The truth about EU migration

I studied law around the time of the Maastricht Treaty 1993. It was made clear to us that
one of the purposes of this treaty was to enshrine equality and anti discrimination
legislation already existing across Europe and to extend it in a European context. It did
not and was not intended to change the original rights of workers to move around the EU
to find work; one of the Four Freedoms created after the Treaty of Rome 1957.
Freedom of movement of people came with restrictions intended to ensure that the
unemployed of one nation could not become a burden upon any of the other nations.
These included a limited period of up to six months in which to seek work during which
time they had to remain self supporting in respect of all of their personal or housing
needs. If they failed to find work then their right to be there lapsed and they could be
asked to leave. Maastricht meant that you could not discriminate against an EU applicant
on the basis of nationality, but it did not create a universal federal right to welfare
benefits. The treaty was signed up to by a Tory government and despite objectors there
was no sense that they were creating Benefits Tourism by doing so. EU migration was
supposed to be limited by the availability of work. Countries should only be open for EU
migrants when workers are required; and self limiting to the occupations where
vacancies exist.
I dont know when things changed in the interpretation of these obligations but it was
some time after the Blair government was elected in 1997. Things did not change in
Europe as Brits have never been afforded the right to move and claim benefits straight
away in any European country I am aware of. I cant say whether we started dishing out
benefits and housing to EU migrants through extreme generosity or extreme
incompetence but undoubtedly it did commence and it provided the ammunition sought
by UKIP; who were created in 1993 to fight any move towards greater federalism.
The parties leading up to the 2015 election started talking about no right to benefits for
migrants until they have contributed for a set period of years and requiring them to have
health insurance. The ability to create these restrictions is not new, although it is
apparent that the Conservatives only realised this during the final two years of the
coalition. A case brought by a Romanian against the German government for refusing
him benefits was dismissed by the European courts last year, finally confirming the point.
The right for us to do this always existed. I have tried to highlight it and introduce it to
debate on several formats but on each occasion I have drawn no response and certainly
TV Current Affairs programmes have ignored my contribution.
The Conservatives were in a position to lance the UKIP bubble by dispelling the myth that
nothing can be done to limit EU migration. If there are no jobs and no benefits then it is
self limiting. Having seen the narrow victory secured in the election it became clear that
they had no desire to do this as the disaffected drawn towards UKIP were primarily
working class Labour voters. I predict now that the Conservatives will negotiate with
other European countries over a period of time during which, having stopped benefits
being doled out, EU migration will decrease massively. They will proclaim this as a huge
change in our relationship, a shift in the balance of power, and a victory for David
Cameron. Surely we arent seeking a return of sexism and racial discrimination? The EU
has to keep 500 million people happy and it does so by being anchored at the centre
ground of politics. Anything extreme is most likely to be a local construct. It is
fashionable to blame everything on the EU, as the Scots like to blame Westminster, but
we did this all by ourselves.