I have something to say...on Politics

[senerity]

A while ago now I determined that I was not going to update this blog unless I had something to say. Well, yesterday I got quite aggravated by politics, so I'm contributing my tuppenceworth

Comments

[mr_jez]

A recent BBC Panorama programme (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00s35k6) reported that the economic benefit of immigration at current levels was 60p per head of population per week.

[senerity]

Which works out at £36.8 million a week. Not to be sniffed at.

[mr_jez]

Aye, I can do multiplication too... ;o)

Sure, it's not to be sniffed at, at a rough approximation it could be used to pay around 3 or 4% of the basic state pensions in the country. It's significant, but in overall terms it's small.

Have a peep at the show. A reasonable case is made for the benefits of controlled and limited immigration. I hope whichever government gets in after this entertaining election campaign can manage to get the balance right.

[westslide]

Interesting and informative.

It is such a shame that the vast majority of the debates about immigration do, ultimately, boil down to knee-jerk reactions on both sides. The xenophobes wanting to keep Britain British, the liberals lashing out against that with equal thoughtlessness, and the entire thing does end up driven by racism instead of consideration of the social and economic factors.

Not that a discussion about racism isn't a good idea, but we're not having one. We're acting on emotional gut reactions and applying them to politics whilst ignoring or just being ignorant of the facts which could genuinely change lives, rather than just appease one's left-wing guilt or one's xenophobic bitching.

Ta for the post. I was educated.

[anonymous]

people should be able to live and work where they want.
my biggest concern is the large risk of exploitation migrant workers face - more so than British workers - and sometimes have to live in quite shocking conditions, to do work that really should be being paid at a much fairer rate.
But then, in capitalism everyone who works gets exploited.

Vive la Revolution!

[fyre_faery]

cheers laura, I was educated.

I'm gearng up for the last debate. Its going to be messy....

[lentilthelegume]

Definitely very interesting - lots of stuff I didn't know in this.