Posted on 08/29/2007 6:41:57 PM PDT by blam
David Cameron talks tough on immigration
By Toby Helm, Chief Political Correspondent
Last Updated: 2:11am BST 30/08/2007
David Cameron has set out a tough new stance on immigration, promising curbs to limit the number of people coming in as a way of easing pressure on schools, hospitals and housing.
Mr Cameron: 'I think the levels of migration we've seen have put too great a burden on public services'
Swinging his party back on to more traditional Conservative territory, the Tory leader said the number of people arriving in Britain over a decade of Labour government had been "too high".
The "huge numbers" had placed "too great a burden" on public services, which were creaking under the pressure.
"There are benefits from immigration and I want Britain to capture the benefits from that immigration," he said on BBC2's Newsnight.
"But I think the levels of migration we've seen... have put too great a burden on public services. It needs to be better controlled.''
Mr Cameron made clear that he was not talking about sending immigrants home or unpicking existing accession agreements with European countries, such as Poland, that recently entered the EU.
But he laid out policies that would be at the heart of a Tory manifesto for a possible snap general election.
A Conservative government would push for "transitional periods" before people from future EU entrant nations could come and live and work in Britain.
As for those from outside the EU, a calculation should be made each year of what skills the country needed, the benefits migrants bring to Britain, and "the costs of pressures on public services".
After these calculations had been done, a Tory government would place a limit on the overall number of migrants from non-EU countries.
Mr Cameron's decision to highlight immigration will please Tory traditionalists who were frustrated at his lack of hard-edged policies.
On Tuesday, the Tory leader - aware that his party trails Labour in the polls and is viewed as lacking sharper policies - began a concerted fightback, unveiling meaures to tackle the "crime crisis".
Seeking to maintain the momentum last night, he strongly defended his plans to encourage marriage through the tax system.
He denied that this was a "bribe'' to existing and future married couples, saying Britain needed a "culture change" to encourage couples to stay together - something that would strengthen society.
"It's not a moralising point, it's not a religious point but the evidence shows that kids do best if mum and dad are there to bring them up, and the evidence shows that marriage is a good institution which encourages people to commit to each other and to stay together.''
Asked about his privileged background and education at Eton and Oxford, Mr Cameron said: "I am wealthy, I have had a wonderfully secure and fortunate upbringing, and I went to a great school.
"But I don't think in our country today that that should disqualify you from talking about issues and from making the changes you want to see."
Tax cuts would be introduced only if they made the country "fairer, stronger and would... help people climb the ladder of opportunity''.
He denied Labour charges that he was moving his party to the Right on immigration and crime.
"I've been very consistent on this issue of crime. We need strong families, we need youth clubs, we need things to divert people away from crime, strong schools. That is the context to crime.
"But when people break the law, I am a Conservative, I've always been a Conservative.
"I believe in tough punishment. I worked for Michael Howard, for heaven's sake, who put through some very tough changes to the criminal justice system."
It may be too late,Mr Cameron.Next year,the name “Mohammad” is expected to be the second most commonly given name to newborn boys in the UK.The time to act would have been 10..15...or even 20 years ago.
Like us, they invite them in and put them on the public dole.
Both countries are really slow learners.
‘Next year,the name “Mohammad” is expected to be the second most commonly given name to newborn boys in the UK.’
That’s because most muslims call their sons Mohammed and only then when you include all the many different spellings of the name, not because of the number of muslims in the UK, which is less than 1.7m out of a 60m population.
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/specials/babiesnames_boys.asp
It seems as though Britemp’s stats were bang on, and those ‘undocumented Muslims’ you talk about, well frankly you are having a stab in the dark there, as you cannot prove your point.
“That number would be no problem if evenly distributed throughout the kingdom but that, as you know, is not the case. If you live in cities, such as Manchester, Bradford, Birmingham or even London, you are overwhelmed with Muslims and they make no attempt to hide the fact that they consider it their life’s mission is to take over England.”
‘Overwhelmed’???? Sorry but I have lived across the UK, both in and out of cities, and at no point have I been overwhelmed by hordes of Muslims. Also, many of the Asians in the UK are Hindu and Sikh, and prove to be a valuable section of the population.
Although you may have meant to comment in fair play, I reckon its nigh on propaganda and most certainly without credible fact.
“And then, you have “Respect,” a left-wing party founded by former Labour MP George Galloway, that aims to unite Muslims and socialists around opposition to American foreign policy and globalization.”
The man is a disgrace, and has been thrown out of the Labour Party for breaching the ministerial code. Its a free country, and so he is allowed his opinion, and his just goes against what most British are thinking. Stories about the imminent implosion of the UK only serve to deflect attention from real concerns in the US.
Stories about the imminent implosion of the UK only serve to deflect attention from real concerns in the US.
And your point is?
“And your point is?”
The UK aint about the vanish up the Khazi...
Never said it was - - never implied it was - - does the UK have a really, really big Muslim problem - - you bet!
can we agree to disagree?
Whatever you say.
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