Immigration has become a paradoxical issue in Britain: a taboo subject yet a contentious, polemic topic. It polarises public opinion and emboldens far-right factions. However, immigration is not inherently problematic; rather, its current management and the resulting societal reactions present the real challenges to our society.
Immigration is a cornerstone of any globalised democracy and has profoundly enriched British society. Britain’s cultural, economic, and social fabric has been significantly shaped by its immigrant population. Migrants have played crucial roles in driving innovation and maintaining essential services, as well as enriching Britain’s culture for many decades, such as through the import of musical and culinary influences.
Yet, when net migration exceeds 685,000 per year, it strains the capacity of society to breaking point, making assimilation difficult and fostering large, isolated communities. Little time is given for assimilation as the migrant population continues to grow. With this isolation often comes economic plight, which compounds and entrenches segregation. This distinct lack of integration can, and does, create violent friction.
But why should immigrants make a concerted effort to assimilate and integrate? National populists and the far-right, with varying degrees of intent, dehumanise migrants as immigration is portrayed as an existential issue. Perhaps it is long-term unchecked, but the demonisation of immigrants is certainly not the solution.
Far-right groups exploit immigration issues by advocating for extreme measures such as mass deportations based on misinformed, offensive typecasts. National populists, such as Reform UK, despite voicing legitimate concerns around immigration, continue to use inflammatory generalisations to advance their narrative, as we shall see later.
These positions demonise immigrants in general but also serve to stifle rational debate by giving reason to liberals and progressives to denounce any criticism of Britain’s approach to immigration policy as racist, xenophobic, or bigoted. The current state of affairs is creating a toxic political atmosphere around one of the most pressing issues facing our society.
The solution is quite simple: a robust immigration system that sees a net migration of 40 to 60 thousand people. These are manageable numbers of vetted people, those who want to live and work in Britain for all the right reasons, to get on in life, to work hard to provide for their families and, above all, to contribute to our civil society. Constructive, objective dialogue would be a much-needed step in the right direction.
National populists and far-right actors worsen the situation they seek to resolve. By demonising migrants generally with lazy, misinformed tropes, it hardens the progressive position that any conversation about immigration is ingrained in racial prejudice and bigotry. It's not racist or bigoted to say that we can’t sufficiently accommodate the intake of a population the size of Sheffield annually - we can’t. But when the key spokespeople for these issues are actors who exploit dogwhistle politics for their own electoral gain, all hope of sensible, objective and pragmatic debate around immigration goes out the window, for fear of being labelled as ‘racist’.
To make matters worse, the new Labour government has no clear policy. It didn’t make their key manifesto pledges. The Tories wasted valuable time and resources on gimmicks such as Rwanda, whilst continuing to house migrants in hotels at an exorbitant price to the taxpayer. This gave Reform cause to dominate the narrative of those averse to mass unchecked immigration. What we really need is sensible, informed discussion.
It is unfortunate that, since the Leeds riots, Reform has taken a hardened, distasteful stance on immigration. Farage likened the scenes to the ‘Subcontinent’, whilst Lee Anderson alluded to the unrest being consequential of ‘importing the third world.’ With seats in Parliament, it seemed that the issue would receive representation and discussion legislatively. I fear a doubling-down of their rhetoric perpetuates the stigma around immigration concerns and pushes the chances of expedient, pragmatic debate further away.
You can see the paradox this creates. It is important that Reform are in Parliament voicing concerns on immigration, making it a national issue whilst the government chooses to bury its head in the sand. But how dare you toxify an already putrid societal issue and use it to sow discord in an already fractured country for the sake of political capitalisation.
I love this country and I love what it stands for. I believe in its potential. However, unchecked, unmanageable immigration does threaten the preservation of the nation and its future prospects. The irony is the most prominent political actors seeking to solve the immigration crisis for ‘love of their country’ do us all a disservice by shifting discussion away from solutions but rather towards intolerance and distrust.
I repeat my calls for Reform UK to detoxify and professionalise if it wants to actually help, not hinder, the chances of constructive dialogue around immigration in Britain. I urge the Labour government to seriously reassess its political agenda and prioritise dialogue around immigration accordingly. Under imminent new leadership, the Conservatives will need to devise a meaningful, driven opposition to ensure objective solutions are sought. Combined, the chances of a fair, equitable, and pragmatic solution increase dramatically.
We owe it to all people in the United Kingdom, of whatever creed, origin, or background, to create a civil society tolerant of one another but objective to the fact that we must preserve the values and ethos that make this country such a great place to live. Unchecked mass immigration is a threat to that luxury, whether you were born here or not.
Image: dannyman
Comments