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Immigration: everyone's a winner Print E-mail
Written by Eamonn Butler   
Friday, 23 May 2008

"Immigration soars to new record," screams the Daily Express headline. True, but the real story is more complicated. There are in fact many different things going on here, not all of them by any means troublesome for Daily Express readers.

Alongside the headline 3.9m people who have immigrated to Britain in the last ten years, for example, just under 2m others have left Britain for other countries. Brits are more prosperous than they were, making them better able to retire early and head off to the sun overseas. The increasing globalization of the world economy means that more Brits are being posted abroad by their companies, and more can find work abroad on their own, working in or advising companies in other countries. Already, something like 5.5m Britons actually live abroad. And some of our emigrants are people who had emigrated here from other countries and now want to return to their homeland – perhaps they feel that they have earned enough to give themselves a better start back home, or perhaps the country they came from has returned to a more peaceful state.

So is this immigration pattern worrying at all? Certainly, some people on low incomes have found it more difficult to get work as unskilled and semi-skilled workers come in – 800,000 of them from Eastern Europe alone since the EU enlarged in 2004. And rising immigrant numbers put a strain on public services such as education. On the other hand, I for one am glad that Britain is a tolerant, safe haven for people who face conflict, corrupt governments and economic destitution at home. And I am glad that Brits are now exporting their skills and their values of tolerance abroad.

Of course, if immigration occurred naturally, there would be less concern. The trouble is that it so often happens in large waves as a result of political events. If people from Eastern Europe had not been walled in, for example, they might well have come in greater numbers, but over a much longer period of time. If world politicians had less control over their peoples, Daily Express readers would be a much happier bunch.

Comments (3)Add Comment
Where is this Britain of which you speak?
written by Obnoxio The Clown, May 23, 2008
"I for one am glad that Britain is a tolerant, safe haven for people who face conflict, corrupt governments and economic destitution at home."

Apart from the apathy that precludes any kind of overt conflict, you could lay the same charges against Britain.

"And I am glad that Brits are now exporting ... their values of tolerance abroad."

You must know different Brits from me ... I find the average Brit to be as bigoted as the average South African, just in different ways.
Yes and no
written by Bob Cree, May 23, 2008
I agree that immigration is itself a very good thing. Multi-ethnicity resulting from the free movement of determined, self-interested individuals benefits us all.
Britain's influx though, is beset with problems that go beyond our already strained and overcrowded public services. There are two main problems: Multiculturism: a Government-led social-engineering initiative which is ham-fisted, irresponsible and ultimately divisive; the Welfare State (bless), which breeds dependency, idleness and a warped sense of 'entitlement'. It also leads to the erroneous line, "They (the immigrants) do the jobs our lazy Brits don't want to do." No, they do the jobs that many simply do not have the incentive to do, there is a difference.
In other words, kill the Welfare State, open the borders, keep well-meaning Government ninnies out of the way - and immigration works. Unfortunately it's all a bit late for us now. Damn…
...
written by Arthur, May 24, 2008
Sure there are "in fact many different things going on here" but the main thrust of this post that immigration and emigration does not matter is deluded nonsense. Just take a look at Sudan, Iraq, Israel-Palestine, Former Yugoslavia and now South Africa and we see the eternal truth that when different peoples and cultures compete for the same land space then conflict ensues.

There are, of course, complex reasons for conflict but history tells us that this is what happens when we let people move where they want, when they want without regard to indigenous (contentious word I know) and settled population wishes.

Although I am a great fan of ASI and what it campaigns for, this post does show where at time it allows ideological theory to trump common sense and the lessons of history.

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