The real immigration lie

Michael

"...Communities with static populations are neither innovative nor successful" So that rules out Japan then...

Carol Ann

'..the British government has control over only about a third of immigration: citizens of all but the newest EU member states have the right to move here.' This statement is completley false its the other way around, in 2006 a third of the total number of immigrants coming in were from the EU and two thirds from outside the EU. So my basic maths tells me government can control just over 60% of the total number of immigrants. Get your facts right.

Border Reiver

You claim immigration doesn't push the indigenous population out of work. Perhaps if the Barclay Bros hired Polish leader-writers for half the salary you'd be less happy with the biggest migration to this island in 2000 years.

David Lindsay

We now have the deliberate importation of a new working class whose members understand no English except commands, know nothing about workers’ rights in this country, can be deported if they step out of line, and (since they have no affinity with any particular part of this country) can be moved around at will, so that the old working class can be told to go hang, taking with it its unions, its minimum wage, its health and safety regulations, and so forth.

In accordance with this new state of affairs, we also have an enforced bilingualism or multilingualism which transfers economic, social, cultural and political power to a bilingual or multilingual elite, so that those who are or will be excluded are or will be the English-speaking working class, black and white.

Far from our having grown richer since 1979, we have in fact grown vastly poorer: only a generation ago, a single manual wage provided the wage-earner, his wife and their several children with a quality of life unimaginable even on two professional salaries today.

This impoverishment has been so rapid and so extreme that most people, including almost all politicians and commentators, simply refuse to acknowledge that it has happened. But it has indeed happened. And it is still going on.

The root of the problem is that this country’s sovereignty, liberty, democracy and identity have all been eroded by a very heavy reliance on imported goods, rather than on a domestic manufacturing base; by a very heavy reliance on imports in order to feed her people, instead of maintaining a thriving agricultural sector, itself characteristically a bastion of strong family ties, and therefore also of strong community spirit; and by the ownership and control of much of her agriculture, industry and commerce by persons who are either not her citizens or not resident within her borders for tax purposes.

And let us have nothing from certain quarters about how the Poles are good for the Catholic Church, and a bulwark against Islamisation. I would welcome the heirs of Sobiseki to these shores with open arms. But only one in ten of the Poles in Britain is a practising Catholic. They seem to have come here specifically in order to escape from Catholic Poland.

And now they are going back, which says a great deal about what is becoming of Poland now that she has the globalist, Atlanticist, Eurofederalist government that we are all supposed to be so delighted about.

Dwight Vandryver

This article is not worthy of the Spectator. For instance:
"Foreign-born workers are more productive than their British-born counterparts. Immigration also expands the talent pool, allowing greater specialisation and thus efficiency, while the addition of skilled and motivated people to the workforce creates a virtuous cycle as native born workers adapt to keep up."
Where is the corroboration, or is this just hearsay from employers? From the employers' viewpoint, immigrants provide a pool of labour that can be easily hired and fired, according to the seasonal or economic fluctuations of their businesses.
That aside, surely commonsense tells us that a yearly influx of 190,000 people into a crowded island cannot continue indefinitely. This is equivalent to the population of a town the size of Luton, Portsmouth or Northampton, year after year. Moreover, the immigrants will gravitate towards the centres of population where there is work. Thus they will not be evenly distributed over the country as a whole. If we think it is difficult to get a doctor, dentist, or to drive on the roads now, what will it be like in 10 years time?
Ultimately, it is not about GDP, economic benefits, or engendering a work ethic. It is what we, as inhibitants of this country from birth, want as a quality of life for ourselves and our children. If we are happy with new reservoirs and new eco-towns with supporting infrastructure springing up everywhere, so be it. If not, then we had better make our elected representives take notice before it is too late.

Jo

Are there any conditions under which "anti-migrants" would become "pro-migrants" and vice versa?

David Avren

This leader is confused nonsense. It ignores the message and meaning of the report, which is that immigration produces no per capita economic benefits. Instead, immigration damages national identity and cohesiveness, and sorting out local authorities' nutty "multiculturalism" policies will not stop that. Whatever value there is in "openness" is better achieved through modern communications than import of people. If it's all so wonderful, preach it to those who haven't yet experienced its glories: China, India, Japan, Africa. One expects more sense, and more conservatism, from the Spectator.

Mark Solomon

For the first time in ages in a UK media publication, I have finally read an article on immigration that tackles the real problem head on, the issue that everyone hides behind growing prosperity to avoid tackling - the scandalous cost and effect of the UK's social welfare expenditure and its ridiculous generosity, with no connection to real need and no eye on the consequences. You give people free money for ever, sure that will modify behaviour greatly. How come Britain's per cap GDP and average salary is so high compared to here in Spain, while everywhere is overtaxed, shabby and with disgraceful public services, budget cuts for anything worthwhile. How can a country in its right mind pay 8% of its population to be idle and unproductive while half a million immigrants from an alien culture and language like Poland have all been able to find jobs? And the most depressing thing? Even in a right wing intellectual publication like this, the majority of comments don't see the truth for what it is and criticise the bearer of the message! One of the many reasons I left and that no money on earth will convince me to return. It is just so sick naive and distasteful to blame the immigrants - just ordinary people wanting a better life and prepared to work for it - for everything that is wrong and the terrible damage this is doing to Britain's reputation. Spain not the UK is the EU country with the highest level of immigration, with almost none of the supposedly immigrant caused problems Britain has. Why? Well, here there is no supplementary benefit, no housing benefit and no council housing. You cannot leave school, never work, get paid by the state and pick up a pension - to get a pension here you have to contribute for 15 years. And unemployment benefit only starts if you have paid in for 10 months and lasts a max of 3 years. Consequences? No chavs around - apart from Brits on holiday - and a health service where the average wait is 4 months and more than 6 months is impossible as the government has to pay you to go private. Towns that are neat and well-cared for. And people who aren't taxed to the hilt for everything to pay for the generosity to the scroungers. 180 euros a year council tax with a daily rubbish collection.

The immigrants are just allowing you to postpone contact with reality and digging you out of a hole labour-wise. Wake up and congrats to the Speccie for telling the truth.

Jez W. Leeds

What a load of bollocks.

At what point is the establishment going to admit they've sunk the country?

Let's hope this gets into the comment bit- probably won't tho;

I get approx £12 quid an hour and work quite hard.

Ok, now you come along and say,

"Hey, idiot. I'll give you £84 quid an hour- but work 16 hours a day- six days a week."

Now i'd do it.... and that's why the Poles are doing it- because the 'Zlotty' (or whatever it's called) is worth approximately 7-8 times less than a pound sterling.

It's also why every part of our industry is moving east also.

Right then, quick recap:

What a load of bollocks.

Martin

The thrust of this article is broadly true. Sure there are too many immigrants, and there is no planning for their numbers, and multiculturalism is really a kind of Apartheid.

But most of this would not be happening if it weren't for the underclass problem. It is the biggest issue facing us, because so many problems flow from it - welfare costs, crime, lack of skills, overstretched public services, litter, cultural impoverishment and ultimately high taxes.

The one difference between Labour and Tory which should make us vote for Cameron, is that Cameron and Willets see this and have policies to begin tackling the problem, although it will, take a generation, and I am sure will be tough.

Labour's greatest failing, among many, is that it has ignored these people, chucked money their way, while entrenching dependency and educational failure. It has shored up the labour market with a deliberate preference for immigrant labour.