It's not racist to worry about immigration (The Left in the UK use similar smears as in the USA)

The Telegraph (U.K.) ^ | June 1, 2007 | Jeff Randall

[Stoat]

It's not racist to worry about immigration

By Jeff Randall
 

Last Updated: 12:01am BST 01/06/2007

 

 

• Towards the end of Tuesday's Newsnight with the six candidates for Labour's deputy leadership, Jeremy Paxman slipped in a question about the prospect of giving an amnesty to Britain's illegal immigrants.

  Well done Paxo for raising a difficult subject. But the manner in which he did so - requiring only a quick yes/no response - failed to reflect the importance that the wider electorate places on this issue.

  Given the scale of new arrivals here and the extent to which they are changing our society, the quality of debate over the desirability of this upheaval is miserable. And we all know why.

  Those who favour open borders have in effect gagged opponents by accusing them of "racism". You don't have to be against welcoming newcomers to be smeared as a Nazi sympathiser. You just have to argue that it's an important matter, with some serious downsides, that deserves proper analysis.

  On that basis, I'm sure that this column will be met with abuse from the pro-immigration lobby. I'll be branded as a closet racist for reflecting the concerns of millions of decent Britons who are worried about what's happening to their country.

  Cowed by human-rights campaigners, refugee groups and duplicitous politicians (mainly Labour and Lib Dem), seeking electoral advantage by demonising rivals who propose controlled immigration, we have created a monstrous democratic deficit.

  In December 2004, just as the wave of arrivals from eastern Europe was becoming too big to ignore, a survey for the Economist revealed that nearly three quarters of British people believed that too many immigrants were coming here. The Government refused to listen; it didn't want to know.

  Labour encouraged, in some cases by stealth, one of the most impactful challenges to British life without asking anyone for permission or approval. Unrestricted immigration did not feature in any of Tony Blair's election manifestos.

  We simply got it - whether we liked it or not. Since Labour came to power 10 years ago, British citizenship has been granted to one million foreign nationals. More than 150,000 were given a passport in 2006, four times the number who were awarded the privilege in 1997. The rate of overseas settlement in Britain is running at its highest ever.

  The indigenous population derives considerable benefits from many of these fresh faces. The Poles in particular have reintroduced manual skills and a work ethic to a British economy that was in danger of over-dosing on useless degrees and welfare dependency.

  Far from being scroungers, most of these people are grafters who have tested to destruction the canard that Britain had more than one million unemployed because there were not enough jobs to go round.

  Nobody knows the real numbers, but officials estimate that at least 600,000 migrants have come to our shores since EU enlargement three years ago. Unemployment has gone up, but by nothing like the number of new arrivals. They have filled jobs that native Britons either could not or would not do.

  While five million locals claim benefits of one sort or another, the Poles are earning a living as beaters on Scottish grouse moors, fruit packers in East Anglia and, of course, plumbers in London. They pay taxes, behave themselves and, on the whole, try to integrate. Many arrived speaking reasonable English. Most of those who did not, seem keen to learn. In short, they are as close as you will get to model immigrants.

  But the harsh truth is that even popular incomers impose a social burden, especially if they (unlike the Poles, who are quite well dispersed) arrive in very large numbers and choose to congregate in a small town or stick together in part of a bigger one. They demand housing facilities, classroom places, slots in doctors' surgeries and hospital wards.

  According to Home Office figures, 4,200 children from the former Eastern Bloc were brought to Britain by their parents in the first quarter of this year. In Slough, a target for Romanian Roma, some schools are struggling to cope, as budgets are stretched to cover intensive English language lessons.

  I don't accept Labour's propaganda about ever more immigrants being needed to fuel economic growth. If an explosion in population is necessary for prosperity, how does Gordon Brown explain the success of Iceland, where fewer than 300,000 people, a tiny fraction of whom are immigrants, enjoy the sixth highest GDP per capita in the world?

  Professor Richard Layard, a government adviser on labour markets, concedes that immigration can damage those at the bottom of the income ladder because "it depresses their wages and may affect their job opportunities". Even if that were not true, the debate on immigration should not just be about financial rewards, or the lack of them.

  Some of the costs cannot be counted in pounds and pence. It's no good dreamy demographers spouting the delights of a "melting pot" society, when in reality many Britons are discomfited by the prospect of their areas filling up with people who look, behave and speak differently. Few of us enjoy being made to feel like cultural aliens.

  The middle classes are frequently criticised for "white flight", a rush to the suburbs to escape inner-city areas, heavy with immigrant populations. But how many ministers would be happy to send their children to schools where English was barely understood? The Blair children, you will recall, did not attend the local bog-standard comprehensive.

  Amid the hype and hysteria, there is one unavoidable fact: if Britain continues to allow current levels of immigration, this country's population will grow dramatically in the next 50 years. This is the element that bothers me most.

  Never mind arguments over race, diversity and multi-culturalism, England (where most immigrants want to settle) is horribly crowded. With 50 million people, it is the fourth-most densely populated country in the world, excluding city states such as Hong Kong and Dubai.

  Seven out of 10 Britons believe that we are already over-crowded. They do not want to see a further sharp rise in numbers. But that's what they'll get if nothing is done.

  Since 1950, the United Kingdom's population has risen by 10 million to 60 million. Official figures suggest it is on course to hit 70 million by 2074. Migrationwatch, however, fears that current levels of immigration will cause the growth rate to accelerate, in which case there could be 70 million of us by 2051.

  Is this what we want for our grandchildren? Such an expansion would put enormous pressure on essential services such as power supplies, reservoirs and waste disposal, with the South East by far the worst affected. Energy consumption would soar.

  For those who endure the daily slog through polluted urban streets, gridlocked roads and packed trains, it's a nightmare vision. If David Cameron is really interested in a "greener" Britain, what's he going to do about over-population?

[Stoat]

"The indigenous population derives considerable benefits from many of these fresh faces. The Poles in particular have reintroduced manual skills and a work ethic to a British economy that was in danger of over-dosing on useless degrees and welfare dependency. "

"While five million locals claim benefits of one sort or another, the Poles are earning a living as beaters on Scottish grouse moors, fruit packers in East Anglia and, of course, plumbers in London. They pay taxes, behave themselves and, on the whole, try to integrate. Many arrived speaking reasonable English. Most of those who did not, seem keen to learn. In short, they are as close as you will get to model immigrants."

*************************************************************************

And let's not forget that Poland has been a solid friend in the War On Terror.

Please also see the original Telegraph page for this article, as there is a link to a 4 minute, 17 second audio interview with the author, Jeff Randall, which I found quite interesting.

The comments from readers at the Telegraph are also worth looking at, as many are quite thoughtful.

[Sam Ketcham]

My concern is not that I am a racist, bigot, vigilante, or not willing to do certain jobs. I am not upset with the Left calling me names as they always do when they have no logical reasons to back their position. When I hear those slurs from the GOP, I am disgusted by them. No party represents traditional AMERICAN values.

Amnesty will be rammed down our throats in the hopes that we will forget by 11/08. Ain’t gonna happen and if the drop in contributions doesn’t dissuade the dictators in Congress and the WH from their course, it is the end of the GOP.

[Cacique]

CALL! CALL! CALL! CALL! AND KEEP CALLING TILL THE LINES FRY!

WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! TILL YOU RUN OUT OF INK IN YOUR PEN!

Bombard the Democrats as well, especially the ones that ran on an anti illegal immigration plank and the ones in marginal districts who could be vulnerable. keep pounding on them. This is a bipartisan issue not a Conservative or Liberal issue BUT AN AMERICAN issue.

STOP AMNESTY NOW!! WE CAN DO IT!!

The best way to stop Shamnesty

[Stoat]

Agreed on all counts.

It could also be said that the dynamics of the immigration debate here in the USA is also different in that here we are mainly referring to illegal immigrants, whereas in Great Britain it’s mainly an overabundance of legal immigrants. In the case of the USA, the Government doesn’t want to enforce our existing laws; in the UK, the Government isn’t interested in even enacting laws that it can then be held to.

[Diogenesis]

* T.B. was virtually absent in Virginia until in 2002 it spiked a 17 percent increase.

* Washington, D.C., T.B. had a meteoric rise of 188 percent. Public health officials blame immigrants, traced to illegal aliens from Mexico.

* The Queens, New York, Health Department attributed 81 percent of new T.B. cases in 2001 to immigrants, with 42 percent of all new T.B. cases ascribed to the foreign born.

* Violent T.B. outbreaks afflicted schoolteachers and children in Michigan and adults and kids in Texas. The teachers and kids caught it at school from the coughing children of illegal aliens.

* In Minnesota, the police suddenly came down with M.D.R.-T.B. The cops caught it in their patrol cars when they arrested illegal aliens who coughed in their faces.

* T.B. erupted in Portland, Maine, and DelRay Beach, Florida, directly traced to illegals.

* Chagas disease, which has no known cure and has the revolting nickname of “kissing bug disease.” The bug has parasites that favor the lips and the face for infection and infects 18 million people in Latin America.

* leprosy: Suddenly, in the past three years, America has more than 7,000 cases. Illegal aliens brought leprosy from India, Brazil, the Caribbean and Mexico.

* dengue fever. There was a recent outbreak in Webb County, Texas, on the border with Mexico.

* Polio was eradicated from America but now appears in illegal immigrants.

* Malaria was obliterated but is now emerging in Texas and other states.

* About 4,000 young children under age 5 have contracted a disease called Kawasaki, known as “strawberry tongue.”

* And there’s the deadly Marburg disease.

* And there’s the ever-present and increasing Hepatitis A, B and C; an outbreak occurred near Pittsburgh, where 3,000 came down with it thanks to infected Mexico-grown scallions and illegal alien kitchen workers in Chi-Chi’s restaurant. Two Americans died.

Dr. Madeline Cosman disease/immigration studies

[johnthebaptistmoore]

Political correctness exists worldwide in just about every issue whether people know it or not. Political correctness is worldwide, and it has been for a long time! All political correctness truly needs to be put in reverse until it’s eliminated for always! If people can create political correctness, then people can also eliminate it! Political correctness continues to get even worse everyday, and doing nothing about political correctness also helps it to get even worse everyday. Successfully eliminating political correctness for always should be a major issue all over the world, but it still isn’t.

[Stoat]

Political correctness exists worldwide in just about every issue whether people know it or not. Political correctness is worldwide, and it has been for a long time! All political correctness truly needs to be put in reverse until it’s eliminated for always!

This noble goal isn't going to be implemented anytime soon because yelling "racist!" and inflicting PC upon people are merely their favored tools for shutting down the debate and silencing the opposition.

It's an indication that they have lost the argument, but just like any schoolyard bully, losing an argument doesn't mean that he'll stop fighting, and fighting as dirty as is necessary to win.

 If people can create political correctness, then people can also eliminate it! Political correctness continues to get even worse everyday, and doing nothing about political correctness also helps it to get even worse everyday. Successfully eliminating political correctness for always should be a major issue all over the world, but it still isn’t.

Fortunately we now have the internet and forums such as Free Republic which allows the truth to be made available to the public, bypassing the PC police.

[Perchant]

Whether you are a member of the majority race in a white, black, hispanic, oriental, or whatever country...you aren’t obligated to sit by idly while that country makes you a minority.

[Stoat]

Whether you are a member of the majority race in a white, black, hispanic, oriental, or whatever country...you aren’t obligated to sit by idly while that country makes you a minority.

Agreed, and a person is also not obligated to be legislated into minority status even if he is part of the majority.  A society can be kind and just to newcomers yet retain it's character and not have it's own kindness be used as a weapon by it's enemies to do it harm.

Good fences make good neighbors, and saying "no" when others try to take advantage of your kindness doesn't make you a racist, it makes you a person who is proud of his country and doesn't want it destroyed.

A good friend would understand that, an enemy would respond by calling you a 'racist'.

[SeafoodGumbo]

CALL! CALL! CALL! CALL! AND KEEP CALLING TILL THE LINES FRY!

WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! TILL YOU RUN OUT OF INK IN YOUR PEN!

Bombard the Democrats as well, especially the ones that ran on an anti illegal immigration plank and the ones in marginal districts who could be vulnerable. keep pounding on them. This is a bipartisan issue not a Conservative or Liberal issue BUT AN AMERICAN issue.

That needed repeating. Don't stop calling!

It's a good idea to put your elected officials' numbers in your cell phone directory so that you can call easily and often. Encourage like-minded friends and family to make their voices know also.

If anyone has donated money to the Reps in the past, make sure to let them know that future donations are contingent on them voting against amnesty.

[kevao]

This Jeff Randall fellow doesn’t want to do what’s right for Britain.

[Stoat]

What has he done that you take issue with; or are you being facetious?

[kevao]

Nothing at all. In fact, as someone who just this week had his patriotism questioned by his own president, I have a great deal of empathy for Mr. Randall.

[R.W.Ratikal]

Does anybody care if they are called “racist” by the left?
I wear everything the left calls me as a badge of honor.

Conventional wisdom about deportation is wrong as conventional wisdom usually is.

We should begin by rounding up all illegal aliens we can find standing around, living in sections of our towns or applying for welfare. Those should be promptly deported.

At every “rally” all illegals should be caught and deported. All reports by citizens of illegal aliens should be deported. Certain businesses are known to hire illegal aliens. Those companies should be raided and all illegal aliens found deported.

What would be the effect? Illegal aliens would began to go home or not come here in the first place.

It would take a long time to deport all illegal aliens but the alterer native is to surrender America and your home and job to criminals who sneak into the country at night to occupy territory, seize resources and live off of your tax dollar. Take you pick.

[Sam Ketcham]

Thanks for the positive and the comment. Without reviewing the article again, I bet it doesn’t mention that the British taxpayer is really upset because their “legals” go on welfare in the UK then fly to Ireland, as they are in the Euro zone, and sign up for welfare there as well.

[VOA]

bump

[Stoat]

Does anybody care if they are called “racist” by the left?

People in the United Kingdom do, because they are far more likely to be prosecuted for perceived 'racist' acts or speech than we are here in the USA.  They do not enjoy the same levels of freedom that we do over here, unfortunately.

I wear everything the left calls me as a badge of honor.

As do I.  Thankfully, I don't live in the UK or I would need to concern myself over such issues far more than I now do.

Conventional wisdom about deportation is wrong as conventional wisdom usually is.

We should begin by rounding up all illegal aliens we can find standing around, living in sections of our towns or applying for welfare. Those should be promptly deported.

Agreed.  Unfortunately, our British Friends don't have that option, as the majority of their immigrant problem is from people who have legally entered the country.

At every “rally” all illegals should be caught and deported. All reports by citizens of illegal aliens should be deported. Certain businesses are known to hire illegal aliens. Those companies should be raided and all illegal aliens found deported.

That would be fine with me.  :-)

What would be the effect? Illegal aliens would began to go home or not come here in the first place.

Particularly if our southern border were to be appropriately defended and they could not simply sneak back in.

It would take a long time to deport all illegal aliens but the alterer native is to surrender America and your home and job to criminals who sneak into the country at night to occupy territory, seize resources and live off of your tax dollar. Take you pick.

My pick would be to aggressively complete the southern border fence to an impenetrable state, aggressively deport or jail all known illegals and aggressively fine employers who knowingly hire illegals.  But that, of course, would pertain to the United States, not Great Britain which is what the posted article is about.

Does anybody care if they are called “racist” by the left?

People in the United Kingdom do, because they are far more likely to be prosecuted for perceived 'racist' acts or speech than we are here in the USA.  They do not enjoy the same levels of freedom that we do over here, unfortunately.

I wear everything the left calls me as a badge of honor.

As do I.  Thankfully, I don't live in the UK or I would need to concern myself over such issues far more than I now do.

Conventional wisdom about deportation is wrong as conventional wisdom usually is.

We should begin by rounding up all illegal aliens we can find standing around, living in sections of our towns or applying for welfare. Those should be promptly deported.

Agreed.  Unfortunately, our British Friends don't have that option, as the majority of their immigrant problem is from people who have legally entered the country.

At every “rally” all illegals should be caught and deported. All reports by citizens of illegal aliens should be deported. Certain businesses are known to hire illegal aliens. Those companies should be raided and all illegal aliens found deported.

That would be fine with me.  :-)

What would be the effect? Illegal aliens would began to go home or not come here in the first place.

Particularly if our southern border were to be appropriately defended and they could not simply sneak back in.

It would take a long time to deport all illegal aliens but the alterer native is to surrender America and your home and job to criminals who sneak into the country at night to occupy territory, seize resources and live off of your tax dollar. Take you pick.

[johnthebaptistmoore]

All of the “New Media” is still not at the calibur of worldwide attention and worldwide support that it truly needs to be at in order for most of the world’s population to ignore what the mainstream media says and does on all of the world’s issues. Therefore, political correctness continues to get even worse everyday for everyone all over the world with no end in sight.

[Stoat]

Thanks for the positive and the comment.

You're quite welcome, and I'm delighted that you have found the article to be interesting.

Without reviewing the article again, I bet it doesn’t mention that the British taxpayer is really upset because their “legals” go on welfare in the UK then fly to Ireland, as they are in the Euro zone, and sign up for welfare there as well.

The author doesn't go into that incredibly important issue, and I must confess that I hadn't heard about it as being a significant problem up to this point.  One would think that signing up for welfare benefits in multiple locations and receiving multiple, duplicate benefits would be aggressively policed, as I understand it is here in the USA when scumbags try to sign up for benefits simultaneously in multiple States.  If this is a major problem in the U.K. then the economies there are due for collapse in short order.

Although I didn't notice any mention of this issue in the Telegraph reader comments either, some showed a great, deep sadness at what has become of their country, and some had even confessed to being expatriates over these very issues.

In the audio interview available at the Telegraph site, the lady from the Telegraph expresses surprise at the HUGE number of reader responses to the article.  It seems that a great many Britons feel tremendous passion over these issues, yet it seems many are terrified of speaking out about them for fear of prosecution as a 'racist'.  They have come to the Telegraph article en masse to voice their opinions and frustrations anonymously, which in this case is a great benefit that the internet provides.

   The British Isles are small and old, and can only take in so many new people.  For their Governments to continue allowing virtually unrestricted legal immigration for so many years, even when the signs of stress are so very obvious and apparent is truly criminal.  It seems that much of the reluctance of politicians to address these issues is precisely due to the reasons cited by the author of this article, their deep-seated terror of being called a 'racist'.

For their inability to grapple with these fears in a tangible way, they will slowly destroy their country.
 

Thanks for the positive and the comment.

You're quite welcome, and I'm delighted that you have found the article to be interesting.

Without reviewing the article again, I bet it doesn’t mention that the British taxpayer is really upset because their “legals” go on welfare in the UK then fly to Ireland, as they are in the Euro zone, and sign up for welfare there as well.

The author doesn't go into that incredibly important issue, and I must confess that I hadn't heard about it as being a significant problem up to this point.  One would think that signing up for welfare benefits in multiple locations and receiving multiple, duplicate benefits would be aggressively policed, as I understand it is here in the USA when scumbags try to sign up for benefits simultaneously in multiple States.  If this is a major problem in the U.K. then the economies there are due for collapse in short order.

Although I didn't notice any mention of this issue in the Telegraph reader comments either, some showed a great, deep sadness at what has become of their country, and some had even confessed to being expatriates over these very issues.

In the audio interview available at the Telegraph site, the lady from the Telegraph expresses surprise at the HUGE number of reader responses to the article.  It seems that a great many Britons feel tremendous passion over these issues, yet it seems many are terrified of speaking out about them for fear of prosecution as a 'racist'.  They have come to the Telegraph article en masse to voice their opinions and frustrations anonymously, which in this case is a great benefit that the internet provides.

   The British Isles are small and old, and can only take in so many new people.  For their Governments to continue allowing virtually unrestricted legal immigration for so many years, even when the signs of stress are so very obvious and apparent is truly criminal.  It seems that much of the reluctance of politicians to address these issues is precisely due to the reasons cited by the author of this article, their deep-seated terror of being called a 'racist'.

For their inability to grapple with these fears in a tangible way, they will slowly destroy their country.
 

[Sam Ketcham]

Again, well said. My info on the welfare problem is based on a visit 2 years ago to the UK and Ireland. The British taxpayer, the little guy is POd at the taxes. One told me that there have been 108 new or raised taxes since the UK became EU!. The taxi and bus drivers in Dublin told me about the welfare scam, general knowledge there.

As far as Ireland went, they are also PO’d at the UN insisting they take in 2000 Arab Muslims. Yes the UK and Ireland are “old” and geographically small. However they are not as crowded as the US in the habitable areas such as the East Coast, populated with megalopolises.

As far as the US vigorously enforcing the welfare cheats - I left NY 14 years ago. At that time “privacy” precluded NY and NJ from full disclosure and trading SSN(s) was stepped on too. Now NYC (GOP Mayor Blumberg) gives welfare to Muslims with several wives and multiple children from each. Guess they give the City what they give their wives.