Thursday 2 June 2016

For Immigration Control Look Elsewhere

In 1904 the Entente Cordiale between Britain and France was widely celebrated as being the end of centuries of hostilities. Britain's Foreign Office opposed it because it identified Germany as a potential adversary. But King Edward VII was pro-French and in favour. Hotels in France are named after him! When former Prime Minister Lord Salisbury was told of it he replied: "Brilliant. Now you've made a future war with Germany inevitable."
At the end of July 1914 there was a naval review at Kiel. When the Royal Navy ships sailed they flew a signal to their German hosts: "Friends today. Friends forever."   Within a few days they were at war.
If the UK were to vote to leave the European Union  on 23 June it would antagonise our neighbours. The main driving force for wanting to leave is immigration. The prospect of restrictions would spark a rush (as happened in 1962 with the Commonwealth Immigration Act), so will be counter-productive. Britain's immigration problems can be tackled in other ways: e.g., by returning people who have crossed the English Channel and North Sea illegally back to the Continent; by cutting out the power of lawyers; and by cutting down on chain migration: e.g., by signing my petition "Stop foreign men using marriage to live in the UK" at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/129594
Many thanks to those who sign!