UK isn’t coping after immigration ‘failure’
THEY must live on a different planet. That can be the only conclusion from the supposed “bombshell” report into the impact of immigration and successive bungled attempts to control it that was released last week. Some politicians claimed it was “ground breaking” and “challenging” as it “laid bare the years of failure” that have blighted this issue.
It (rightly) pointed to a disastrous lack of forward planning for the millions who arrived and who would need housing, jobs, healthcare and schools for their children.
It exploded the myth that high levels of immigration would prove to be an economic boost and accepted it had resulted in “cultural issues.”
All of which left me with the clear impression that so many of our MPS have not been living in the real world!
Have they never queued for hours on
end at an A&E unit in a busy town or city that was palpably on the point of collapse?
Clearly their children sail into the schools of their choosing and are able to get on the rung of home ownership – or even rental – with total ease. And they can’t have been held up in traffic jams as our roads struggle to cope with the number of vehicles now trying to use them.
As this report was co-authored by Conservative leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick it’s fair to say it’s a major part of a positioning exercise following the likely collapse of the party following the next General Election.
History shows that when the Tories get wiped out, their instinctive reaction is to veer to the right.
And while it is unforgivable that this study presents these conclusions as if they’ve just been discovered, the reality is the people of this country have been living with them for decades. Sadly, our
MPS must have been confined to Westminster – despite the generous travelling expenses we pay them.
Prior to former PM Tony Blair throwing open the gates to immigrants 27 years ago, the level of immigration stood at around 60,000 people each year.
Since that disastrous decision, a total of 5.9 million people have arrived here – and they’re the ones we know of.
Many of the changes they have brought have been positive – many have not.
In an interview on the day the report was launched, I asked Mr Jenrick whether one conclusion we could draw was that multi-culturalism had failed.
While refusing to say the “f-word”, he admitted it “hadn’t been successful”. And candidly, it hasn’t. Too many people live in virtual enclaves with little or no involvement with the broader community.
Others seek to impose their radical doctrine on our schools and mount protests when children are being taught in classes or shown images or literature they oppose – despite the fact it is all part of the accepted national curriculum.
And as for controlling our borders, with the numbers arriving in small boats still soaring that looks about as secure as the job of the Manchester United manager.
Political posturing aside, much of what Mr Jenrick says makes sense and we can only hope he’d be prepared to back his words with action if the opportunity arose.
But remember one thing: five months ago Mr Jenrick was the man in charge of all of this...as Immigration Minister!