COMMENT
A comment on the post 'Calais Migrants Lose Fingerprints' has been made by Clarinda. I feel it deserves a post of its own.
Too many well-meaning people refuse to face the real practical consequences and reasonable financial and logistic limitations of immigration and the complex issues of integration.
What is definitely at fault is that a clear, properly financed, strictly controlled and just form of immigration is not already in place in the UK. It's absence leads to the perception of open entry which is widely sought after and practiced. Those who contravene the restrictions that do exist remain free from prosecution and/or repatriation.
Our welfare and NHS systems (although there are barriers to those officially proven illegal immigrants) are wide open to all, including so-called asylum-seekers who may wait years before their case may prove they are here illegally.
If significant and effective immigration and integration policies are not redrafted in a just and rational manner, the current problems will degenerate into racism. Frighteningly, the racism will be just as much against the indigenous UK population as it may be against immigrants?
We must start to debate issues of immigration in an honest, clear and rational manner and not take fright to do so behind misguided threats of being falsely branded racist or adhere to the nonsense of political correctness.
I expect that Independence will bring a logical, just and practical policy forward on immigration that benefits Scotland and those who have a genuine case to seek naturalisation with calculated benefits for all. That is NOT racist - that is being an Independent Scottish humanitarian and realist.
References: www.globalreseach.ca e.g. Ghali Hassan 2005 which gives one historical perspective and Jean Bricmont 2007 on Sarkozy and the US'
Posts
9 comments:
Excellent post.
May we English move to the new Scotland? There will be a mass desire to do so!
Oldrightie said...
"May we English move to the new Scotland? There will be a mass desire to do so!"
They already are OR:
http://tiny.cc/XrCo6
I shall leave Clarinda to respond to her comment. Thanks all.
Thank you Scunnert and Old Rightie for your comments on my reaction to certain personal pet hates - political correctness, false accusations and superficiality but I probably spend too much time following blogs and reading a variety of political and historical texts.
Old Rightie - according to the recommended slide-show from Scunnert, there appears to be fewer English born "in-migrants" in Glasgow than the rest of Scotland ...so ?????
Subrosa - thank you for posting my comment. We want and need a grand variety of opinions in an Independent Scotland - but lets not meekly tolerate the cheap shot scrapping that only demeans us as you pointed out in your piece on 'Indy' - courteous rebuttal, however, is only possible when all comments are enabled. Good grief I almost said "Bring it on"! Now I'll have nightmares.
The English have been leaving London in droves for some years and the phrase 'white-flight' is begining to appear in respected journals.
Most head not for Scotland but for the Home Counties or the southwest were a semblence of civility remains. London cannot be called an English city in the same way that Paris is no longer French.
Report in thursdays Telegraph, 80% of UK want a stop to immigration; this has caused 'shock' amongst the politicos, why ?
Shock about what we all new already or shock that so few of us agree with them ?
Banned - Currently listening to the Holyrood convention on The Role Of Clans in the 21st Century - isn't it a little ironic that we are celebrating our Scottish contribution to certain of the world's nations - establishing communitities, opportunities for farming, business and legal systems and other national institutions to protect these precious freedoms?
I note, however, that our substantial emigration (highland and in larger numbers from the lowlands) was also preceded and continued during London-based UK governance, also indeed throughout the deliberate smashing apart of Scottish clan traditions, living and culture, (including the shocking Scottish clearances) and occurred during our 300year absence of self-government?
At least in Scotland we appear to be repopulating and re-integrating in the style, initiative and previous pursuit of those long gone. This has in particular gained recent momentum perhaps with the added attraction of re-establishing Independence?
This perhaps highlights further necessity to establish a cohesive immigration policy so we do not dilute the very qualities that attract would-be immigrants in the first place and sustains the retention of our own homegrown population.
I feel that Westminster's unionists are replicating the 'Boiled Frog Experiment, in terms of being unaware of their immediate political and social environment with their chaotic immigration process about to come to the boil - but of course by then it will be too late to turn down the heat.
You may be interested in reading this article by Angelique Chrisafis who spent some time in 'The Jungle' at Calais.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/03/calais-migrants-uk-tent-city
It explains why there are crowds of young men with no women and children; the Taliban do not recruit women and children.
These young men amd their families have of course been connned by ruthless criminals into believing that there is gold at the end of the English Channel. Of course there is not.
It is pitiful and tragic but we must keep a sense of proportion.
According to UNHCR there are over 2.5 million displaced Afghans. These poor souls are just a drop in the ocean.
The Wanderer
Thank you for your comments. I do sympathise, as I've said before, with some horrific situations some migrants have fled from - perhaps many have been deceived by the racketeers. It is also probably impossible to verify these mens reasons for being there. The women in Afghanistan are under intolerable increased restriction and abuse under the Taliban but much less able to flee or defend themselves. Almost 90% of Afghan women are illiterate and the schools we hear about in our media do not match the reality according to UN sources.
Many charity workers in the French migrant camps have left as they are becoming disillusioned by the changing make up of the newer migrants whose numbers are swelled by those without genuine reasons to flee..
It is a nightmare and an irony to deal with as while the UK is fighting (with the best will in the world to also win the intractable "hearts and minds") and by association with the US causing the deaths of many Afghan civilians in Afghanistan but the French, outwith the UN, are not - yet they wish to come to the UK? There is no question that the UK has a humanitarian responsibility - we are better than many but what a tragic mess we have played a part in creating.
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