Sunday Times 2
Immigration hot potato lands on Tory laps
The economy should be the centrepiece of political debate as the UK edges closer to the general election next May.
Britain’s coalition government led by David Cameron has something positive to show in the way of tackling outstanding issues that have hampered economic growth.
The Conservative-Liberal Democrat government has brought down unemployment creating new jobs and showing that the economy in general is emerging out of the recession that has affected the European continent.
British Prime Minister David Cameron speaks during a press conference at the end of a European Union Summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels on October 24. AFP
As Cameron said the other day his government has put 1.8 million more people into work since he assumed office five years ago.
In fact, Britain has fared better in terms of economic growth than any other major economy in Europe, growing at around 3 per cent. A sure sign of this is when Britain was confronted with an additional 2 billion euro bill which it was asked to pay into the EU budget.
Surprised by this huge additional amount to be paid by December1, Cameron was wreathing in anger, calling this unacceptable.
It is what they believe is the successful management of the economy that the Cameron government would like to project and urge voters to give it another five-year term to complete the job they have started.
The public in general believe the Conservatives are more capable of managing the economy than their Labour opponents even though the Conservatives have shown a decided proclivity to favour the rich and the upper crust of society at the expense of the other layers that are struggling with living costs.
But suddenly a major immigration rumpus has landed squarely on the government’s lap. Not that the immigration problem be it that of asylum seekers — genuine and bogus — and the movement of southern and eastern European peoples into Britain, had ever faded from the political discussion.
However, in recent months the rise of the UK Independence Party (Ukip) with its strong anti-European immigration agenda and a general antipathy to the European Union, which it says has eroded British sovereignty, has turned out to be a growing challenge to both the ruling coalition and the pro-EU Labour Party.
Ukip which did not have a single representative in parliament now has one after a defector from Cameron’s party left it and joined Ukip forcing a by-election which he won.
Now another by-election is due in a few days where once again a Tory defector is contesting as a Ukip candidate and it appears the Tories are fighting a losing battle particularly with the news of the mess in the immigration system.
Here again the principal issue has turned out to be immigration and the impact of European arrivals on the local population and on the welfare services which are reaching saturation if they have not already proved to be a choke point, especially housing, schools and medical care.
As though public perceptions of the negative implications of unchecked immigration are not enough of a cross the mainstream parties have to bear, the current government seems to take a masochistic delight in shooting itself on both feet or even higher up the anatomy.
There are now two immigration issues to deal with instead of the perennial question of if and how European migrants are exploiting British largesse.
The earlier debate on asylum seekers from what used to be called the third world landing in the UK, many with bogus claims of fearing political reprisals at home has been more or less replaced with the European question.
That is the one relating to the free flow of migrants from the poorer countries of Europe whose influx is increasingly taxing the welfare services and drawing monetary benefits for the family.
For instance, a Sri Lankan family I know who are German citizens and moved to the UK pay only £400 monthly as rent for their house while the local council pays another £1000 to make up the full rental. The wife is paid an allowance of £10,000 a year to attend university though she can hardly speak two sentences of English and what she does at the university is anybody’s guess. Their three children receive weekly allowances for their maintenance. Besides the husband can work (he does two jobs) and the wife is permitted a limited number of hours.
Compared to France, for instance, or even Germany, this is a bonanza and that is why many European migrants and asylum seekers make their way to Britain employing any possible means.
This benefit-seeking migration from Europe hit the headlines last week when the Mayor of Calais on the other side of the English Channel told the British parliament’s Public Accounts Committee that the generous British handouts made it an “El Dorado” for migrants.
Virtually coinciding with the publication of the Calais mayor’s remarks to the MPs, a rare comment came from the head of Ofsted, the official body for inspecting schools and standards, who said that schools were facing increasing difficulties in catering to migrant children.
The immigration pot already on the boil has been stirred by an unexpected source. Skills Minister Nick Boles said in an interview that Britain will never be able to control its borders so long as the country remains in the EU. Coming from a minister in the Tory-led government this is further proof of the fact that immigration is causing schisms in the Tory ranks.
The immigration imbroglio has now been further confounded by the UK government’s announcement that it will no longer engage in rescue operations of would-be asylum seekers heading to Europe across the Mediterranean often in ramshackle boats that do not always make it to safety.
In the past year around 150,000 persons making this perilous journey have been picked up by the Italian navy, according to news reports.
From the beginning of this month Britain, like some other EU countries, whose ships or aircraft have been scouring the seas for asylum seekers in trouble, are withdrawing from these rescue missions saying it is encouraging human traffickers to send more people across the waters.
From now on Britain will patrol a much smaller area closer to Europe’s southern border and will not actively search out migrants in difficulties.
Human rights activists and refugee organisations are up in arms at what they see as an anti-humanitarian decision that might well see people drowning in Mediterranean waters.
While Sri Lanka’s security forces rescued so many civilians from the clutches of the LTTE during the last days of the war, Britain it seems is not that interested in saving human lives unless they happen to be Britons.
Those trying to leave the fears, uncertainty and chaos behind them, those from North Africa or wherever which Britain does not think are worth saving because if they are saved, they would be a ‘pull factor’ to others who wish to make the journey.
So despite all its talk about human rights, of humanitarian concerns, the Conservative government is pulling the drawbridge and raising the walls of Fortress Britain.
No matter. After all, those risking their lives to enter are only human beings.