Erik's View: Fizzy Drinks & British Immigration

Erik Redli is a university graduate from Slovakia who is currently living in London. Here he gives his opinion on the British visas and the diet of young people in Britain. 

Visas & Multiculturalism in Britain

"The government had to tighten the visa norms in order to keep away the immigrants who would abuse British hospitality. Unfortunately, such measures will always have some negative effects. Some student visas might have been refused due to discrepancies in documents. A few months ago I had similar problem.

I was asked to submit two forms of ID for my employer. But I do not need two forms of ID, because as an EU citizen I can move freely with my ID card only. However, I have to abide by the fact that the British must be very careful with the legislations and understand that them double checking has nothing to do with me, but instead is there to eradicate illegal immigrants. It was a bit of problem for me, but nationally it fits into the overall policy and makes it work well. Luckily, I managed to sort out the problem by submitting my birth certificate and driving licence.

Another thing I had to get used to is the multiculturalism. In my home country I lived in a Slovak - Hungarian environment, but here in London it has so many more nationalities and ethnic groups. For example in my job I have already addressed customers in 5 different languages. Seven, if taking into consideration Portuguese-Spanish and the fact that the Polish understand Slovak.

There is actually a really large Polish minority living in the UK forming a somewhat community. I know some of them and in most cases they are hardworking and fair people. Maybe it is just my observation, but it seems that they are more patriotic than Slovaks. They often work together, helping each other into a job and so on. Then again, it is human and normal to help your countrymen."

Children's Diet

A charity recently urged the British government to introduce a tax on sugary drinks to help the country's children. 

"The diet of today's children and teenagers is really bad. Often I see children coming home from school with a bag of crisps, an extra large Snickers or whatever. In most cases it is encouraged by the parents who themselves do not have time to cook or make a proper meal. Not to mention the incentives at the shops. A stall in a local shopping centre is selling what they call "American drinks", but I would call it liquid sugar. 

The government is trying to address the issue in the form of school breakfast clubs, for example. Also popular personalities promote healthy diet - the Olympians, or the chef Jamie Oliver. But as the current outcome shows, it is not enough.

Therefore this legislation seems to be a step forward. However there will also be the innocent victims - small retailers who might be hit hard by the increased taxes. Like with the alcohol legislation a few years ago, the heavy ‘sugar addicts' will buy their drink at any cost, and the rest will be discouraged by the price. At the end of the day, pure water is best for drinking and maybe people will find their way to the well."

Read more by Erik here.

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