UK and European Politics 2024 Thread

[BigBanker]

Could the position maybe more nuanced than that? I mean that you may be right that there is no ceiling on the number of people who are skeptical of immigration but I suspect that, even if so, there is very much a ceiling on the number of people for whom it will be an issue of such importance that it is essentially the only issue that decides how they vote?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, fix the economy, show some decent growth, have people feel a bit more optimistic about their future and the immigration issue more or less disappears.

The furore over immigration is a symptom of our economic woes (immigration is not the cause of them).

 

[Phil Sayers]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, fix the economy, show some decent growth, have people feel a bit more optimistic about their future and the immigration issue more or less disappears.

The furore over immigration is a symptom of our economic woes (immigration is not the cause of them).

Ironically, immigration is actually necessary to deal with declining birthrates, aging population, shortfall in govt revenues and the belief that many even totally unskilled British workers have that certain jobs are 'beneath them' and therefore we need to get foreigners in to do those jobs and pay the benefits of those who feel entitled to sit at home doing nothing rather than cleaning toilets!

 

[Mr Jinx]

Electoral Calculus has

Reform winning Plymouth Moor View

Better's remorse already Al?

Political earthquake in T minus 7 days...

 

[tavyred]

Ironically, immigration is actually necessary to deal with declining birthrates, aging population, shortfall in govt revenues and the belief that many even totally unskilled British workers have that certain jobs are 'beneath them' and therefore we need to get foreigners in to do those jobs and pay the benefits of those who feel entitled to sit at home doing nothing rather than cleaning toilets!

So an increase in our population by net 1.2M every couple of years is desirable?

 

[Grecian2K]

So an increase in our population by net 1.2M every couple of years is desirable?

Well you have to admit that your old chum "Bozza" reputedly did his bit to contribute when the poor chap was in his priapic prime?

 

[tavyred]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, fix the economy, show some decent growth, have people feel a bit more optimistic about their future and the immigration issue more or less disappears.

The furore over immigration is a symptom of our economic woes (immigration is not the cause of them).

I think that’s wrong.
I think people are beginning to see the potential societal issues that mass inward migration brings and would like to see the brakes put on.
BB, why do you think the Uniparty are consistently telling us they want to control immigration but when in office they do the opposite?

 

[Phil Sayers]

So an increase in our population by net 1.2M every couple of years is desirable?

I don't have access to the sort of data that would be needed to properly answer that question but what is obvious is that people will continue to live longer and longer past retirement age and that will call for more and more government spending on healthcare etc. We therefore need either ever expanding productivity / tax take from the existing working population or an ever expanding working population. The truth is that inward migration in large numbers will have to be part of the solution.

In reality, much of the complaint about 'foreign workers taking British jobs' is just a bogus smokescreen (I say that because the jobs in question are either for surgeons or toilet cleaners and in the former instance there are not enough skilled British workers and in the latter instance too few unskilled British workers are willing to do those jobs) for the real problem they have with immigration - which is quite simply that they don't like seeing so many brown faces or hearing so much e.g Bulgarian.

 

[tavyred]

Well you have to admit that your old chum "Bozza" reputedly did his bit to contribute when the poor chap was in his priapic prime?

Alas, you’re right.
The record since 2010 is lamentable and rumour has it the Reform vote in 7 days time will reflect that p1ss poor performance.

 

[tavyred]

I don't have access to the sort of data that would be needed to properly answer that question but what is obvious is that people will continue to live longer and longer past retirement age and that will call for more and more government spending on healthcare etc. We therefore need either ever expanding productivity / tax take from the existing working population or an ever expanding working population. The truth is that inward migration in large numbers will have to be part of the solution.

In reality, much of the complaint about 'foreign workers taking British jobs' is just a bogus smokescreen (I say that because the jobs in question are either for surgeons or toilet cleaners and in the former instance there are not enough skilled British workers and in the latter instance too few unskilled British workers are willing to do those jobs) for the real problem they have with immigration - which is quite simply that they don't like seeing so many brown faces or hearing so much e.g Bulgarian.

I totally get the argument for large scale immigration, but akin with a lot of voters I want our politicians to stop lying about them wanting to limit immigration and if they want to bring in millions of new Brits at least get a political mandate to do it.
Not too much ask surely?

 

[DB9]

Sad that a leaflet dropper/canvasser had to deal with this:

Tory election volunteer attacked while canvasing in Shropshire

Garry Burchett suffered bruising and a suspected broken nose, candidate Daniel Kawczynski said.

www.bbc.co.uk