Immigration, a blessing or a burden?

Much of the recent press on immigration has warned that it was only through America’s looser immigration laws that the tragedy of September the 11^th could have taken place. But look a little closer at the facts, at least some of the responsibility lies with successive American government, for their perceived misuse of the Palestinians. Furthermore, the last case of mass terrorism in the United States was committed by a White Christian fundamentalist, Timothy McVey.

Whilst it seem that the September the 11^th bombing was committed by Arab terrorists it wouldn’t have been much more difficult for American citizens to commit such an atrocity. While many people consider the disaster as a product of the sick of mind, it is my opinion that the system of putting thousands of people in glass cages high in the sky while fast aircraft fly nearby is a recipe for disaster. The obvious thought and calculated detail that went into the September bombings was less a product of a madman than someone who was obviously clever (if sick in the mind).

Although political correctness teaches we must accept immigrants and help them help their selves, it is often the case that those who can make the journey to the EU and evade custom officials are the most enterprising types of people. As birth rates fall and the population ages, a social time bomb that is ticking. In much of Europe there is a danger that with in the next century countries will be filled with cash hungry old people and no one to pay their pensions. These two aspects of modern society lead me to believe that rather than just accepting immigrants we should encourage their entry into our countries.

One further aspect that affects the UK in particular is, despite a slowing economy; unemployment is still very low, at around 3.2% by some counts. The recent surge of immigrants in the last couple of years (the government received over 100‘000 applications for asylum last year alone) has helped to ease the pressure on the labour market. This problem of full employment, a stage many countries were reaching, is that the poorly paid and labour intensive jobs were not being taken up by many of the remaining unemployed. The immigrant workers tended to be happy to accept these jobs, as the pay tended to be much better than in the home countries.

I suggest that an immigrant work force could help solve rather than cause problems, as some would have us believe. One of the greatest problems facing the government in its second term in office is the solution of the public’s service meltdown. Basically the Labour government has pumped billions of pounds into the Health service and Education service but the pay is not attractive enough for most school and university leavers. It is my suggestion we encourage foreign doctors and nurses as well as teachers and cleaners that they are welcome to work in the UK no matter what their Nationality or Religion. That’s my idea; have you any opinions on immigration? Do you think that with stricter rules September the 11^th could have been avoided? Or have you any suggestions about how to cure Briton’s failing publics services? All responses very welcome Ben Campbell at: bencheese45@hotmail.com

Ben Campbell

Bishop Heber High School