots who cant even speak English.I was better educated even than my English managers. In the hotel only Poles have university deegres.
Once one of the customer in the hotel I used to work ordered me to take his boots of. He was not disabled.he just wanted to show who is the master. People around were laughing.
And finally I decided to come back Poland. Today I am a journalist in one of the biggest newspaper in Central Europe.And I am proud of it.

Wojciech, Warsaw, Poland

Welcome to the EU.

This is precisely what is supposed to happen. We're just one element of a far, far bigger market with a vast population and massive economic clout.

British companies have made a killing from Poland and Poles, as an underdeveloped market with great investment opportunities which is only now comming up to par with the majority of the EU. This is again, intended..

Leon Wolfeson, Oxford, UK

It is interesting to read readers' comments and I'm pleased to note how nice the majority of them are towards Polish immigrants. However, most people seem to think that Poles left their homeland solely for economic reasons, disregarding the political issues. Let us not forget that until 1989 Poland was screened off by the iron curtain and the much admired West was to many an inaccessible dream. Mine is the first generation (I was 18 as Poland joinded EU) that can truly enjoy the freedom of travelling and living abroad. Many Poles, mostly the youngsters, came to UK to simply experience something new. It was a novelty, and novelty wears off quickly. Nevertheless, thank you Brits for mostly warm welcome.

Bozena, Katowice,, Poland

As far as I can tell the decade of the Polish Plumber went pretty well. Most everyone seemed to benefit. I hope that those who return to Poland take good memories with them because a bit of global understanding will not go amiss.

Geoffrey, Sydney,

The fact that someone can go to the UK for a few years in an entry level job and end up with sizable savings is a testament to what a great place the UK is! There aren't many countries like that.

I love London and all I can say is, may I be so fortunate to spend at least a few years there and still make ends meet. New people like me will always be attracted to experience what the UK has to offer and many of them will be well qualified workers.

MasJ., City,

To whoever said Goodbye Poles, welcome Romanians!!

Absolutely wrong. Romanians are warm, friendly, hot-blooded latin people and they would never fully integrate in England. This is why Romanians will never come to England in flocks. They have already focused on other destinations such as Spain and Italy. I can not even imagine a Romanian surviving a few years of British cooking!! Oh boy... Romanians love to eat, they enjoy life and friendship...hard to do that here, in this cold, dark country (in every way).

Acharnar, Oxford,

Will miss all the pretty Polish girls..

Kara Swart, London, UK

I've made lots of East European friends in the last 3-4 yrs. In that time, they've learned to speak English well, they've bought decent motors to replace the bangers they originally made do with (for which I helped them arrange insurance, MOTs, road tax), they've bought flats back home, one of them a house here. They work hard and play hard; they are good friends. In the past few months, three have gone back, two to set up their own businesses. Compare them with the young English guy I regularly see selling the Big Issue, otherwise known as begging. Give me the Poles and other EU pals any day.

John Anthony CROSBIE, Rugby, Warwickshire

I had a Slovakian working for me and she was a good hard worker. Lovely person too. Shall be sorry to see lots of Polish plumbers leaving as ours are diabolical! Best of luck to them though they deserve it for doing such a good job and bringing welcome diversity.

Paul Davis, York, uk

Hi,
I have three sayings that come to my mind many times.
"The world has shrinked rapidly over the past years in terms of travel and finding a job. Forget the past."
"The only constant things in the world are changes."
"If you think the job cannot be done,rest assured someone will come and do it!"
Today you jump on a cheap plane,rent a flat using the Internet,find a job using the Internet.Too many people not only do this but improve their skills by learning constantly.I myself feel the need to learn constantly at the age of 48.I go to courses,I spend at least 10 hours during the week apart from working to study an take exams.I do not sit at pubs discussing football.
That may be the reason why English people lose their jobs.Today I can hear English companies inviting people to learn new skills, why not take the chance? Why sit and wait and take benefits?
I suggest some people in the UK should stop complaining that some guys from India,Pakistan or Poland are taking their jobs.

Richard, Manchester, Manchester

Good Luck to the returnees, I have heard and seen some of the bad remarks made about the immigrants and specially the Polish ones regularly uttered by those who work for me. I suppose like all immigrants they know they are disliked and abused but they put up in search of their main goal of coming here-work and money. Now they get a chance to return and live in their home land they will jump to it-like most of us immigrants dream about.
Best wishes and well done!

M.Gunasekara, Northants, UK

It's a pleasure to have the Poles in Great Britain... pity the same can't be said for other immigrants.

Polish people returning home, beware! With financial boom comes greed and corruption, just look at the UK.

Teresa , London,

If the UK had placed the same restrictions on granting work permits to those from the accession countries, as did most of the other EU member-states, then the housing market would have burnt itself out a few years ago.

Since then prices have only been kept so high by buy-to-let landlords, knowing that there was an ever increasing pool of prospective tenants to maintain the viability of their investment. Pardon my cynicism, but I believe Labour would never have got re-elected if house prices had started to fall before the 2005 election.

As the Polish workers start to drift home, wage demands here will rise, pushing inflation up further and making BoE base rate cuts ever harder to justify. The BTLs are in for a double whammy. Rental prices will fall, just as house prices are falling while mortgage rates will stay high.

It is of course the BoE base rate cuts which the BTLs have screamed for that have devalued sterling, thus speeding up the repatriation of their tenants. Ha!

Paul, Coventry,

If there are any uk citizens who need further proof of the downward slide of our once great and proud nation ,then to have headlines stating tides turn as poles leave to return to homeland, Well its good to know we are compassionate enough to throw our borders open and allow in workers to reep the benefits of this country only to dissapeer when the going gets tough then surely we need ask where are the replacement workers going to come from.Surely the work needs to be done by someone and where will these people be found

peter , wolverhampton,

Someone please tell me a country where an Englishman can go to and come back to here a rich man?

It doesn't exist. I'm very jealous of the Poles for the opportunities we gave them.

One day the rest of the country will see Gordon Brown for the economic fool he was while in power as Chancellor and PM.

Generations Y&Z with no assets, high house prices, high consumer debt and low paid meaningless jobs. At least the Poles can go back home with riches.

As we see an exodus of natives from this country, it will be interesting to see how welcoming the likes of Poles are to our own immigration to their countries?

Chris, London,

"Frankly it's good news. All we need now is to repatriate the Scots in Parliament to Scotland and return to old fashioned values constantly referring to the word 'Discipline'. In addition rid England of all CCTV and Speed Cameras. David Smith Cannes.

David Smith, Cannes, France"

I'm not sure if you are intentionally taking the mic and trying to be ironic, or not.
You lecture how the Scottish should get out of England, whilst living in France. Are you for immigration, or not?

Jamie, Halifax, West Yorkshire

I admire Polish workers for heading where the opportunity is, good for them. Why should they waste their skills in a declining market. Perhaps as someone pointed out, if some employers paid them a little more they might be tempted to stay and continue their worthy contribution to the economy. Just the way though isn't it, third generation immigrants who still can't successfully integrate stay put while those who have become the most admired and hard working in the space of only 4 years (the Poles) start to leave.

Rich, Milan, Italy

Hi Everyone.
For me Europe is full of new opportunities.
I came to England because I've been learning and speaking English all my life, so I considered it a total waste not to come and see the country, learn about it's wonderful history and culture. If I didn't have a job and if I didn't know the language, I wouldn't have come.I would have probably gone to a warmer climate like Spain.
Over the past one and a half year I met a lot of wonderful English people, I think there are a lot of nice places to see, so I will stay here for a while.
However there are so many bad and sad things going around, all the violence and killings in the UK that make me worried - is anything I do here worth the effort? Young people getting drunk - such a waste and shame.To be honest, I don't feel safe here. What will be left here after 20-30 years? I also hear millions of healthy British people living on benefits.What a disgrace.
I wish all the best to everyone.
Richard

Richard, Manchester, Manchester

Dennis J makes a valid point. We need to ask ourselves what's gone wrong? What are the Poles doing right?

It's a bit more than the availability of benefits: the many Poles I've had the pleasure of meeting in the last few years have grown up in the culture I recall from my own youth: an expectation that you had to give rather than get.

It's not: what's in it for me? That's the wrong question. The Polies known that, we've forgotten.

Tom Hughes, Thornton, Lancashire, UK

Job done eh ! I am of course referring the deal between Blair and the EU mafia, now he's in line for the top job. Pay back time for Thatchers reluctance to feed the EU coffers with British money.
It was always quite obvious the vast majority of these people from eastern Europe would never settle here. This little ruse was always a means to get money out of Britain by the "back door" as the new member states joined. Think of all the admin and red tape that has been avoided by this little money laundering scheme. Just how many millions or even a few Billion that has been "sent home" by these people. I hastely add i have absolutely no animosity towards them at all. It's a great shame we have not been as selective in the type i of immigrants that we have let in unfettered. These people have been hard workers and frankly it's a great shame to see them go. Auf Wiedersehen pet !

Olive Branch, St Albans, UK

I bet the BNP headquarters will be rejoicing right now - underwater, that is.

Ed, Bradfgord,

Boom? What boom? Maybe I've been asleep for the last 8 years?

Alex, London, UK

So by Mr Smith's analysis it is not acceptable for people from foreign countries to come to the UK to benefit from the relatively favourable economic conditions (and have an impact on local labour markets and culture). However seeing as he writes from Cannes, it must be ok for Brits to live abroad to enjoy the benefit of sunnier climes (and have an impact on local housing markets and culture). Life deals you a hand, either it's ok to move countries to change your lot or it isn't. You're so blinkered you probably think you're improving life for the French!

John Murray, Hale, Cheshire, UK

Rather astounding that all these oh so lowly , paid hard working polish plumbers are suddenly able to go back home and build houses - something doesn't sound quite right here. Whose kidding who?

Once again, Lausanne, Switzerland

I am a immigrant so I can speak from experience.

The Poles came to work and earn money. I guess, many wanted to buy a house or start a business back in Poland. Once they had reached their target and discovered that the UK has quality of life issues they are beginning to return.

The cost of living in the UK and in particular the cost of housing is so expensive. An ordinary working family can no longer afford to buy a house in a safe area these days.

The returning Poles have done the best thing.

CM, London,

this is a message for kula living in hampshire. it is so frustrating that we in england can still be so disgracefully chauvinistic in our attitude towards our wonderful fellow europeans. A still lingering arrogance - a heritage of our eons since defunct empire, based on a very ugly and inexcusable ignorance. i really hope your time in england hasn't been as unpleasant as i suspect it probably has been and could i at least offer my own personal apology for my country's ugly side.
sorry.

nicola, manchester, england

After 7 years I am coming back to Poland to my newly build 4 bed house. I just need to close my Natwest account, collect 40K of savings. I do not need to struggle with rising taxes, ken livingston and other government bodies who slowly are destroying this beautiful country.
Goodbye crazy, (too!!!) multinational London. Good luck to the rest of you. Hard time is coming.

David, London,

Back to paying through the nose for a plumber again.

Albert whittle, st helens, England

Goodbye, then, to many astonishingly beautiful women and their exceptionally winsome children. However, I have heard too many tales about British companies relocating to Poland, having to fire a large Polish workforce in the process, and then finding there are no building workers in Poland to work on their new premises as they are all in the UK. It had to turn.
I hope most leave with good memories of the UK and buy our products when back home and support our football teams - except when playing Poland. Thanks, guys!

Dave, slough,

Hamziuk,

I'm British but have spent most of my adult life abroad. I spent 4 years in London in the late 1990s. For three years I worked in an open-plan office, where most of the staff were English graduates. I had to leave because if I'd spent another month or two in that atmosphere, I would not be able to speak and write correct English today - and I used to teach English as a foreign language in Germany and Spain!

I know Japanese, Chinese, Indian and German people who can speak better English than the English.

The reason the other foreigners speak bad English is because they don't hear correct English from the English themselves.

I've just finished reading a book by an English author (a journalist!) that has presumably been corrected by an English editor and I had to write many corrections into it.

Martina, Düsseldorf, Germany

I am not white British and due to the location I live in, foriegners sometimes quiz me on the benefit options i.e. what housing benefits they can get or how claim child benefit. In recent years this has been from eu migrants.

So you do have to wonder how many of the Poles going back were claiming benefits whilst working here and which ones will be leaving.

Kris, London,

I suppose the government will pin their hopes on poor immigrants from Pakistan or Sudan for their election fodder now.

R Mason, London, UK

So they're only entering Britain at 80% of the level they were? Wow, what an improvement.....not. You still cannot move in my city for Polish accents. I think we're listening to quite a lot of spin here. I think we should stop believing everything we hear. It does prove one thing though, you can't live on the wages being offered in Britain. I was wondering how long it would take the Poles to realise that £12,000 a year, ( or less ), afford a roof over your head, the ability to pay your bills and run a car or even, with inflation on the move, a decent meal seven days a week. The Poles are smart people and they value their freedom. It is only the British who are currently expected to be sold into slavery, having to accept low paid abusive work.

judy, Liverpool, England

Oh dear, the golden goose has stopped laying, so they are all going home, and all the money they earned is going with them.
I hope Gordon is reading this.

Geoff Stringer, Southend-on-Sea, ENGLAND

Another nail in the coffin for the house price boom, and surely worrying times for the people who thought being a landlord was just an excuse to print money.

Roy, London,

expect to see huge job losses at the Daily Mail as their lead story for the last decade evaporates...

alan lubin, london,

I have additional reason for leaving Britain: for a few years now I've listened to British people who constantly try to stress British greatness and how much better they are then other countries, not to mention a kind of sarcastic opinion about Poland. If you don't know what I am trying to say then compare it to the American disregarding attitude towards Britain.

I am watching Britain for three years now and the reality is disappointing: shocking level of crime, especially amongst teenagers, high prices, bad services, the food is simply a joke, there is no decent national sport side :) and many more. Where is this proud opinion about Britain from?

It is difficult to live with people who think so much about them when there's not so much to be really proud of.

Kula, Hampshire,

Goodbye Poles ! Hello Romanians!

will, eastbourne, uk

I for one am very sorry to see them go, if only for the reason that they helped us to win the Battle of Britain and the war in Italy, which gives us a blood link, as well as the economic shot in the arm more recently. For me, they will always be more than welcome here.

Nicholas Lee, Windsor, UK

They will be sadly missed, their Christian values desire to integrate. politenesses work ethic set them apart from other waves of recent migrants and demonstrated how a multicultural British society could be.

Stuart Grant, York, North Yorkshire

Hi,

I'm Polish. I've been in London for 7 years.My English is Ok and still not fluent. Why?
I think because of number of other Nations, who can not speak proper English. They are top worker, as a Asian doctors,Scientists and a Shop assistants.Now,getting worst, with a polish books on the shelves SW Smith, polish Radio and more.
Who's responsibility of this?
In a few years I think, English as a proper language/e.g Queen's speech/ is going to disappear.

Polish student,

who have paid a lot of money for Colleges, which after few years vanish.

It is England.

Hamziuk, London,

Oh dear, if Polish workers who will work for less are returning home then that means we will be left with people who will only work for more pay....pushing inflation up further.

Nightmare!

James, Bristol, UK

polish construction workers will be endemic in Uk by 2010
however the usual "magdas" in your pubs won't be back home as late as 2016.

voicefrompoland, wola,

The situation is similar to that of the Spanish who left en masse in the 50's and 60's to work in Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and France. In fact when Spain and Portugal joined the EU in the 80's many predicted a horde of Iberians invading Northern Europe. It didn't happen and most Spaniards after a number of years moved back home.

The Irish did something similar in the 90s returning from Britain, the US, Australia.

In all cases the main reasons were to be nearer family and to bring up their children in their home country. When economic conditions improved they went back home. Scrounging was not high on their priorty list.

I wish them all the best.

Gavin, Madrid, Spain

I suppose the good news about this repatriation is that those with vested interests in pumping house prices will lose one (always false) reason for trying to inflate them more.

The bad news is our own home-grown shambling bunch of incompetent builders will no longer be out-competed by the superior Poles. We shall miss them I think.

David, Guildford,

So why is that we should believe that the 'great polish adventure is over as the Poles go home'?

Was it not the same media that said only a few thousand Poles etc would come to UK after the new wave of expansion of the EU. Well perhaps up to 2 million came - no one really knows - if 500,000 go home that will still leave 1.5 million working in UK.

The one good thing UK did was to agree to no restrictions on those seeking work from Poland etc it helped Poland over the transition period of new EU membership. It has been win win for Poland- those leaving for work here learn a language, see a new country, earn good money and help the folks back home. Those that stayed in Poland all have a job and the shortage of workers puts their pay up.

Now if we could get some of our 6 million economically inactive welfare claimants to replace the 500,000 Polish workers we too would have a win win situation. Less tax payouts for welfare more tax from workers for the government.

Phil1, Edinburgh, UK

Hard working,polite,educated,reliable with christian values.A wave of fresh air that came into the depressed urban cities of the UK,with their depressed and cynical youth.Some Poles became victims of the UK's crime wave,( I know of 3 who died here as a result of urban criminality).But many will have prospered and set up nice homes in Poland.Of course,I was myself in Poland many times in the early 1990's,( when they were not in the EU and largely ostracised),so their set of values that I admire and are so lacking in the UK came as no suprise to me.and,in the UK we are left with the sick.lame and lazy who live a life on benefits of one kind or another-and blame everyone else for their misfortunes,all the while feather nested by a state running excessive taxation on the few that try.

Dennis J, London, UK

folks wake up, after 4 years more, £1 = 1/2 Euro!!
unless teh country wakes up and people stop getting any benefit, the country will be like america.....BROKE

shripad, normanton,

Quite right Ros - if we don't know they have gone - how can we check on what is being doled out to them ? The chattering class rose tinted view of immigration quietely hides many inconvenient truths under the carpet.

jonny, london,

I'm intrigued by the numbers of immigrants in the hotel trade. Staying in a hotel in Sligo, on the Irish coast, I was amazed to hear the Polish receptionist tell a party of English tourists that she didn't know to get to the beach ( the area is famous for surfing) and there was nowhere to hear live Irish music (ditto).

If you pay peanuts....

neil, waterford, ireland

Seems a shame. Always liked the Poles I've met. Cant blame them for wanting to go home if there are job opportunities in Poland for them though.

John, London, England

Basically it's true I work in Deptford in Nhs clinic and the first question to ask is: Are you getting benefits? In Poland it's not acceptable to be on benefits when you are mentally and physically healthy. Shame on them:-)Good working Pole.

Lukas, London, Uk

Whilst immigration as a whole has been far too high, at least the Poles came here to work and make efforts to fit in with the local communities they join....... unlike others.

Donna Walker, Effingham, Surrey

Just had a weekend at a hotel staffed by Poles, very smart, polite, hard-working, now these people head for better economic climates, leaving us with 6 million watching daytime T.V., how will this affect the "miracle economy", minimum possibly 600,000 less people buying in the shops, less houses need building, housing not so scarce so prices go down, BTL, sell-up etc etc....

steve, coventry, uk

There's a finite supply of low wage jobs here and it isn't so easy for Poles coming here today. My workforce is 90% Polish and I am not recruiting at the moment. However many of the first wave have made their money gone back, built their own homes in their own towns. Good luck to them.

Marc, London,

And of course many of the UK businesses are following them and setting up their factories in Poland.

MarkS, Leeds,

No doubt Migrant Watch will be quick to release a 'survey' suggesting that, on current trends, there will be NO ONE AT ALL in the UK by 2030!

Michael Murray, Bath, UK

Will we still continue to pay them child benefit after they've returned to Poland?

Ros, London,

I hope they enjoyed their time here, it was very nice to have a
polite, hard working youngsters around again. Sadly they are someone else's children.

Benjamin, Fairford,

the british are leaving in hordes as economic imigrants so why wouldn't the others

saud, riyadh,

Frankly it's good news. All we need now is to repatriate the Scots in Parliament to Scotland and return to old fashioned values constantly referring to the word 'Discipline'. In addition rid England of all CCTV and Speed Cameras. David Smith Cannes.

David Smith, Cannes, France

Not quite true Wayne, we also have our own feckless who are able to live on benefit rather than work

andy, Worthing, Sussex

So now we are left with only the uneconomic migrants, worrying.

wayne, huntingdon, cambridgeshire

Well, well, well now there’s a surprise 'NOT' I predicted this to friends sometime ago. Looks like a lot of people are going to have a lot of leaks? Also let’s not forget the large German car companies moving operations to Poland. No wonder there was an instant U-turn "Last month Gordon Brown wanted contracts and benefit cuts for those who refuse training," and "This month he says he wants contracts and benefit increases for those who accept training. Oh dear Mr Brown’

Layton Bevan, Neath, Wales

A recent poll survey by a romanian private tv say that UK wil not be a target for romanian imigrants in year 2008 because only 10% of romanian peoples can speack english, but near 80% can speack italian and spanish, latin based languages aS ROMANIAN language.. for this reason 2 milion of romanians work laready in spain and italy...AND AT THIS TIME in Romanai is shard to find a plumber!!!!

Boldor Eugen, dej, Romania