The Student Room Group

Why do certain people on the left still attack calls for immigration restrictions?

If you were from another planet without any political biases, you would probably agree that, objectively, skilled immigration from people who will contribute economically and socially is good, but unskilled immigration from people who will not contribute economically and socially is bad, especially when resources in a country are limited.

So why do some on the left still attack those calling for restrictions on immigration or criticising it in any way? Just watch any Question Time debate - as soon as immigration restrictions are brought up, the left-wing panel members will 1) bang on about how immigration has benefitted the country, 2) warn against creating a climate of anti-immigrant feeling and fuelling UKIP, without actually addressing the point (no matter how sensible). Also, what about the furore over Labour's "controls on immigration" mug - what was wrong with that exactly?

It feels ridiculous that we are still at the point where it's considered taboo, by certain sections of the left, to be anything put pro-unrestricted immigration, even when the sensible approach is to restrict immigration based on the needs of the economy and who can benefit the country.

Yes, the far-right have at times poisoned the immigration debate, but that is no excuse for maintaining this nonsensical, rigid stance.
As they want to destroy the country / dilute the population, simple.
Immigrants will generally be more likely to support the Labour Party. Just look at new London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Would he seriously have been elected had it not been for the tens of thousands of immigrants , from all backgrounds, who probably voted for him? Put it this way, if the vast majority of immigrants were white,well educated,mostly from Middle Class backgrounds, do people think the Left would be so enthusiastic to allow these people to move to the UK?
All sections of the Left need to decide which is more important to them; a Socialist Government or the cultural preservation and identity of the UK. They can't have both.
Reply 4
Because there evidently are people who are prejudiced against immigrants on the whole, skilled or otherwise, and many on the left foolishly think that addressing the genuine concerns about immigration honestly will fuel these people, when in fact it is probably the refusal to tackle these issues that does this.
(edited 7 years ago)
If there were no such thing anymore as war, and there was endless prosperity then it might even be defensible, but these things are not the case anymore. In fact the world seems to becoming more and more dangerous as it is. The era of the Pax Americana is coming to an end and the dollar is going to collapse in the near future. I don't put much faith in Pax Sinica.
(edited 7 years ago)
I don't think these kind of people are all the common fortunately.
There are some out there that think we should have an open borders policy - then tend to be either Jeremy Corbyn supporters or supporters of the Socialist Worker's Party (IE people who don't think about what affects these kind of policies would have in the real world).
Because in the mind of some lefties, we have endless resources, money and space to house and care for all these people coming over here. Of course they'll do nothing themselves to help these immigrants and expect the government to come up with some magical answer, and when it doesn't, they'll complain and complain and complain. They'll shout and shout to end austerity, but again where will the money for all this wonderful spending and catering come from?!
Oh yes tax tax tax the high earners, so in the end they're the ones losing out for all they're hard work and long hours
I'm fairly left, and it depends on the kind of restriction.
Original post by Tempest II
I don't think these kind of people are all the common fortunately.
There are some out there that think we should have an open borders policy - then tend to be either Jeremy Corbyn supporters or supporters of the Socialist Worker's Party (IE people who don't think about what affects these kind of policies would have in the real world).


But why would they think that? It's entirely illogical, whether you are right-wing or left-wing.
Were in big **** and everyone seems to be in wonderland, the clouds of evil are everywhere and the left are pouring rocket fuel on it
Original post by Grand High Witch
But why would they think that? It's entirely illogical, whether you are right-wing or left-wing.


I don't know for certain but I imagine there's different reasons.
Some are quite selfish & only want no borders so they can travel easier.
Others are more ideological opposed to them - they believe that they're concepts thought up to keep us all separate & that the luck of being born in the West isn't fair to those elsewhere.
(There's probably other reasons too but you'd be better off asking people who believe this, I'm only going from what people have put on social media in the wake of Brexit).

Maybe in a thousand years time borders will be totally redundant; the fact is that an open borders policy would put unacceptable strain on the economy & British culture if implemented in the current era.
Liberals are generally on the left. Limiting who can live in a country is a restriction. Liberals are against most restrictions.*
Also, the west shouldn't complain about people wanting to leave countries they're bombing. *They have to go somewhere. *
Original post by RivalPlayer
Take the Vietnamese criminal gangs who dominate the UK's £1 billion cannabis trade for example. They traffic children from Vietnam into the UK and force them into working inside cannabis factories or living a life of domestic servitude.


It could be argued that strict immigration policies contribute to this. *Working for bad wages in terrible conditions wouldn't be as appealing if people could emigrate more easily. *Why should people be stuck in a third world country just because they happened to be born there?
Original post by Grand High Witch
But why would they think that? It's entirely illogical, whether you are right-wing or left-wing.


Of course, but the type of person who is against immigration controls isn't exactly one to base their views on logic*
Original post by Grand High Witch
If you were from another planet without any political biases, you would probably agree that, objectively, skilled immigration from people who will contribute economically and socially is good, but unskilled immigration from people who will not contribute economically and socially is bad, especially when resources in a country are limited.


You'd also wonder what exactly a country is and what purpose it serves, and would be unable to distinguish between internal migration and international migration with the exception of the latter generally involving larger distances.

Posted from TSR Mobile
Internationalism.

Quick Reply

Latest