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 George Hollingbery on Immigration
This issue is one which the party picked up and ran with at the last election.
It was clear from many conversations I had on the doorstep that this was a matter of huge concern to people. David Cameron has already made clear what he feels on this matter and his thoughts vary very little from the position we took at the last General Election.
I agree completely with the position we took last time and are likely to take again. Immigration has been of huge benefit to this country over many centuries but there is now a difference.
First we should never conflate asylum and immigration.
The former is about protecting the persecuted and I hope that we would all agree that asylum seekers who can show that their lives or well being are at risk in their own countries and who simply want to live peacefully with us should be welcomed.
The second is a wholly different issue. The inward flows of economic migrants has increased exponentially over the last 10 years and this has lead to a series of problems: Lack of planning has created a huge strain on public services in many areas; a slavish adherence to benefits of ‘multi-culturalism’ has created divisive ethnic tensions, particularly in less affluent parts of the country; a lack of any prioritisation structure has meant that there is no match between the skills the country needs and those economic migrants arriving.
With the numbers forecast to arrive over the next 20 years exceeding those currently living in Birmingham, no-one can deny that much better planning and regulation of immigration is not only desirable but essential.
Despite Labour’s accusations that our policy at the last election of a points based system of immigration was racist, I’m pleased to see that they have now adopted a similar scheme.
More on the Conservative Party's thoughts on Immigration can be found here. |
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| | Marcus Wilson (Guest) | 29/12/2009 15:11 | | Whilst I welcome the fact that politicians are at last waking up to what the people in the country actually feel and want with regard to immigration. The labour party has and will continue to ruin our country. You the conservatives say some specific things now about immigration, what you say still lacks detail and my fear and concern is that you will back peddle and dilute any actions , so that our country will continue to decline and the people here will suffer as a consequence. You have not said anything about how you will deal with illegal immigrants that are already here. We need to see real resolution and real action - will you actually deliver on this??????????????????????
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