The 'I' Word

Immigration and Brexit.............


There is no getting away from it, the single biggest driver of the Referendum vote was and still is Immigration. For rational thinking people, this is still a mystery, as it is actually a relatively small percentage of the overall issue, but driven by a hate filled gutter press and downright lies banded about by power hungry and racist factions, it was the straw that broke the camels back.


But why? Lets examine this and what it really means.


Ending the free movement of people from EU countries after Brexit will almost certainly not result in lower overall migration.


No details on a new immigration system for EU nationals has been released, but the House of Lords EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee says net migration to the UK from outside the EU remains significantly higher than within it, despite non-EU migration already being covered by restrictions.
The wide-ranging assessment says: “Restoration of national control over EU migration is unlikely to deliver a reduction in overall net migration.”


The committee concluded that cutting EU immigration is unlikely to provide a “quick fix” for low wages. The report makes the case for a “two-way agreement” with the EU on migration, which would involve offering preferential treatment to EU nationals in return for reciprocal approach to UK nationals in the EU.


Before the referendum, leading figures in the Leave campaign argued for an Australian-style points-based immigration system, though nothing of that nature has been formally proposed or suggested by the Government. The peers’ report warns that any immigration system “hedged” with exemptions for particular economic sectors or schemes could produce the “worst of all worlds, failing to deliver a meaningful reduction in immigration while also proving more onerous and costly for employers, prospective applicants, and those charged with enforcement”.


Crucial sectors of the economy depend on EU migrant labour, so it is essential that any changes don't endanger the vibrancy of the UK economy


The committee was “struck by the weaknesses and gaps in the UK’s migration statistics”.


So what does all this mean - This passage from The Guardian sums it up :


It is one of the most basic of political lessons to interpret events so that they support your argument. Theresa May has taken this workaday truth and developed it into an overarching narrative for her Brexit strategy. She is well on her way to pulling off an act of national self-harm, and in the total absence of a counter-strategy she is running away with the ball.


Jon Davis


Credits - The Independent and The Guardian