| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Rejoining the EU ? | |
| Posted by: | Steve Taylor | |
| Date/Time: | 23/05/26 09:50:00 |
Interesting article today. “Those who believe these figures will somehow help save Starmer or doom Nigel Farage are engaging in wishful thinking. Immigration is here to stay as an issue and Reform will campaign on it in Makerfield and across the country into the next general election and beyond. For a start, let’s consider numbers. The net figure of 171,000 is created by considering the numbers of those who arrived and those that left. While several hundred thousand people left Britain, a massive 800,000 arrived. Coupled with the asylum figures, this means nearly a million people came to Britain last year. This is a staggering number, and way beyond what most voters – and indeed all Reform voters – want. Until recently, the immigration debate was mainly about numbers; most voters simply wanted a reduction in numbers because they feared the effects large-scale immigration on NHS waiting lists , competition for jobs, the availability of housing, and so on. Now the immigration debate has become something very different. It’s now about whether the country has the rule of law or not, given so many people seem to be able to breach our borders without governments being able to do anything to stop them. It’s now about fairness, given that asylum seekers have been put up in hotels and given benefits others are struggling to get (quick GP appointments, most obviously). And it’s also about national identity, given the perception that many councils are happy to promote multiculturalism, while pulling English and British flags down from lampposts and suggesting national pride is linked to far-Right activity. There will, no doubt, be a small number of voters who think that the figures published today show that the Government is getting its act together and maybe even that Starmer is responsible. It’s possible a small number will also think immigration is an issue that has now been “dealt with”. But none of this will make much difference to the voters that really matter right now: the mass that is considering a Reform vote. They will still think immigration is too high and that the number of asylum claims shows we’re still a soft touch. Consequently, these numbers don’t change a basic fact: Starmer is heading out of Downing Street , and Farage is heading into it.” |