Starmer is making a tragic mistake, attacking legal immigrants.
It is shocking to hear a Labour PM to repeat the racist, anti-immigrant messages that were said in the 1880s against the Irish, in the 1890’s against Jews, in 1920s against Eastern Europeans, in the 1950s against West Indians and in the 1960’s against South Asians.
The reason why we all struggle to get doctor’s appointments isn’t immigration, it is the deep cuts in funding for public services that all three major parties agreed on in the wake of the 2008 Financial Crash and no government has restored the funding levels to where they were before 2008.
The reason we have a housing shortage for young families isn’t immigrants, it has been short-sighted Government policies (from all parties) over decades that have not made sure the homes we need were built.
The reason for a lack of school places isn’t immigration, it has been the failure of planners to provide schools where they are needed, the failure of an education policy that has moved schools out of the hands of Local Government into Trusts that have no accountability.
Also, we have a demographic crisis with an aging population. Even if we continue to raise the State Pension age, we have a decreasing number of people of working age. Without immigration, both short term and longer term, the UK will face a manpower crisis in many industries and the burden of taxation will fall on fewer & fewer people.
There are many myths about immigrants coming here. They are not taking jobs from British people – they are often doing the jobs British people don’t want to do.
Our aging population also means growing demands for health and care services. If, as I am, you are a regular visitor to your GP Surgery & local Hospital, you will see that most of the other patients are elderly British people, just like me, and often it will be immigrants who are there to nurse, doctor & care for us oldies.
The Care industry would collapse without immigrant workers, leaving elderly & frail people (and their families) stuck, either trying to live at home with minimal help or stuck in hospital with nowhere safe for them to be discharged to.
New house building will be slower as the construction industry relies in workers from abroad to fill the gaps in the supply of tradespeople to work on building sites.
Many other industries would also suffer, just check who is delivering many of our online shopping orders.
There are many myths about immigrants coming here. No, they don’t work for lower wages than UK workers, no they aren’t a burden on public services as they generally pay more into the Treasury than they take out in the services they do use. No, they are not taking jobs from British people, they are often doing the jobs British people don’t want to do.
As the partner, son, & great-grandchild of immigrants, can I say that over hundreds of years the contribution of immigrants to British society has been immense.
Just look around and see how many great British businesses have been started by immigrants or the children of immigrants. Also look at how many British scientists are immigrants or the children of immigrants. Similarly in literature, music and many other fields. They have also broadened our culture, our cuisine, our lives.
It takes courage to uproot your family from where you grew up. It takes courage to go to live in a foreign county where the culture is different to yours. It takes courage to work hard, often starting at a lower level than your qualifications merit, to make a living to support your family (both those living here & those still living in your native country).
These immigrants, who too many blame for problems that they didn’t create, are often the people with the attitude & gumption to reinvigorate our society. Instead of scapegoating them, we should welcome them. They are not strangers but colleagues, friends, neighbours who will, as my family and many other immigrant families have done, integrate into British society and enrich it.
