Points-based system vital for immigration

GLOBALISATION and the development of trade blocs, such as the EU, are highly contentious issues where the good, the bad and the ugly of its consequences are digested daily in the media.

Put simply, globalisation involves a high degree of freedom of movement of goods, services, labour, capital, technology and managerial expertise in response to market incentives and, thus, opportunities.

On the positive side, as a consumer, I am offered considerable choice in that I can log on to Amazon, say, and buy an obscure Metallica live CD from a small distributor in San Diego; on the negative side, we witness low-skilled textile workers in Africa churning out clothing for value-seeking UK customers at relatively low wages (and the UK masses love a bargain at Asda etc).

In summary, the net effect of globalisation is to offer greater consumer choice, increased global output and employment and lower prices. Overall, a good thing.

This issue of freedom of movement of factors of production is crucial within the EU as the resulting “single market” has generated considerable post-war wealth.

I value my nation’s sovereignty and independence and I deplore the corrupt and suffocating bureaucracy witnessed in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg City.

However, I wish to retain the advantages of regionalism expounded above to enable the UK, post-Brexit, to be ultra-competitive in global markets. Therefore, it is imperative that we continue to allow talented and scarce employees to migrate here if skill shortages emerge – and they will.

Thanks to market forces, skills shortages are evident when wage rates accelerate upwards, eg engineering, IT, healthcare etc.

To conclude, it is imperative that we adopt a “points-based” immigration system, post-Brexit, while ruthlessly saying an emphatic “No” to any people coming here with relatively little to offer our nation. It really is that simple. Antonio Conte, good; President Maduro, bad.

Ian Roblin Llanishen, Cardiff