Despite what we hear in the leftist media, there are very few people who would welcome a completely open border in their home country. A few ideologues and a handful of Marxist professors make a lot of noise about the arbitrariness of state and national borders, but the vast majority of folk would prefer some element of control.
It has been presented as an either/or situation, yet in reality, it is a scale starting from zero inward migration to the dismantlement of the nation-state. But why is it that politicians both in the U.S and the U.K seem unable to grasp the concept of immigration with proper controls?
The Argument
In the U.K., to argue for immigration control invites derision, slurs, and hatred from the complicit media and a social media backlash. These are not xenophobic Nazis calling for the complete expulsion of non-whites from their “sacred shores,” these are family folk who feel that uncontrolled immigration has a negative impact on both the quality of life and the state services.
Before the historic Brexit referendum, 27% of Brits felt that immigration control was the most important factor (just behind the economy on 32%. This comes as a result of “open-door immigration” from European Union members states which has resulted in an over 300,000 per year net migration increase.
This may seem like a small number in the U.S., but it means that the country must build a new large city every year or risk massive overcrowding.
The Government Position
Former British Prime Minister David Cameron campaigned successfully in 2010 and 2015 on a manifesto of bringing net immigration down to the “10s of thousands” during his premiership. He failed miserably during his first term citing the “unfortunate” lack of “outward migration.” Essentially, he bemoaned the fact that not enough people were leaving.
He tasked the Home Secretary with fulfilling his promise who took the job into her portfolio and failed to do anything at all (the aforementioned Home Secretary was none other than Theresa May).
This raises the question of whether the government is truly serious about bringing immigration under control or not. Is it just political rhetoric to appeal to the majority of Brits who want to keep their borders secure and efficient? Or are they serious about actually ensuring that the nation can plan ahead in terms of school places, housing, hospitals, doctors, and basic economics?
The Sad Reality
Unfortunately, the solution the government has come up with to achieve their pledge of “Net Immigration in the 10s of thousands” appears to be to fiddle the books. According to sources in government (speaking with The Daily Mail), plans are being made to artificially lower the net figure by removing students from the total.
Plots are afoot to reduce migration figures by stating that the 75,000 students who come to the U.K. for study are not considered migrants. It is arguable as to whether these students will return to their home countries after study (history tells us they won’t), but counting students under migration is an international standard that allows for effective planning and infrastructure development
When the people voted for a government that would “cut the immigration numbers,” we can be fairly certain that they didn’t mean the actual digit alone. To promise and then attempt to defraud is not only unethical, it is dangerous, as it casts doubt on the intentions of government and government ministers. If the people of a nation feel they cannot bring about positive changes through the ballot box, what other choices remain?
