One of the biggest, most ridiculous and most manipulative thrusts of the
whole Brexit campaign has been the idea that we should “take control of our
borders” and “limit immigration”. “We
don’t want more and more foreigners coming here and taking more of our jobs.” “British jobs for British people!” etc.. Of
course, we don’t hear any suggestions that we should control emigration. Nobody is suggesting that there is anything
wrong with British people moving abroad and taking other people’s jobs in other
people’s countries. Are we really so completely selfish?
Much the same applies to property.
We have a big housing shortage and houses are too expensive – so let’s
stop all these Russian oligarchs from coming here and buying up properties. Of
course, we don’t hear any suggestions that we should prevent well-off British
people from buying villas in Spain.
We’ve heard quite a bit of campaigning recently from the performing arts
world that we need to ensure “free-movement” of artists and musicians around
Europe and the rest of the world. Sadly, the main point being made is that the
quality of our arts will suffer if we can’t bring in the world’s best actors
& musicians. That may be true – but what about the consequent lack of
opportunities in the UK for British actors & musicians? And the other side
of the coin – should we really be doing anything that might inhibit or reduce
the opportunities for British actors and musicians to work abroad?
The whole idea is barmy! All these
bigoted and fatuous arguments about immigration are simply being used to stir
up racist and nationalist sentiment and to pander to and manipulate populist
public opinion. Comparisons with Hitler and the Nazis are not so far off the
mark!
Do we really want to ban foreign footballers from playing in the UK in
order to create more jobs for British footballers? Do we really want to ban all foreign
musicians and actors from working in the UK in order to create more jobs for British
musicians and actors? Doesn’t anybody
realise that many of our leading British footballers, actors, musicians (and
countless people working in a host of other fields of activity) probably earn
as much, if not more money working abroad than they do in the UK?
When I left college, if anyone had offered me a job in Europe, or
Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, even Russia – I would have jumped at
it. Why shouldn’t I be able to work
abroad? So why should we prevent
foreigners from working here?
Most people understand that being a “Racist” is just plain wrong. Why do they think that being a “Nationalist”
is any better? When are people going to start to think?
