Yet more evidence shows that we will only rely on it more as time goes on. It’s time to debate it without toxic rhetoricBritain needs immigrants. According to the Office for National Statistics this week, Britain’s “indigenous” population in the 2030s will be static and ageing. Growth in population will be buoyed only by immigrants, their number predicted to rise by 5 million over the next seven years. Thank goodness, surely, for them.As this debate lurches back into public discourse, it is cursed by the ease with which xenophobia delivers political gain. The fact is that Britons have turned massively in favour of immigration over the past half century. In the 1950s and 1960s, roughly 80%-90% wanted it to stop. Then the inflow was under 250,000 a year and Enoch Powell could forecast “rivers of blood”. Net migration was below zero.Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
The main conceptual idea of the article is that immigration is essential for Britain's economic survival and future growth.
The author, Simon Jenkins, cites statistical evidence showing that Britain's population will stagnate without immigration. He argues that the debate surrounding immigration is often poisoned by xenophobic rhetoric, and calls for a more rational and productive discussion. He believes that the public has generally become more supportive of immigration over time, and urges the Labour party to clearly communicate the benefits of immigration to voters.
Essentially, the article advocates for a less hostile and more data-driven approach to immigration policy in the UK.
The main conceptual idea of the article is that immigration is essential for Britain's economic survival and future growth. The author, Simon Jenkins, cites statistical evidence showing that Britain's population will stagnate without immigration. He argues that the debate surrounding immigration is often poisoned by xenophobic rhetoric, and calls for a more rational and productive discussion. He believes that the public has generally become more supportive of immigration over time, and urges the Labour party to clearly communicate the benefits of immigration to voters. Essentially, the article advocates for a less hostile and more data-driven approach to immigration policy in the UK.
