I fully agree with you @sunraiser .... only this bit
It's definitely in part a divide and conquer / scapegoat -technique to deflect anger and hate from the ruling classes to another group. Identity politics is another strategy, but aimed on left-leaning people - again, to deflect their attention from the real cause of society-problems, especially the frappant misallocation of wealth.
Now comes the but. But:
Germany at least is a very special case. Since 2013 and especilly 2015 around 2,5 million immigrants from mostly african and aabian contries were actively allowed into the country by the governments and authorities. The media covered it as a great humanitarian, virtous achievement. Now, I don't think I harbour any racial prejudices against african/black people or muslims or people from "arabaina" countries. These are human with the same basic needs and motives as any other. But, and this is an undenaible fact, most of those who immigrated into Germany are only qualified to do the lowest tier of labour. Manual or monotonous jobs. Even though, only 10% from those who came are now in the workforce - it takes on average 10 years before people "integrate" enough to do a job that contributes to tax and social security-funds.
At the same time, these people get generous welfare-services and money from the get-go.
The purpose of the mass-immigration since 2013/15 into Germany is clear. The industry and other firms get cheap labour and a massive pool of applicants for it (like in darkest days of the industrial revolution) - you can hire and fire anytime. In Germany, these low-wages workers are even subsidized. Meaning, the tax-payer pays the employer a part of the wage of the worker while he creams added value / profit.
Win for the rich.
The other purpose is to overstretch the german welfare-system so to finally abolish it comletely. It's clear that there is a limit to what a solidarily organized welfare state, financed by tax-payers and contributions into social-funds by every working individual. In Germany there are 32 millon of those who pay into it, and and increasig number of those who take out of the social-security witout ever contributing to it.
An immigrant-family from iraq might come into the country with 3 children and bear another couple once they are here. All 5-7 of them will receive money, free housing and healt-insurance as well as child-assistance, courses and schooling for free forever. If they refuse to integrate by teaching their children the german society-norms, language and necessary habits, they will never pay into the funds. The examples are numerous.
Not becuase they are inferior people, a lazy race or some such bull****, but because that's their cultural "moulding" - and they find here enough "parallel societies" (german term i dont know how to translate, but the meaning should be clear) where they can live to their beliefs and habits withut the need to integrate ever.
This will eventually eradicate any soilidarity-structures of the state. And that's probably the plan. In this case, Immigration is integral part of this operation and thus, to blame and attack in this current form and way.
If they succeeed in destroying the scandinavian and German models of welfare states, arguably the best there are, then it will never come into existence anywhere else agian.
That's an incredibly insightful post, thanks!
It has shed a lot of light onto the system in Germany at current. There are definitely some parallels here in the UK (it's a scarily similar approach) but also some fundamental differences.
In the UK we have a 2 year waiting period to receive benefits for immigrants from outside the European Economic Area, so there's significantly less pressure on the welfare system in that regard.
We have a similar system in which the tax payer subsidises low wage workers via something called "tax credits". So just like in Germany the public are directly subsidising massive corporate entities instead of legislating for them to pay higher wages that they can well afford.
Over here, while we have some immigration, the attack on the welfare system and social infrastructure networks are coming simply through cuts. The ideology is being pushed under the guise of "balancing the books" (despite having ever increasing debt...). Over the last decade the systematic attack has been on our public health system (the NHS). Effectively, ever increasing cuts and stealth privatising schemes (that drastically increase real terms costs) have put the system under immense strain.
This NHS crisis has been plastered across the media constantly and relentlessly stating it's at breaking point and that it's unsustainable etc. There has been a concerted effort to put the idea in the public eye that it's impossible not to privatise. This is despite having corruption and expenses scandals from MPs only getting a day or so coverage. Luckily the UK public are extremely defensive about the NHS and opinion still favours it. So, more stealth privatising instead.
Over here the approach is to distract the right leaning people with the idea that immigrants are taking their jobs and their opportunities, that immigrants are taking their hospital beds, that if the "foreigners" were stopped then we'd have money for infrastructure and healthcare etc. The utter madness is that it's our conservative party saying these things. People that ideologically don't believe in public services are telling the population that public service issues are only broken because of immigrants, and the people that MOST need those public services are voting for the very people that seek to sell everything off to the private sector. It's utter madness and a completely clear example that the media are completely and utterly partisan to the government (and vice versa).
The left leaning people (that aren't acutely aware of what's happening outside their daily lives) are manipulated and distracted via "gender imbalances". For young women, MEN are now the enemy. Men want to keep them down and oppress them etc. I see women with some of the most fortunate and privileged upbringings talking about how they're oppressed. Many women in the world ARE oppressed, of course, but in the West it's largely a distraction tactic.
The social infrastructure systems in the UK are in no way comparable to Germany or the rest of Northern Europe, but it's almost uncanny how media corruption and misinformation are being used to gain support for corporate interest based policy. People no longer understand what they're voting for and it's a crying shame.
It has been really interesting to read how similar the approaches are in both countries and it's such a sinister premise.