Posted on 11/12/2003 7:05:21 PM PST by blam
No obvious limit to immigration, says Blunkett
By Philip Johnston, Home Affairs Editor
(Filed: 13/11/2003)
David Blunkett blew open the political debate over immigration last night when he said there was "no obvious limit" to the number of foreigners who could settle in Britain.
With figures today expected to show that net migration is running at a record level, the Home Secretary conceded that in some areas people felt swamped or overwhelmed by new arrivals. However, he declined to say how many people he thought Britain could comfortably accommodate.
His comments are certain to ignite controversy over immigration policy, which Mr Blunkett said had to be managed effectively if it was to gain the confidence of the indigenous population.
In 2001, inward migration was about 170,000. Today's figures are likely to show a marked increase after the decision to increase the number of work permits issued.
These are by far the highest levels of immigration ever. Ten years ago the annual figure was about 50,000; cumulative immigration in the past five years is equivalent to a city the size of Liverpool. A poll in the summer suggested that voters considered immigration a bigger political issue than crime.
But Mr Blunkett does not consider that ceilings or quotas are practical and he seeks a "balanced" policy. Interviewed on BBC2's Newsnight, he declined to accept that there was a maximum population which the country could sustain.
"I don't think there is. But I think we need to work on much more robust projections of what is sustainable in the long term. It is a crowded island. We've always been a crowded, vigorous island."
Asked whether some communities felt swamped by incomers, he said: "They do and I think we need to deal with that in terms of reassuring them in relation to the services available, to the actions we're taking, to the speed we deal with applications."
Earlier, in a speech at the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House, London, Mr Blunkett acknowledged that global migration was one of the world's greatest challenges.
A tough attitude was required towards illegal arrivals and unfounded asylum claims but there had to be "tolerance and enthusiasm" for legal migrants, who benefited the economy. While they constituted eight per cent of the population, they contributed 10 per cent of the wealth.
There's a limited amount of high-quality real estate.
The more people you add, the smaller the percentage who can own high-quality real estate.
How does that make you more prosperous?
Just so someone is there to pay their retirement. Same thing is happening here.
Just so there are more retirement funds for government to "borrow" from.
Because that's what they tell us.
And when people hear a lie over and over again, they believe it.
That's what I'd like to know as well. I met a man from England that moved out of London to escape the Third World atmosphere. His kids were being picked on and he was just fed up with it all. Meanwhile, a world away, the same thing is going on all over the American Southwest.
Beats me, it seems only Australia has taken some-what of a stand against it. Looks like we will commit suicide.
You're damn right and its not just high quality housing that we're short of in Britain. The property prices in Britain have been rocketing for years. A friend of mine has a neighbour who bought their house in Penrith (north west England) 16 months ago for £180,000 and has put it on the market now for £260,000, in the same condition in which it was bought. The property prices in south east England are so high that even couples with good professional jobs can't get a big enough mortgage to buy a small house. Often they have to rent for years and so waste tens of thousands of pounds.
Meanwhile, the clueless Labour government are actively encouraging immigration. Even though there aren't enough new houses being built to satisfy our current housing needs. Logic and common sense are not the Labour party's strong suits.
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