">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exCD8IUx5s8]
A quarter of Britons think the government should encourage immigrants and their families to leave. That's people like Mehdi Hasan. He argues that while hostility to outsiders may not be a new phenomenon, the so-called immigration debate is now toxically out of control. Anti-immigration sentiment isn't a result of increased immigration, but fear and prejudice
Rewatch and read comments on The Guardian website
I have watched Mehdi Hasan debate on this issue, and others before, he is both a very good debater, knowledgeable and very, very good at using selected facts to suit his auguments.
Two things he quotes; 1] Clacton [very few immigrants] most retired elderly who when questioned would like to see immigrants repatriated? To where?
2] London, [almost 40% Immigrants or first and second generation] but, most when questioned have no problems with immigration.
So that is not exactly clever, use selected information [disinformation] to prove your points. I stand outside a Mosque on Friday after prayers, surprise, surprise most people I speak to are Muslims. Repeat the exercise outside a Church on Sunday and again most people I speak to are? Let me guess, Oh yes Christians.
The third thing he quotes, and he his not alone in this fact, Politicians use this figure. Net Migration, I.E. 1000 immigrants enter Britain and 500 Britons [etc] leave and the net migration figure = 500. Then again 1000 immigrants enter Britain and only 250 Britons [etc] leave and the net migration figure as increased by 50% to 750.
I personaly have no real iisues with free movement of people. My only issue is with people coming into a country to claim health care and other benefits with no intention of paying their way. The other issue is what is an Asylum Seeker and what is a Economic Migrant and how do you differentiate?
Leaving aside the politics of immigration, what is needed is an open, honest debate on immigration. Who benefits? How do we select people to remain within the UK. How are we to fund the cost of immigration? These are questions you should be asking [especially the under 30’s] it will be your problem to solve regardless of ethnicity.
Two further points, it took a while to press the play button [Michael Farrage] but every time I came to Revival he was there. Since 24th March. Is this anti UKIP?
Next point, Facts and Figures are wonderful things, they don’t lie!! But they can be manipulated. Over the next few weeks they will be be, by all Politicicians and Journalists. So play close attention to what they say, and remember they will use these facts to suit their aurguments.
Some links that you might find interesting
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mehdi-hasan/
http://www.newstatesman.com/writers/mehdi_hasan
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=mehdi+hasan&qpvt=Mehdi+Hasan&FORM=VDRE
And lastly
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_London
My personal stance on immigration is one for free movement.
On the issue of expansion of the EU and the migration of the poorer countries to the east, I am of the opinion that was the keeping of an implicit promise that was made to the Eastern europeans at the fall of the warsaw pact/USSR.
As for who benefits, unsurprisingly, I think we do. There can be short term problems such as lack of preparation for the arrival of a large number of immigrants that will hit local services in the short term.
But eventually this can be managed and chances are that the migrants will be workers who will contribute to the tax pot.
I don't fear migrants coming to use our services, because on the whole they put a lot more in (from providing services as doctors and nurses to paying taxes etc).
In the 7 way debate a few days/weeks ago the welsh Plaid Cymru leader mentioned how they have a shortfall of staff in the NHS in Wales and they need migration to fill the shortfall.
RE "the London effect", it is not just because more migrants would be sampled in the polling - the same thing was found when eg polling Americans before the 2008 presidential elections. While there was always some fear, it was disproportionately higher in places with very low levels of ethnic minorities, but when comparing with places with around 20%, the figured changed rapidly.
I think a large part of it is to do with the fear of the unknown.
Saying all this, I have come across the argument that many new migrants from eg Poland are firmly anti-immigration now that they have arrived. They want the door shut behind them. It might partially be that the effect of new migrants on their jobs may be a lot higher than on the general British citizen because they themselves re in low paid insecure jobs which the new migrants will be competing with.
(This has stayed at the top of the front page because the new content added since has not had images. I have pushed another item above it onto the front page.)
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
THE ALTERNATIVE NEWS: THANK GOODNESS FOR MIGRANTS
As reported by The Guardian’s front page today: “high levels of net inward migration are a key factor in fuel...ling Britain’s economic recovery.”
Continuing high levels of migrants coming to the UK are going to make a net positive contribution to the economy, calculated Britain’s Office for Budget Responsibility, resulting in further growth. The Guardian also reported that this could mean as much as an extra £8bn in taxes, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies.
Commented The Guardian, “George Osborne’s sunny economic prognosis and much of his claim that Britain is a ‘come back country’ has more to do with higher than expected levels of net inward migration than his stewardship as chancellor or the falling oil prices.”
As a recent University College London study showed, the average profile of a recent migrant is more likely to be a young graduate from western or eastern Europe working in the financial, tech or creative services than our more traditional image of an unskilled migrant labourer.
Neither Conservatives nor Labour, going into a highly charged general election campaign, want to make the link between Britain’s economic recovery and the higher levels of mass migration, but it nevertheless remains a major factor.
After nearly 20 years of continuous mass inward migration to Britain, it is time the politicians stopped pretending that you can have a flourishing modern economy and deep cuts in mass migration. Perhaps it is time they faced up to this new reality and started tackling rather more quickly some of the social problems, including increased pressures on public services, that are also here to stay.