uk

It has emerged that the government is considering introducing strict new regulations on the NHS which would prevent thousands of international students from using it. UK newspaper The Sunday Times found that Conservative ministers hope to enforce new rules that would reduce access to the NHS to only those ‘immigrants' had to have been living in the UK for a whole year.

Such laws would have a huge impact on all international students studying in the UK, and critics are already claiming that this would be the latest in a number of decisions putting overseas students off coming to the UK. Indeed, chief executive of the UK Council for International Student Affairs, Dominic Scott, said that if any such decision was made, it would be "yet one more sign that the UK is less welcoming" to international students. Paul White, from the University of Sheffield, echoed this view, arguing "the message that the introduction of such charging [for healthcare] would convey would be very negative".

This reaction was matched by ForeignStudents.com contributor Erik Redli. A recent Slovakian graduate currently living in London, he knows the realities of the life of an international student in the UK, and believes that restricting use of the NHS simply isn't right:

Despite recent growing pressure from MPs and university heads, the government announced yesterday that international students will continue to be counted in migration statistics.

International students are currently counted in the immigration figures used by the British government, meaning that students are included in the government's pledge to reduce immigration by "tens of thousands". It was in part due to this classification that the tighter visa restrictions were introduced over a year ago, and ever since, a growing number of prominent figures have questioned the wisdom of such a system.

There is the strong argument that placing students within the immigration figures is not only illogical, but gives the false impression that Britain has a cap on international students. The latest group to put this case forward to the government was the Commons Business, Innovation and Skills committee report on overseas students and net migration, which argued:

It has emerged that government ministers are considering taking drastic steps to try and reduce immigration to the UK- a negative advert campaign. The plan would be to emphasise everything that is bad about Britain to try and encourage possible immigrants to stay living in their own countries.

Apparently, in the words of one minister, such a campaign would "correct the impression that the streets here are paved with gold". The measures would be aimed especially at Bulgaria and Romania, where changes in law at the end of this year will allow free immigration from these two new EU countries.

Whilst this is probably just an easy news story and pretty unlikely to ever happen, in true British style it has spawned a whole host of mock advert suggestions. News sources from the Guardian, to the Huffington Post have been asking the British to create their own self-deprecating posters about the bad bits of the UK.

Ranging from the weather, to the drinking culture, and back to the weather, some of them are pretty funny. However, there have also been some genuine adverts over the years playing on this idea.

Below we've gathered a selection of some of the best real and fake adverts questioning the greatness of Britain, all with their tongue very firmly in their cheek:

Yesterday Twitter unveiled the top trends of 2012 in the UK. Some of the results are exactly what you'd expect, whilst others are pretty surprising. Here we have the full run down:

Top Ten Trending Issues

1. NHS
2. Syria
3. #Assange
4. Prince Harry
5. Samantha Brick
6. #NHS
7. Afghanistan
8. VAT
9. Leveson
10. Rebekah Brooks

People love to use Twitter to ‘debate' issues (/push their opinion forward). Various issues have dominated the headlines in 2012, often for weeks on end. From the ongoing farce that is the Julian Assange situation, to the challenges to the NHS, to ridiculous articles appearing in the Daily Mail (Samantha Brick we're looking at you).

Erik is a university graduate from Slovakia who is currently living in London. In the third and final part of a mini-series, (see part one and part two) he reacts to an article about the differences between Slovakian and 'Western' life. Each quote is a reference to Slovakian life:

Bread & Soup

Quote: "Always start a meal with soup, but make sure you have bread with it."

I had a friend back in London. He worked as a chef at one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants in Knightsbridge, so he had some background in cooking. He would run me down every time I started to heat a cup of soup, telling me that soup is only for cold, winter days. It is enough to eat something small, like fruit or salad to kick-start your digestion. Some people, however, classify soup as only the starter, which then as gives them the excuse to cram it with bread, pasta, cream and any other excess calories.

"Brake" the Alcohol

Quote: "Most Slovak bartenders couldn't make a decent cocktail to save their lives, but that's just because Slovaks take their alcohol straight up."