According to an article I have just been reading on-line (Click here for full text) New Zealand is reacting to the economic downturn by adopting a Policy of "New Zealand Jobs for New Zealand Citizens".
They of course can do this because they are a sovereign nation, unlike the UK which cannot adopt a policy of "British Jobs for British Workers" because the European Union won't allow it.
Even more ironic is the fact that many Kiwi's are leaving the UK and returning to New Zealand since European Union employment law discriminates against anyone from outside the EU. These returning Kiwis are taking New Zealand unemployment to a six-year high of 5 per cent of the population. Of the 26,000 Kiwis who returned home last year over 3,000 ended up on benefits.
Some 20,000 skilled Britons went to New Zealand to work in 2008 and one reason constantly quoted for not bringing in a more protectionist employment policy for the UK is that those UK subjects currently working abroad could be sent home by foreign governments in retaliation. Well it looks like New Zealand is getting its retaliation in early! Unfortunately its anger is affecting mainly British Expats when its quarrel is with the European Union, although I suppose the UK government is now so neutered by its subservience to the EU that how we might want to deal with our relationship with the Commonwealth Countries, like New Zealand, isn't really up to us anymore!
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