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from The Great Debate UK:
Confronting the immigration conundrum
-Laurence Copeland is a professor of finance at Cardiff Business School. The opinions expressed are his own.-
After being the third rail of British politics for a generation or more, immigration is suddenly a topic which can be spoken about in polite society.
Unfortunately, as far as policy is concerned, it is also a classic case of the politician’s syllogism familiar from Yes, Minister: something must be done; this is something; therefore this must be done. Most of the proposals on offer seem likely to make the situation worse, which is not surprising since many are based on a thoughtless acceptance of conventional wisdom.
Take for example a proposition which had the three party leaders nodding in agreement during the pre-election TV debate on this subject: that only the most highly-qualified immigrants should be allowed entry into the UK.
The BNP bends ears in east London
“I am not a racist, I am a realist,” said Bob Bailey, the leading London candidate for the anti-immigration British National Party (BNP), after ascertaining my British credentials.
Bailey was campaigning in east London for next week’s European elections, keen to show that the party often reviled by the media for its right-wing views and rejected by much of the electorate up to now, was not a two-horned monster.
Should Joanna Lumley be allowed to dictate Gurkha policy?
While Gordon Brown increasingly draws comparisons to the mortally wounded bull gasping his last at a Spanish corrida, one personality at Westminster  has been putting on a show of decisive policy-making that has brought the bloodthirsty crowd to its feet.
Totally at ease with publicity, absurdly photogenic and much loved amongst the electorate at large, actress Joanna Lumley — AbFab’s Patsy to the younger ones, The Avengers’ Purdy to more seasoned TV viewers — has provided Westminster watchers with an object lesson in how to get things done.
Is the government being unfair to Gurkhas?
Nepalese Gurkhas have a long and justifiably proud history of serving alongside Britain – Gurkha units fought with the East India Company in India as early as 1817. Over the years, the Gurkhas have developed a reputation for tenacity, bravery and dogged loyalty to their adopted army.
But when it comes to giving something back once they have finished their military service, Britain has something of a mixed track-record on the Gurkhas and has even been accused of disloyalty.
Immigration. Good or bad for Britain?
Immigration has long been a subject to inflame passions and the issue is back in the headlines again after a new report suggested migrants do not bring the economic benefit to the country that the government says they do.Ministers argue that immigration is worth 6 billion pounds a year to Britain’s GDP and also helps to fill labour and skills shortages.But the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee, whose members include two former Conservative Chancellors and a number of other leading economists and City figures, disputed this, saying the economic benefits are limited.It has called for the government to review its policies and look at what impact the influx of 190,000 migrants a year is having on the country.So is the government’s approach to immigration flawed as the committee says? Or are immigrants vital to Britain’s economic future?Send us your comments
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The Wall
