Whats amused you (in the news) today ?

The immigration debate is in need of some middle ground.

We have Farage and Robinson on one end who certainly have plenty of racist followers even though they themselves are careful not to overstep that line.

Then we have the extreme liberals who consider people like me and millions of others racist for merely stating that mass immigration over the past few years without corresponding infrastructure has created enormous problems including housing and healthcare. There never has nor will there ever be a racist fibre in my body. I have been brought up to take everyone as they come and to completely ignore colour of skin. I suspect most people fall into that anti-racist category.

What is needed is a politician to recognise that there are problems caused by unchecked immigration and that is has nothing to do with from what part of the world the come from. I suspect the Tories, if they had any sense, will move into this vacuum.

Oh, they definitely do, especially Yaxley-Lennon.


That sounds more like a UK government problem, a complete failure to provide and fund services.

But don't forget that UK population growth has been tailing off over recent years, until last year. Even last year's record population growth - 610k - was much lower than immigration - 1.2m. It was slightly lower than net migration - 685k. Then consider that the fastest growing age group in the UK is the retired... and there are very, very few people of retirement age coming into the country. So with zero immigration, what would the change in the proportion of economically active to population have been?

And don't forget that the crackdown on visas for family members of students has directly precipitated a funding crisis in UK higher eduction, especially post-grad, with universities approaching bankruptcy.



So you think there is and should be zero difference in migration terms between, say, somebody Irish and somebody Syrian or Sudanese? Both should be able to apply to move to the UK on equal terms?


That'll be the Tory government that issued well over a million visas to immigrants in the last year of their government, while simultaneously and vocally demonising immigrants.

But I think we're drifting somewhat off topic for this thread.

Is that your test to decide if someone is racist or not ? What is your answer to that question? Mine would start with the fact that Ireland and the UK are neighbours and already share a common travel area. Perhaps you should re-phrase the question replacing Irish with American, Canadian or Australian. That would be easier to answer I think.

OK, so we've established that you do see differences between grades of foreigner.

If not Irish, because they're not "proper foreign", just our next door neighbours, what about the French?
If free movement within the CTA is fine, why was similarly free movement with the rest of the EU such a bad thing?

Should there be zero difference in migration terms between, say, a German and a Syrian?
Or, if you prefer, a Canadian and a Syrian?

The country of origin should be taken into account for immigration purposes obviously. What has that to do with racism?

I've now asked you two questions which you haven't answered but instead continued your somewhat libellous thread. If you know me, my background, my upbringing and my beliefs you would know it is utterly preposterous to think I am a racist. Could you please apologise for suggesting I might be ?

About which statement?