A population the size of Leeds.

[Workingman]

Well, almost....

That's how many people migrated to the UK in 2022, about 745,000 of them. Over 636,000 were invited in and they were not illegals. It is madness!

We got the people but what we did not get are the schools, hospitals, police, housing, land for food and a whole raft of other services to cope with them. The numbers above are not good on many levels, not least for integration and social cohesion, and they are not sustainable, even in the short term.

It is no wonder that countries such as Italy, Sweden, Hungary, Poland, the Netherlands and many others are turning right in order to try to stem the tide. The future looks to be one of unrest, and maybe worse.

[Kaz]

Indeed. Plus it just goes to show how the outrage over the people coming in boats, stokes up by the right-wing media, is misplaced. They are a small proportion of the migrants coming each year, but it suits the government to have people to blame and demonise.

[Workingman]

Correct, Kaz. The demonising of the 'boat people' by the right-wing media, whilst disgusting, has been a useful tool - for them. However, many of us have seen through that tactic.

But people across Europe and beyond are not voting with any great belief in right-wing political philosophy, theirs is a single-issue vote, immigration, and it might not be a one-time offer. That is a danger, and a big one!

Parties of the left, socialists and liberals, better take heed because it is an issue that impacts more of their supporters than it does the natural right-wing or conservative voter. The media has tapped in to this unease and has amplified it, but those on the left do need to recognise that the concerns do exist. Heads in the sand will not fix this, and the left need to understand and accept that there is a problem.

[cruiser2]

I have seen on the news today where foreign students have been applying for members of their family to join them to live permanemtly in this country.
This was not part of the original agrement for foreogn students to study in this country.

Just imagine if there are 20 students at one college/university. They may bring parents, grand-parents, brothers and sisters which could mean a total for one family
of another ten people or more. This is what has happened in many places such as Bradford, Blackburn, Preston.