Yes, Carys Mathews, I for one am deeply ashamed at the treatment of our "old" Commonwealth friends and kin, and have been so since the days of the arch-traitor Heath. One day a REAL government will be elected and sweep away all the rubbish inflicted on us since then. Roll on!

Archie, Vancouver, Canada

No immigrants should be entitled to any state benefits whatsoever until they have worked for at least 2 years, nor any housing benefits until they have worked for at least 5 years.

Then they can be entitled to the same welfare benefits as the country from where they came and can buy insurance to cover any discrepancy that they are concerned about.

Penny, London,

Immigration needs to be limited and limiting it to Europeans seems a good idea as other Europeans are able to integrate more easily into British society. The fact is most British people don't want mass immigration and for any good it has brought in the short term it has brought a hell of a lot of longer-term bad. It's not good for anyone living in Britain, be they native Brits, or immigrants, to have more mass immigration. It is just fuellling increasing social friction.

john, London, London

My father fought for the Queen against the German Nazis occupying Namibia during World War 2. Born in Rhodesia to British parents, he had dual Rhodesian and British citizenship and chose to remain in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe after WW2 ended. He raised us as 'duals,' with respect for both the Queen and our own native country. I and other Commonwealth citizens have more in common with my British friends than they do with the Europeans.

This is true of most Commonwealth citizens, who fought, died and sacrificed to thwart the Nazi ideology and uphold Britain's interests and how are we repaid 50 years later? You want to deny us entry to our fathers' country whilst the same Europeans who blitzed you are offered the right to live in Britain.

Keep your European allies, but when they prove untrustworthy and problematic do not come running back to us, for we will have long forgotten about you.

Carys Mathews, Chester, UK

Should immigration be managed? yes it should be managed for the benefit of the recipient country. Howvever, it would be interesting to know the makeup of the Asians and Black Britons that were interviewed for the poll. Could it be that their responses were tainted by their location, situation in life, level of education, age and importantly the way the questions were phrased and presented. It is one thing to present the poll finding, but small details like those listed above, to a very large extent, determine the veracity and accuracy of a survey.
UK has a right to limit immigration to Europeans; likewise other countries have a right to set limits with regards to their immigration policy.

ose okpeku, cardiff, united kingdom

I guess an economic lens is not the only one through which one must look at immigration. Unmitigated immigration destroys local cultures, sometimes to the extent that the locals become minorities in their own land. Look what European immigration did to North American, South American, Australian and Kiwi natives. I am sure Europeans don't want the same fate to befall them..

Rahul , London,

Kulturkamf: There is no hostility for Brits or Americans in India. In fact, in a speech in Oxford, Dr. Manmohan Singh acknowledged benefits to India during the Brtish rule. There is a deep affection in India for the Brits and the Americans, and several of the good British traditions are to be found more in India than in Britain. As far as the Americans go, India is probably one of the very few countries where consistently over 70% of people polled have a favourable opinion. ( And in secret- they adore Israel). I have found greater antipathy for British traditions among Europeans, who have residual angst left after the wars of the last century.

It is not a question of colonisation or reverse colonisation- it is more of a question what serves UK best under current conditions. I do believe that it is in the long term interests of the UK to have strong relations with the 'youthful' colonies than with 'ageing' Europe. UK cannot afford to pay the care bills for ageing Europeans.

Kara Swart, London,

The comments from one or two Indians here to the effect that because Britain colonised India, we should expect to be colonised in turn are shocking. To blame 21st century British people for the actions of a tiny number of their long-dead ancestors, and to contemplate their 'comeuppance' with obvious schadenfreude, hints at a deep grudge against the people of this country.

I don't know how widespread such resentment is among the people from Britain's former colonies, but it does leave me asking whether it is sensible to pretend that this hostility doesn't exist when we determine our immigration policy. Now, if only we had an immigration policy...

Kulturkampf, London,

There is a need to ensure that large scale immigration to any country doesn't lead to intolerable strains on the social welfare infrastructure such as health and education.Competing for scarce jobs and/or consigning migrants with little or no marketable skills to dead end jobs will only lead to race antagonisms.
All migration has to be controlled and vetted to ensure social stability and to make the host country a desirable place to live

Eddie Keane, Brisbane,QLD., Australia

I don't think Britain has the capacity of land to expand our population. We need the land for farming to feed us all. Everyone is saying that migrants do the work that we don't want to do. If that is the case then we should change our social services. People who are claiming benefits who are physically and mentally able to work should be put to work. Local authorities have hundreds of jobs that they need doing, ie scraping chewing gum off the streets. I think its really important that when you are without work your self-esteem and lack of pride doesn't disappear along with your salary.
I think this country needs to be managed better. We should be looking at population control so people have a better quality of life. The way our social services work is that we are encouraging people to have children, when we should be discouraging them. Our quality of life would be much improved, and easier to manage if there were not so many of us.

Elly Horne, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire

One of the problems with 'European Only' immigration is that Central/Eastern European counties are having a demographic problem. Negative birth rates, coupled with an ageing population has meant that their society has become old before it has become rich. If the ageing Western European countries attract the youth of the ageing Eastern European countries, you will have a desolate wasteland left in Eastern Europe. Infact a compeeling logic for UK to stay out of the EU is that sooner or later Western Europe will have to pay the demographic bill for Eastern Europe as it struggles to cope with its own. It is also the same reason that Turkey should avoid joining the EU, as it is the only 'youthful' country in the neighbourhood.

The problem is that in the last century Europe made too much war and too little love..

Kara Swart, London,

There could be another criterion for immigration i.e. historical loyalty to Britain. People from countries who fought against Britain, bombed British cities over the last centuries should not be allowed in. Those who fought on the side of Britain should be welcomed. Simple.

Kara Swart, London,

How refreshing that immigration can at last be openly and honestly discussed without immediately being labelled racist! Of course we have to be welcoming and caring for those facing serious threats in their own country and we also need a certain amount of immigration for a range of reasons but most people now realise that the current government policy is illogical and unsustainable. It will almost certainly lead to even more cultural and personal problems for both new immigrants and established UK citizens of all ethnic groups.

We need more calm factual information such as provided by Migrationwatch on which to base future strategy.

Tony Keating, Salisbury,

The trouble with immigration is that it has always been seen as a moral issue rather than a strategic one, it has become a divisive issue with labels being applied to those who dissent from the PC view.
The real issues are what is a sustainable population figure for these Islands? taking in to account all the strategic requirements and also the social cohesion question, this government more than any other has a record for producing statistics and targets for carbon emissions, land fill sites, water conservation etc but population size must be the factor that impacts on these issues most

A healthy society needs a broad consensus on many issues like decency and fairness as these are the values that laws are based on at the moment we cannot get a consensus on issues like women's rights because of religious and ethnic differences.
It is always difficult to discuss the cultural differences that divide us and in the past we felt secure that we were the majority not any more

Charles , Bristol, UK

Labour, goods and capital are the 3 constituents of any economy. Those countries who have a surplus of goods and capital insist on their free movement. Likewise, the countries with surplus labour would like to see free movement of labour.

Whether we like it or not, Britain is in the EU. Therefore, it stands to reason that unskilled and semi skilled jobs be best performed by EU labour, if outside labour is necessary at all. Highly skilled talent is something else. It creates wealth and jobs for natives and foreigners alike. However, highly skilled labour is extremely mobile and go where wealth creation is best facilitated.

I do notice a yawning divide between businesses and nations as also businessmen and politicians. Businesses have become global, while politics remains tribal. Watch out for a lot of business-government conflict. Worldwide.

Rahul , London,

A question- upon his second coming, would Jesus get a visa to enter Europe? Being a shepherd, he would not fall into the highly skilled category. He would be of middle eastern origin and possibly look a bit like Yasser Arafat. ( Check out the BBC documentary). He also probably not have a proper birth certificate as well as a sufficient bank balance to support his visa application.

Kara Swart, London,

Third World immigration is suicidal race-displacement. EU immigration is, on the other hand, as unthreatening to the UK's indigenous Ethnic/Genetic Interests as an influx of Russian Jews is to a German Jewish area of New York.

Gilbert Montford, Penang, Malaysia

Reply to David, Hampton, NH, USA

That is the way this country works now, we got the government we deserve.

Rob Bain, Derby,

Of course Tony Blair could not care about immigration.
He is managing a war in Iraq and this is not easy. What you like exactly? killing people to get their petrol and stopping immigrants in the same time. It is impossible to get both together. You should be pragmatic, shoose one of both. Don't make the same mistake as Frensh, in the 60th they insisted on the Algerian war, which was behing big waves of immigration.

Soufiene, Sheffield,

For many years I have been writing to "our" government telling them they should severely limit the numbers of immigrants and so called asylum seekers into our ridiculously over crowded country without success, of course. They make no attempt to expel the immigrants who are here illegally and have never asked the indigenous population if we want every single nation here,
all busily trying to alter the country to suit themselves. It is high time they listened to common sense. Ministers who make the rules are never the ones who have to live amongst these aliens so cannot know about the problems they cause. I can well understand why so many of us leave England in despair. When a country loses its identity it loses its self respect. That is why law and order has broken down completely. There is no doubt the housing crisis is due to endless immigration but the government had the cheek to deny this ! Can we convince them of all these unnecessay problems ?
Yours in despair,
Adrian Appley

Adrian Appley, Bromley, Kent, England

Is it actually about welcoming or limiting immigration ? It's about paying a price, the right price for the moment.
When you stay somewhere long, as long as two hundred years and then overstay your welcome too , you'd say it was time to return the invitation and treat the other party to a good meal at least if not host them for a wonderful extended hundred years. The party's only just begun ! Have fun , Brits !

SALONI KAUL, Rome, Italy

THE DUTCH BRAIN-DRAIN
As a British citizen living in the Netherlands I am myself an 'immigrant'.
The Dutch NRC Handelsblad (similar to the FT) recently reported the alarming mass-exodus of professional immigrants to less xenophobic climes.
The blatantly racist Dutch immigration system is losing for a country aiming to develop a knowledge economy the foreign "professional classes" [well educated and socially desirable immigrants] who refuse to be treated like dirt by a system and political culture desiring openly to drive them out.
The foreign "undesirables" avoid or misuse the system entirely.
Britain has a long tradition of immigration and emigration which has shaped the globe we live on today.
The Dutch are closing their eyes, ears and borders. Is it really advisable for Britain to follow suit?

Richard, Groningen, NL

Immigration has to be controlled. In the part of London that I live in, English has become a second language and local people are in the minority. Ken Livingstone's propaganda conveniently ignores the fact that the creation of ethnic ghettoes in our towns and cities are socially divisive and render expressions like "social cohesion" totally meaningless. "Multiculturalism" was never voted on and local people have never been asked or even informed on the impact of far-reaching social changes. It should not mean the elimination of the indigenous community, and we are entitled to respect and to have our concerns listened to, not swept under the carpet and ignored.

Ralph Lawson, London, United Kingdom

For some historical/factual perspective about immigration into the UK please read Robert Winder's book 'Bloody Foreigners'. It highlights that frequently immigrants, and their offspring, are ambitious and ultimately successful; the Sunday Times 'rich list' provides extreme evidence of this. Wealth generates wealth and therefore benefits everyone. What is overlooked in this debate is the level of emmigration FROM Britain over recent times; wasn't there a survey showing that more than 50% of Britons would leave the country given the chance? This whole issue demonstrates - worryingly - that the government has not been 'in charge' of who is or is not allowed to live here. Like many subjects of national importance, Labour has no 'policy' to speak of, keeping difficult things at arms length until a popular headline is available. And as for the electorate voting based on Labour's policies, doctrine, vision - call it what you will - you can forget it.

Howard Broadwell, Nottingham, England

Vote BNP!

Jeff, Rushden, England

I completely agree with your article. It should be limited! I dont mean to sound terrible, but where i live, many uncivilised immagrants have come over and now wreak havoc. What used to be a safe town is no more, and the main offenders are immigrants. I find it most annoying that polish come here to work, pay tax for their own healthcare, education etc, then get it back when they go home! it basically means they have had a lovely trip over here, earned a decent wage packet and we have paid for their healthcare and education etc! I have no problem with people who really need to live here coming over but its horrible that when i walk round my town i almost barely hear the English language being spoken! Mind you, when i walk to into my college library, almost every student there is asian. and i will say i see chinese/asians work SO hard over here and a lot of people do, however some are coming over here and are no contribution to society.

Jade, Bognor Regis, England

The Soviet Union no longer exists. That raises the question of what we mean by the term "asylum seeker" within the context of European immigration. The UK social services are paid for by UK tax-payers, and cannot legitimately be offered to those who have paid no contribution to them. By all means let us work for social cohesion and strive to eliminate prejudice, but let us also administer our social services economically.

Edmund Burke, KIngston upon Thames, England

I'm shocked to say the least about this story.

So does the UK intend to bar well-educated and self-reliant Americans, Canadians and Australians but allow any number of European economic migrants???

David, Hampton, NH, USA

Chantel, I personally have never met a single person who assumes that 'ALL' immigrants are only interested in claiming benefits, nor have I ever met a single person who believes that immigrants are only to be found in so-called low-paid, menial jobs. The 'shouting down' of people I objected to was not in response to your suggestion that people should do their research properly, it was in response to your sarcastic comment that anybody who has a concern about immigration must be some ill-informed oaf whose only knowledge of such matters comes from hearsay down the pub. Has it not occurred to you, Chantel, that maybe, just maybe, some of the comments on here come from decent, hard-working,(reasonably) well-educated, regular folk who want nothing more than to simply air their concerns and worries.

Paul, Shepshed, Leicestershire,

Immigrants come here to work, thus gaining more money than they could at home. The situation is parallel to those many Brits who went to Saudi, Hong Kong and even the Sates to work in the past. The fact that many of them pay through the nose to do so just underlines the economic prosperity they hope to achieve. Fine, that's capitalism: labour should be as free to move around as money is.
Generally they can only obtain work at the most cut-throat end of the job market - at or near the bottom. The employer therefore benefits by paying lower wages and by perhaps being lax about health and safety. The people who suffer are those squeezed out of jobs by the migrant worker - who in many cases are previous migrant themselves, with very little cultural capital to trade on. Perhaps an extension of the mimimum wage system, protecting wages for vulnerable workers so that they could not be undercut would restrict the number of jobs available to migrants and so reduce the flow.

C R Jones, Wellingboro, England

Minette: "so many ethnic minority Britons are worried about immigration"

Black and Asian people here are worried, respectively, about non-Black, non-Asian immigration. It does not mean a great deal, and is not the same concern as that of the English, Scots and Welsh - who, let us not forget, own these islands.

All immigration is race replacement, and this long process of attaining honesty in debate on which we are engaged will eventually arrive at this truth. The natives will, on day, understand the enormity of the danger. Then, and only then, a real debate may be possible: that is, a debate about The National Question and, no doubt, the reclamation of the English homeland.

Speed the day.

Guessedworker, Lewes, Sussex

Please can we have a politician with some backbone to
stop this relentless immigration..
Anyway muslim bith-rates are well above the indigenous
norm..it is only a matter of time before england becomes
'englandistan'.

R brady, wallington, england

Does immigration from poorer countries drain them of thier best, worsening the situation? Does immigration increase competition for education, employment, housing? Can the poor & relatively uneducated who immigrate just stay at the socio-economic bottom? Who benefits? Is an anti-immigration viewpoint wrong, considering that the colonial nations were not welcome in the societies which they forced themselves upon & left for friendlier locales so why should the ex-colonial nations welcome the immigrants from the ex-colonies who didn't want them in the colonized world? Why should countries which did not colonize be expected to accept some EU formula-derived share of the immigrants & refugees?

C Banks, Lethbridge,, Canada, Alberta

Paul of Shepshed, Leicestershire: Yes, I was well aware of the terms of my Visa and I don't object to them as I have never had the luxury of a million and one benefits I could claim. What I do object to is being accused of coming here to claim benefits. I also object to the assumption that all immigrants are employed in low paying jobs.

Furthermore, my suggestion that 'concerned individuals' do some research about their concerns is hardly shouting anyone down. I should rather think that people who are so concerned would want to know the real facts instead of believing everything some guy at the pub told them. If in your view, my suggestion, that people do research is limiting a right to exercise their freedom of speech, then I find that very worrying.

Chantel, UK,

One of the oft repeated cliches of the race relations industry is that immigrants are to be welcomed because they do the jobs that we don't want to do. The low skilled, long hours, low paid jobs.

Not true!

There can be on more highly skilled, highly qualified or highly paid job than that of being a doctor. This August 10,000 of our junior doctors are likely to be unemployed and thousands more in short term dead end non-career grade posts.

At the same time the GMC has passed and registered tens of thousands of non-EU immigrant doctors enabling them to be unfairly pitted against our own doctors for a diminishing number of medical jobs.

The Home Office has had to step in to this debacle and introduce a Work Permit regime for non-EU doctors and the Department of Health is now insisting on priority being given in medical appointments to UK and EU doctors.

John Collins, Bromley, Kent,

Dear Minette Martin,
Thank you for your article 'Should we limit immigrants to Europeans?'. The common-sense answer is a resounding 'YES!' Fellow Europeans are members of our family, by race and culture. In contrast, most immigration from the third world over the last 60 years has been an economic, social & security disaster. This country is one of the most overcrowded in the world, with a population twice what would be ideal: if you doubt that, look at the facts and arguments on the website of the Optimum Population Trust. For that reason we should also refuse entry to all asylum seekers from countries for which we no longer have any responsibility. We do not have the space or resources to accept any more economic migrants or asylum seekers from the many God-forsaken, over-populated, poverty-stricken and countries on earth.

M John C, London, England

Oh and Dave from Bristol:

1km^2 is 1000m^2.

Rebecca, London,

My father, born in Australia spent the best years of his life flying a fighter for the King in the Royal Air Force. He considerered himself British, as well as Australian and his passport confirmed this fact. I am an Australian, an experienced GP, I would like to live and work in the UK for a couple of years, it is after all the land of my heritage and my language. I actually don't want to immigrate, just live and work there for a few years. Not really possible, Australia is not in the EU and I am not an asylum seeker - although I might be if Labor wins here this year. Rational?

Tim Rankin, Bowral, Australia

Rebecca, it is no use saying "Tina, bravo!" - her remarks are ill judged in the extreme. The fact that we created an empire 200 years ago is no reason to turn England into an overcrowded hell for today's citizens. It is simply obvious that levels of immigration over the past 10 years have been totally unsustainable in the longer run and must be curbed. That can either happen in short order in a civilised way, or will happen anyway in the longer term in terrible ways as the consequences of limitless immigration drive home. As for democracy, it is clear that most people were not voting for this outcome in 1997. Labour out now!

Richard, Worcester, England

Short term benefits of immigration supplying cheap labour will backfire, that is for sure. Tony Blairs legacy looks good now but mark my words one day we will look back on this leader and see that his immigration policy was massively flawed.
To maintain cheap labour for the less skilled jobs we have is impossible. We cannot keep adding countries to the European Union, allow them free migration to provide cheap labour. They have aspirations and don't want to be on the bottom rung of the ladder forever. Look at textiles, factories are moving around the world chasing cheap labour, it will run out one day.
A qualification standard must be employed to limit immigration or the inherent values of the current population are diluted to a point where unrest is inevitable, by whatever means.

Mark, Leicester, UK

Chantel, please read my earlier post. I think you'll be able to ascertain that I am not anti-immigration but I do believe that a greater degree of control is needed and I implore you yet again not to shout people down and dismiss them as racist for being concerned about major issues that affect them. Also, you complain that you contribute to a system from which you are not entitled to claim- well, why did you come here? To earn good money? Surely you knew the terms of your visa before you left your home country didn't you? Is Britain a racist country for imposing such conditions on your being here? What about your country? Are immigrants welcomed there with no conditions attached to their visas? Furthermore, for your information, I am greatly opposed to the abomination that is the BNP. Please don't use this forum as a conduit for abusing people who choose to exercise their right to free speech.

Paul, Shepshed, Leicestershire,

We need to elect politicians who have a rational approach to immigration and who respond to public concern. My Conservative MP writes that "the Conservative Party does not have a view as to the optimum population of the United Kingdom and this is not the sort of target that the party would want to see established"! And this is the only alternative to the present Government which sees no need to limit immigration! No wonder the native Britons are emigrating.

William Deller, Reading, Berkshire

"Asylum seekers" who travel past dozens of safe countries to target Britain are, of course, economic migrants. The EU forces this country to consider their claims (Dublin Convention, Scadplus) rather than return them to France etc.

Ray, London, England

Tina, bravo!

Rebecca, London,

As a New Zealander who has lived here for 10 years, acquired citizenship last year, has a higher rate tax payer - no non dom status for I object to the suggestion that I am not a valuable addition to your society. My uncle, grandparents, great uncles and cousins fought and in some cases died for this country. My step father can still remember how even in NZ it was difficult to get food during the war although there was not the same level of rationing, because they sent as much of NZ's produce as possible to Britain. His mother had to sell her engagement ring to make ends meet while his father fought overseas to keep Britain safe. The street my great grandfather lived on while working as a warehouseman is only minutes away from where I work everyday. I think like me most NZers and Australian's I have a considerable connection with this country. Indeed we are considered good workers, most of the temps in my office come from NZ, Aus or South Africa!

S.Pearce, London, UK

"It is, at the very least, time for the government to talk openly and fearlessly about numbers". Quite right, but it won't happen under this supposed Government. We need a change of Government as soon as possible and an associated change of thinking on immigration. It is well past the time to call a halt! We are ceasing to be a nation as our national identity is being obliterated under a tidal wave of immigration. If our borders are not controlled, something else will give and it won't be nice.

Richard Marriott, Kidderminster, England

Tina, Do me a favour ...... raping countries. The English aren't perfect but are you saying they didn't put anything IN to the countries that were part of the Commonwealth??
We all have a different view on how to behave now, we weren't so bad compared to some and we did give the countries back after some pressure.
I sincerely wish we hadn't given so many the option of British passports, but I am happy for people to come here who are grateful and happy to be here, not the whingers and moaners from abroad who haven't been given a big enough council flat. My son-in-law works for a company that maintains council and housing association properties, they are always complaining that they came here for a four bedroom house and have been given a flat. My brother has agoraphobia and is considered vulnerable but can he get hostel or housing, no he isn't black, Asian or pregnant.

Christine ter Meulen, Hayes, Middlesex, England

Your analysis is fine, as far as it goes; but it fails to address the issue of Britain's future. I predict that the next big surprise to strike the political establishment will be the realization that intelligence is genetically determined and is not all down to environment and resources, as they would like to think. The scientific evidence is there; the research has been going on for decades, and the findings quietly published in genetics and sociology journals. What Britain has been about, for the last 40 years, is population exchange; as PhDs have left through the front door, the uneducated and uneducable have been pouring in through the back door. Eventually, this is going to bite, with avengeance. You can see the effects beginning already.

Hrothgar, Schaumburg, IL, USA

Why are we all moaning about immigrants? Who elected the successive governments who let them in?

Archie, Vancouver, Canada

We should limit immigration to people who :-
a) don't break the law
b) don't need social housing
c) don't need benefits
d) don't worship a child abuser

David, London, UK

Is there any point in this conversation? The Uk is already a mess, and its taken less than 10 years, my nearest british born neighbour is at least 3 streets away from me. I'm saving up to move away to an area where there are fewer immigrants., where the shops are neither polish ot asian.

James, Reading,

I don't think quotas need to be put into place just reorganisation if the benefit system to make it equally easy to claim for everyone. Immigrants power our economy and make Britain probably the most tolerant and civilised places to live in the World. We definitley need a crack down on illegal immigrants and harsher boarder control to prevent terror suspects coming here. People seem to forget when they say that we currently have a black gun and gang culture that the reason why there is so much crime and this "gang" situation is because of how poor these communities are and if you look back in History again and again we always see that the areas with the most crime are in poorer immigrant communities. Getting rid of them will not help the situation as it will plunge other communities into poverty we just have to find ways of dealing with it.

Charlie, London,

European countries have no other choice,a majority off the immigrants come from former colonial domains.

michael joseph heavey jnr, cahersiveen, eire

> Oh I forgot, it is far more inflammatory and entertaining to believe what some guy down at the pub told you.

I love hearing from Lefties..

Acording to the Left, anyone who disagrees with them gets their information from a man in a pub and not their experience.

I live in Barnet, I struggle to pay rent. This year two women turned up from Somalia and took my council to court to force them to provide two houses at no cost.

I'm struggling to pay my bills, and these two immigrants from a counry on the other side of the world get to live rent/council tax/untilities free.

I understnad how much the Left fears common people (i.e. people in pubs). And that populist, or imflamitory are code words for 'what common people think/.

I don't want to pay for immigrants, but I have to, because its racist or 'inflamitory' to complain.

tt, London, Wa

There can be no doubt that for the hard-working members of our society, recent immigration has been a boon - i.e. plumbers are cheap!

FYI: London isn't a hellhole. Thanks to having talents from around the world London is the world capital for finance, we are doing more business and making more money than the likes of New York and Paris, precisely because of the unique culture immigration has contributed to.

This hell hole pays for the rest of the country's benefits.

Joshua, London, England

To: Paul, Shepshed, Leicestershire,

Paul, I contribute to a system I am not allowed to claim from, so do many immigrants. If you cannot differentiate between immigrants, migrants, asylum seekers and illegal immigrants, then perhaps you should do some research? Go on, give it a try, it will expand your mind.

Genuine people voicing genuine concerns should also do their research instead of falling for BNP type scare-mongering.

Chantel, UK,

So Minette welcomes immigration.....presumably so affluent double income London folks like herself can get a nice cheap Polish nanny/cook/cleaner/gardner/electrician/plumber/builder (delete as appropiate). Greed and self interest rules, I think ....In the US they use Hispanics / Mexicans in a similar manner

Ted Farley , Manchester, England

How many more immigrants can the UK take? I've been on my council waiting list for 10 years, but every year there are more people on the list in front of me.
The UK is a soft touch, easy to get into, easy to get medical care, and very easy to get housing.
Makes you wonder why people get very, very angry.

Lucy, London,

The easiest way to stop immigration is to get rid of the Pound. The strong pound makes the UK a superb place to earn money to take home. I know, I've done it myself. Get the Euro, and the immgration 'problem' will ease.

Niel Malan, Bronkhorstspruit, South Africa

It will only stop when Europe becomes Islamic over the next century, because it will be a betting certainty that political correctness and even our christian church especially the c of E will help it all happen, this is a very brave article but you had to put you own political correctness by calling Europe a melting pot, as far as I am concerned Britain is still a vast majority of Anglo and Celtic white people and multiracial britain is a myth in most of these islands, just because that hell hole called London has lost the plot, doesn't mean the rest of Britain has.

Gareth, Merthyr Tydfil, Mid Glamorgan

Something interesting was mentioned on SBS Television here a while ago, can't quote verbatim, but words to the effect of 'The people most against immigration are the last generation of comfortably settled immigrants'.

It's an interesting thought. Conservatism and Nationalism seem to be quite elastic concepts.

Ash, Australia,

Yes I agree - sure there are ethnics in the EU, but at least this rule would stop the British feeling like their nation is going nowhere fast.
Also why the derogatory comments about Aussies...

"The Australians are hardly the paragons of morality and fairness", K. Urban, London, UK

As a Yorkshire man who's been in Melbourne for 6 years I can say Aussies are the most genuine and likable people I have ever met.
Sure they rub some frustrated and repressed English people up the wrong way, by saying what they think, but whose problem is that?
The West does not owe the world anything, especially not asylum seekers.

Daniel K888, Melbourne, Australia

Ths State does not owe anyone a living!!! The majority of "freeloaders" are not immigrants - they are native Britons who feel "justly aggrieved" at not being able to scrounge off the state. Better an immigrant who works (illegally) than a son-of-the-soil descendant of Edward III who can't wait for the DSS cheque to come through!!!

Having said that, I know it is unworkable to restrict immigration to Europeans. The Home Office's own figures say that 73% of immigrants let into the UK under the highly skilled visa programme are from outside the EU. Hopefully our state schools with their soon-to-be "examless" routines and A-levels in media studies will fill the void this would create!!!

Osei K., London - Great Britain,

Duncald of Melbourne Australia.
The Australians are hardly the paragons of morality and fairness.
Not for nothing do people have this vision of the typical Australian.
Should you think that is unfair, the point has been taken up in ads for your countries products, such as Fosters.
Burp.

K. Urban, London, UK

Has any anglo-saxon you know ever been granted citizenship of an Asian country? Or been allowed to buy property in some of them? Even obtaining permanent residence is itself quite a feat.

Where is the outcry against that?

If those countries restrict immigration on ethnic grounds, Britain has every right to do so as well.

Duncald, Melbourne, Australia

An amnesty should be given to illegal immigrants in which they are given until a date yet to be set in the future to own up and be repatriated. Failure to do so should result in a substantial jail sentence prior to repatriation when found to be illegal after the amnesty has ended. Illegal immigrants will be less inclined to come to the UK or Northern Ireland faced with this possiblity.

Those with dual nationality should have their British nationality withdrawn and returned to their country of origin when found to have committed crime, illegally claimed benefits or failing to pay their fiscal dues to the country by defrauding HM Revenue and Customs.

Canada and Australia have returned murderers and sex offenders to this country on basis. No reason why we should not do likewise. We have been a soft touch for far, far too long.

Alex, Edinburgh,

I quote Minette Marrin

"No one would wish to turn away genuine asylum seekers. "

"No one can turn away migrants from the European Union, whether we wish to or not. The result is that we already have far more prospective immigrants than we could hope to accommodate."

I would dispute the first assertion, and the second needs addressing urgently, not least because of it's accuracy.

Only this evening I watched an episode of 'COAST', in which a Pole living in Blackpool (Polish population 7000 - 8000) mentioned blithely that there are so many of his countrymen around him that he sometimes feels he is on the Baltic coast, and that the English are foreigners, on holiday abroad. I feel the same way, unfortunately.

Unless our miserable excuses for politicians get a grip of reality sometime soon, withdrawing from the 'EU' if necessary, I fear the rise of the BNP and the sort of ethnic cleansing our sizeable colony of former Yugoslavian guests have already been through once.

j griffiths, manchester, England

Sounds a touch racist to me

A.T. Martin, Warsaw, Poland

@Craig, Exmouth
Quite right: Being part of the USA, UK does not belong to EU and should demand visa!

Dr. Beck, Köln, Deutschland

I contributed to the UK economy by paying tens of thousands of pounds for my education in the UK as an international student. I got a job with a work permit, paying all the taxes and NI, yet I am not entitled to any public funds. Last year, the home office suddenly changed the qualifying period for settlement for skilled migrants f rom 4 years to 5 years. It applies retrospectively to people who are already working here. How do I know what the home office is going to change tomorrow? Immigration rules should NEVER be applied retrospectively to people who are already here under the old rules. It makes us highly skilled migrants live in fear and frustration everyday. We contribute a lot to this country and we deserve to be treated with respect.

JC, London,

The reason why some immigrants prefer to come to the UK over other EU countries, apart from the obvious need, is the perception that the UK is a tolerant, welcoming country. From my experience that is broadly true. This is an enviable virtue of the British people and it would be a shame to give in to tabloid rhetoric. Tabloids may sell well but don’t educate well.

Kosta, Glasgow,

If the asylum seekers and economic migrants from Asia and Africa are so good for our economy why haven’t the countries they passed through when being trafficked snapped them all up rather than actively encouraging them to come to the UK? Are they all economically mad to pass up on these workers so prized and vital to our economy, according to some of the posts here?

By the same token France and the other EU countries who have refused open door migration to the new accession states must be kicking themselves at passing up the opportunity to enrich their economies.

Let me repeat this; is every other EU country deliberately ignoring a golden chance to boost their economies…or is just the UK that is out of step and everyone else is laughing at us?

Tom Sedman-Smith, Worcs, England

Derek from Manchester think again. The leader of the Indian Congress party is an ethnic Italian Catholic but is loved in India, as an INDIAN.

Frankly I find you're view that only white can be English is abhorrent, there are and will continue to be minorities in this country and the sooner you realise that the better. They just wont be shipped off. As someone whose parents immigrated to this country in the eighties and who have worked damn hard , i am bloody proud of my englishness and i will not be told by people like you whether i can be or not.

However i do think we should have a selective immigration policy and many parts of Britain are straining under the sheer numbers. I think we should concentrate on integrating those who can and are willing to make a positive contribution to our society.

Deepan, Hertfordshire,

How can you possibly imply that the UK is not yet full? The population density of the UK is more than twice that of France, or put another way, if we had a similar population density there would only be 25-30 million people on theses islands! When you compare just England the density jumps to a more than 3 times that of France again with similar densities, 17 million people would be the population of England! The UK if overfull and drastic action needs to be taken to stabilise then reduce the population.

keith saunders, worcester, UK

What is so wrong with Blunkett saying that he could not see any point in putting a limit on the number of foreigners we allow into the country? Don't just call it stupid and then give no reason. What the former Home Sec was saying was that the number of people from outside that we require to support our economy varies all the time - as do the specific skills we require from working visitors. That is why the Home Office is due ti phase in implementation of a 'points based system' similar to that used in Australia (people wishing to come here have to apply from abroad and if they do not score enough points they don't get permission to come here). Immigration is not something to tolerate either - that is, at best, a racist remark. The only valid point worth making about visitors from abroad, is that we currently do not remove those who overstay illegally. There are about 400,000-600,000 illegal overstayers and we really should deal with this - although this will cost loads and take time.

Crashingdashingkid, wirral, UK

I also agree that this country should open his borders only to european countries whether EU member or not but I emphasise only european nationals. The advantage of that would be huge given the direction of european Union.

Omar, Grozny, Russia

Maybe instead of blaming immigrants all the time, there should be a change in the policies of the welfare state, so that it encourages those who are able to work to do so.

I personally experienced a totally ridiculous situation; as I missed the residency deadline (three years) by 2 months, I was ineligible for a student loan (to pay for studies that improved mine and the country's economic prospects, and a loan that would be paid back over time). However, after living in the UK for 6 months I was eligible for claiming benefits, though I never did and hopefully, thanks to my self-funded degree, never will.

Lisa, London,

Ah, right... so it's okay for the British to swan around the world, taking over countries and raping them of their resources and forcing the local populations to comply with their ways of doing things... but when these people think to come to the 'mother country', so to speak, then they are unwelcome.

How strange.

How two-faced.

Tina, Düsseldorf, Germany

Excellent article. It as about time that somebody finally pointed out that not all ethnic minority UK citizens support high levels of future immigration. Only a minority of very recent immigrants who would like to bring over family and friends support lax immigration policies.

The reason this fact is rarely heard is that ethnic minority UK citizens themselves find it difficult to articulate their opinion on this for fear of being accused of trying to shut the door behind them - not allowing future immigrants to be let in, when they or their parents were.

....but what a shame about the contradiction between this article and Minette Marrin's article last week asking us to concrete over the country for new housing. - If immigration levels are bought under control, then with the current low birth rates there would be no need to concrete over anything!

joseph, london,

CHANTEL- Perhaps you should do your research properly before condemning anybody who speaks out about immigration issues. I don't think anybody really believes that ALL immigrants receive lots of 'freebies' but it is certainly the case that plenty of immigrants, legal and otherwise, do have recourse to public funds,priority housing with no requirement to pay rent,council tax etc etc. When our welfare state is already crippled how do you expect tax-paying citizens to feel when they are pushed to the back of the queue. This is not scare-mongering - this is fact. Documentary evidence proves this. Your comments do no favours to immigrants. Once again, genuine people voicing genuine,legitimate concern get shouted down. Would the same happen in your country? Or does you goevrnment welcome anybody who wishes to settle there, no questions asked? Do immigrants receive priority treatment over your own countrymen? I very much doubt it.

Paul, Shepshed, Leicestershire,

anyone who has tried to emmigrate to NZ will realise how difficult it is. A person who shares language culture and is bringing money with them still has to jump through hoops pay for government fees etc have no criminal record good health. even if you have a good skill /profession it still has to be the one they need at that time. it is not an open door!

john, edinburgh, uk

... Respondents were “very sensitive about freeloading by other groups”.... Such as the poorly educated feckless scroungers of the UK who could have taken any of the 600,000 jobs that immigrants have moved here to do? I'd rather have a immigrants keen to work and get on in life than chavs who think the state owes them a living.

It always amazes me that people who claim to support an open market economy with free movement of goods and capital come over all communist when people start freely moving around to improve their lives. If they want to live somewhere where free movement of people is restricted they should try North Korea.

John Small, Faversham, UK

I am sure that most people believe we have already reached the limit. Britain is already full. Craig is right, we should withdraw from the EU immediately and stop ALL immigration into the UK for at least the next 10 years.

Paul, Rochester, UK

"The UK has a total land area of 242, 910 km2 and a population of 60,776.238 (CIA factbook, July 2007), that leaves each of us approximately 4m2."

Morris of London, Dolook around you and you might spot the problem with your maths 1km2 is 1,000,000 m2 not 1,000m2 and so we actually have 4000m2 each (Or 720m2 after the DEFRA calculation) Plenty of room to stretch your legs.

Dave, Bristol, UK

Well said. I cannot agree more.
I feel my country has been taken away from me.

This small country has been overwhelmed with immigration from both Europe and elsewhere. There has been no time for assimilation.

Surely, rather than turn away non-EU migrants we should be directing them to Poland and Romania where they might setle in place of those who have come here.

Ralph G, London, UK

If you think the shade of the Rt. Hon. Enoch Powell is baleful wait until you again get a glimpse of the shade of the Rev. Malthus. Why even the argument offered thirty years or so ago by the Club of Rome may now deserve another look.

For example, the North Sea hydrocarbon reserves of the U.K. seem to be definitely on the decline and soon crude will again be an important balance of payments cost.

But this is just a fact of life for the globe with the emergence of Red China and India transforming the demand side of the equation for this crucial industrial input along with all components of the raw materials index.

Surely quality of life, the environment, health care, education, a decent society etc. must have some value.

Are we all to be doomed by the PC fanatics to see our lives reduced to the least of those on this globe before they rest satisfied?

God and the voters forbid. But time is short my friends for the U.K. and the U.S.A.

William C. Grant, Houston, TX,

1) Multiculturalism was always a contradiction in terms. A society is defined by its culture. Multi cultures mean multi societies.
2) Britain, let alone England, is not America. Compared with Britain, America is still a vast unsettled land awaiting settlement.
3) Britain has had indigenous cultures (in England, Scotland & Wales) for well over a millennium. To suddenly introduce very many people of different races, religions and cultures - without even consulting the British people - was always a hare-brained idea.
4) To imagine that to solve labour shortages we must always have more people - imported or home grown - logically leads to everlasting population growth. That is lunacy. We, and every country eventually, must manage with a stable population. A never-ending rise in population is not sustainable, cannot be sustained and will in the end lead to economic & environmental collapse.

Dave, Wrexham,

I don't understand why Britain and the US don't have some sort of visa exchange programme, we have so many similar cultural traits and have been allies for so long- Canadians can work in Britain for 2 years but Americans are treated like any random immigrants- yet our nations ties run back centuries! We speak English and embrace your heritage because for many Americans its our heritage too and viceversa! I think both nations need to rethink their policies.

Arabella, Boston,

Derek, manchester, wirtes: "You're not Indian if you're not a brown/tan person from India. Let's return to some common sense and quit being so intellectually lazy about culture, ethnicity and race."

Race is not a categorization used in India. There are millions (yes, millions) of Indians who are not brown/tan. This also includes people of European descent . The Constitution of India of 1950 gives special rights to persons of "Anglo-Indian" descent. Many Anglo-Indians have held prominent positions in the armed forces and in other areas of society.

Pravin Kumar, Bergen , Norway

Clearly immigration from the EU is not the same as immigration from other countries. Immigrants from EU countries are exercising a RECIPROCAL right: A citizen of any EU country is free to come to the UK to live and work - and every UK citizen has the right to live and work freely in any other EU country.

The Brits have embraced this right as much as anyone. As it happens, there is approximately an equal number of Europeans living in Britain as there are Britons living in Europe (2 million or so). To me it sounds like a sensible agreement from which everyone is benefiting.

Moreover, placing any restrictions on this reciprocal right would require the UK to withdraw from not only the EU, but also the EEA (the free trade arrangement that e.g. Norway has with the EU).

Surely that can't be the way forward.

Alex, Amsterdam, NL

The UK has a total land area of 242, 910 km2 and a population of 60,776.238 (CIA factbook, July 2007), that leaves each of us approximately 4m2. If you factor in the amount of land set aside for agriculture, national parks and forests (DEFRA 2005) that leaves us each about 0.72m2. This is only a quick estimate but where are all these people going to go?

Morris, london,

You're moaning on a high level. We here had an entire Eastern-European country to integrate, completely rundown and bankrupt. Yet still we're doing ok. The rich countries of Europe have to lend their Eastern brothers a helping hand... in a spirit of solidarity that seems to be alien to the majority of posters here. And don't tell me a few hundred thousand workers from Poland or from somewhere else from the ex Eastern Bloc will ruin your country. Most of them are there only temporary anyways. Besides, it isn't only the EU to blame for that. Why is migration from the new EU members strictly regulated to countries like Germany, France, Italy, etc. but not to Great Britain? You only have your own government to blame in this case. Stop moaning and always pointing at others as the cause for your selfmade (non-)problems.

Matt, Wuerzburg, Germany

It's about time a sensible approach was adopted. We are part of Europe and cannot turn our fellow EU citizens away, but there's absolutely no reason why we should be accepting immigrants from anywhere else, including former commonwealth countries which essentially no longer have anything to do with the UK.

Anne Smith, London, UK

when I read articles like this it is impossible no to think that this complicated situation is the result of colonialism. Centuries ago europeans started to explode colonial resources. Now the boomrang is back. It will be a very tough situation to resolve. In politics you cannot get everything without a future problem

Francisco Appiani, Buenos Aires, Argentina

We are missing the real culprits in this issue: Britain's rank elite and entrenched middle classes. The UK has never come to terms with its own poor, and has in the past had the escape valve of shipping them to other countries. Unfortunately, in the age of mass migration from all over the world to Canada, USA and Australia, Britain's chavs are not a desired commodity. The UK's elite in the short-term lept at the opportunity to juice the economy with new Europeans and the hungry masses of the third world. But the chavs and such still remain and are a stink hanging over the island - an unresolved injustice. They are being joined by the failed sons of our migrant communities as well, and this festering pool of poor failure is the source of great instability. The UK will have to face it and it will not be good enough to just say 'let those lazy rotters rot!', as you flurt with the new Polish bombshell barmaid.

Bob Macdonald, London,

This is a racist idea and utterly wrong.

Managing the numbers and kinds of immigrants is fine.

It shoudl be a compbination of need (asylum seekers who are genuinely at risk of torture and murder at home or who are driven from home by war) and by value - they bring large amounts of money, skills, business acument or whatever. Origin should not come into it.

Europeans should have no greater rights in this country than an asylum seeker from Zimbabwe.

However, no one shoiuld be able to claim social benefits unless they have contributed to society for a period of time, at least two years I would say. Asylum seekers might be given extra help to settle them in and get them on the road to work. But everyone coming here should assume they will work, and the benefits system should be worked that way.

neil murphy, cromer,

It saddens me that so many people still blame problems in the UK on immigration. Immigration is a positive thing. Minette Marin is very naive (or disingenous) in saying that there is nothing racist about suggesting that we limit immigration to EU nationals or asylum seekers. A natural consequence of such a policy would be that the majority of new immigrants to this country would be essentially white and from a christian background (until the day Turkey joins the EU). PJ from London writes that no-one in the UK would resent the immigrant from Australia / Canada - who is to say that the immigrant from Africa would not contribute significantly more to the UK than someone from Australia / Canada?
Well done to those who have commented on here that for centuries, Brits 'immigrated' into other countries as colonialists and that we in the UK now have a responsibility to these countries.
I am an immigrant into the UK . I 'picked' the UK for its wonderful tolerance. Don;t let this die!

KBO, London,

The damage is already done and will only get worse, there is still no serious debate on numbers coming from Politicians on either side of the House, just a few soundbites from the likes of Hodge and Kelly worried about getting their backsides back on their Parliamentary seats come the next election, its exactly the same with Iraq suddenly they are all falling over themselves to declare that perhaps it wasn't a good idea after all (but ignorance is bliss). People in Britain have no democratic rights under this Government to say what kind of society they want to live in anymore, to do so is to be instantly and conveniently dismissed as some kind of rabid racist (end of argument). The only solution to immigration is now emigration for those fortunate enough to have the finances to do this (pensioned off Members of Parliament for instance).

Don, Leeds, U.K.

I live in Barnet. Recenlty two Somali women turned up and demanded that my council give them a house each. A solicitor, paid by my taxes, on £200 an hour, sued my council, to force me to pay for these two Somali women to live rent free in my borough. I am now paying for these women to live without paying a penny, while I stuggle to pay rent and pay my bills. I would like Barnet Council to give me a free house, but then I'm not Somali, and Ms Blair's friends are not going to go to court for me, as my Human Rights aren't worth much.

tt, London, Wa

Bringing in immigrants in not a problem if i may say but where is the love and welcome atmosphere for them to be happy. after the Uk has given them hope that they have freedom of living life here the way they want. At the end 80% of asylum seeker are not alowed to work but only discriminating them against the hope given to them.
I would also tell the public that 90% of asylum seeker are the best in progress in EDUCATION, they are very well ready to learn and work. 99% of them are here based on circumstance beyond control.

Alex, Brighton, Uk

Wrong! Britain (as any other country) prospers by letting in the best. Britain prospers by bringing in the skills we need. If we do as the author suggests, we may end up with selecting immigrants who are least likely to contribute to Britain's future. That means more council flats for immigrants, more grants for the unemployed. More of what you are trying to reduce.

Somnath Mukhopadhyay, Dundee, UK, United Kingdom

I honestly dont believe the UK can do that. There are not many immigrants here except for the highly skilled, asylum seekers and europeans. So whats the point? We then have tourists, students, business and work permit visas. Stop all of them..Sure. International students are already a £1 billion industry here. Stop business visits and companies outside europe to deploy people here ?

Well, people in UK think allowing immigration is like doing charity. True. This charity benefits both sides financially. Instead of stopping immigration now, the government should address issues of skill shortage which lead to immigration. I think this column is 10 years ahead of time!

Ranjith, Hampshire,

Limit it and leave the EU. We are amongst the most land-poor people on earth; why does this Govt want to make us poorer ?

Now people cannot afford a family home at a family time of life. Overcrowding is affecting our roads, trains, sleep (noise pollution), surroundings, biodiversity, water suppies, fish stocks, recreation ( hence health ) and quality of life.

No wonder the UN says the UK is the worst place in the developed world for children to grow up. I recall T Blair saying, in the mid-90s, that there would be no return to mass immigration; never should anyone again trust Labour over migration.

It would also be of benefit if the Govt were to bring back an assisted passage scheme, remove illegals and criminals.

Simon, Reading,

Its not fair to lump all immigrants together. I have been working in this country for last 4 years on a work permit and subsequently on an HSMP visa. Until I get my permanent residency status in 5 years, I do not qualify for any state benefits even though I have paid thousands of pounds in taxes and national insurance contributions. So when you make sweeping generalizations about immigrants, keep in mind the hundreds of thousands who are here legitimately but are being discriminated against. Every year the government is making policies more difficult to achieve permanent residency status. Are we here to fill the pensions gap, with the government hoping (or conspiring ? ) to make us leave before we can start claiming pension rights ?

Also all immigrants are serving the British public. Go to any store, shop, restaraunt etc. and the chances are you will be served by an immigrant.

Jay Leno, London,

I fully agree with Cheryl from Manchester. Australia, NZ, and Canada have the right idea. If one is to be allowed into a country, one must have something to offer that country. It is not fair for an uneducated person to be allowed into a country where they may work "under the table" or may not work at all. And I'm quite sorry if this sounds un-PC, but waiting tables and working in McDonalds doesn't count. We have plenty of our own nationals who can do those jobs. What we need are doctors, nurses, and people with technical expertise.

Jennie Foskett, Dinan, France

What is the difference between a people from a country with a similar GDP to UK and say India? Why should a person from Denmark be more welcome then a person from Turkey? People are not defined by their state of birth – not all Zimbabweans are murderous despots same like not all Britons are honest and democratic. Accepting just high skilled migrants makes no sense when you have labor shortages in factories. Point is that immigration benefits this country both economically and even more importantly culturally. You only have to look at cities such as Norwich or areas such as Cornwall where people are predominantly white and British to realize how badly this country needs as much possible different cultures to make it fun, interesting and vibrant place like London, Manchester or Oxford.
Finally, irrespective of this we must allow those who are here now illegally to stay if for any other reason than that on humanitarian grounds. However you feel about immigration in general you must think humanely and help these people. Learn more from campaigns such as Strangers into Citizens and lobby your local MP to do something very good this year and vote the earned amnesty through the parliament.

Gabriel, Oxford, UK

We do not have, nor have we ever had an effective policy for controlling immigration. Until we do it's pointless to discuss who we should allow in and who we should not allow in.

Ray Frowd, Cambridge,

"Of course there is a moral argument for rich people in favour of taking in poorer foreigners."

Really? How so? It's okay for the rich to appease their consciences, but it's the poor that have to suffer as a result!

And where in this debate is the damage done to this country's heritage by growing numbers of Muslims wishing to overturn the state in favour of the Shari'ah model?

Richard Lewis, London, UK

You talk about EU inmigrants as if we were all despearte to leave our countries and live in the U.K forever, like we come from hell on earth or soemthing . Most of us here , are in this country for a brief period of time and most of us here can't wait to go back believe me darling!, as far as I know there are plenty of Britons settled nicely all over Europe , specially in the South of our continent

Tomasina lari, London, uk

As migration watch says it is the unregulated number of people coming in from former commonwealth countries that should immediately be stopped. This will help bring numbers down. The EU, we are probably near the bottom of the barrel now, not many left to come. What does need urgent consideration is the EU expansion in to the former soviet union and heaven forbid Turkey. Now there are serious numbers of people who would quite like to live here.

V angry, London, UK

We should give priority to people from English speaking nations - Aus, NZ, USA & Canada. Secondly, to Western European countries, and only then, consider immigrants from elsewhere, and only IF they successfuly qualify under a process similair to Aus or the USA's.

xxxCORRECTxxx, London,

Have a look at what immigration from outside the EU has done to this country. We're losing our culture. Anyone can come here and call themselves English, Scottish, and Welsh and Irish and not be at all English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish. We're not even selling our ethnicity to people who aren't us, we're just giving it away. Now university academics and MPs hungry for votes want to give away Europe as well. If you're not white, then you're not English. You're not Indian if you're not a brown/tan person from India. Let's return to some common sense and quit being so intellectually lazy about culture, ethnicity and race. Let's face it, if someone from Bangladesh comes to the UK, doesn't speak English, and is dressed in a robe from head to toe then I'm sorry, they just aren't English. They aren't British either. We don't have to give away our ethnicity to everyone-but we can create more descriptions for people that are more fitting, rather than acting like they are native..Silly

Derek, manchester,

Perhaps the unchallenged right of 'asylum seekers' to settle wherever they feel their economic nirvana is to be achieved should be challenged. There is no possible justification for an alien from an alien culture choosing Great Britain, Australia, the USA or Canada over the nearest safe haven from his or her native (but apparently unsafe) country, when the decision to go there is not based on his or her safety, but on the likelihood of gaining comparatively more monetary benefit.

Paul Carlin, Dromore, Co Down

Thank God we now have hundreds of thousands of white, european Christians flocking into the UK.

Its strange however that with a flood of easily assimilable migrants we are having discussions about stopping them.

We should have done this with the millions of poor, uneducated and fundamentaly antagonistic Islamic migrants whe have so dominated our public life and imported terrorism and cultural behaviour, such as honour killings and the oppression of women and non muslims, that is completely unacceptable in a (formerly) civilised Christian country.

Perhaps if our rulers had listened to us rather than imposing their undemocratic policies there would not be so many British people, like me, who have left the UK to find a life abroad that has been taken from us at home.

Geoff, Josselin, France

First: Why is it that nearly half the Asian and Black community are opposed to the new wave of immigration, when their views are quite the opposite when it's a question of immigrants from Asia, Africa or the Carribean? Does that not smack of racism?
Secondly: The Poles and Balts have every right to be here as members of the EU.
Thirdly: What are we to say of the nearly 800,000 British resident in Spain alone? Isn't that a "foreign" culture? And France? Indeed, practically all Western Europe?
Fourthly: We have already had a large Polish community here, at least in London. After the war, the Free Poles, the third largest allied army, could not in many cases return and were treated miserably. I attended a London grammar school, with the children of Polish officers who remained and was fortunate to be taught Maths by Polish mathematicians. My first girlfriend was a descendant of Poles. It is absolutely outrageous that Poles should be, of any group, discriminated against in this way.

Francis, London,

we have leaders who order the spitfires in 1955.Leaders who lack foresight and think foreign is good because of their basic inadequacies.

david, northwood, england

Yes, views are changing drramatically. Andrew Neill admitted on BBC recently that he had practically accused Michael Howard at the 2005 election of racist immigration policies, and the head of MigrationWatch was, in typical journaleses, impled as being a racist in the Guardian (where esle?)

Gordon, Edinburgh,

the fact remains that any such legislation -( if approved- whoever mentions such contentious issues are labled 'racists' by the press/etc etc -)
such would take years to get anywhere near being made law...
perhaps we should all take our chairs down to the seaside and make a collective wish to stop the ' tide'.................

mike, oxford, england

What about British Australians, British New Zealanders, British Canadians, British Americans? They have the same ethnicity, language, common ancestors, common heritage, common belief system as British Britons. Why are they discriminated against?

Annette, Melbourne, Australia

Whether in Britain, America, France, Germany or other nations of the West, citizens of European descent are grappling with whether or not they will gently go into that good night and become a minority in their own countries. That's what somehow was pre-ordained since the Liberal takeover, but now is being challenged by those most loyal to Western Civilization.

doug lominac, las vegas, Nevada

The problem is that the Polish have a better education, than the English, they speak different languages, what the English don't do, and they are ready to work in lower jobs. Competition is good for business.

Griffith, London, London

Minette, you're missing the point. The complaint about new immigrants concerns East Europeans from the new EU member states. They are indeed coming over in large numbers, working for a pittance and fill vital roles in agriculture, construction and tourism. In many cases, they are shaming the indigenous population by their industry and reliability.

As for asylum seekers, while many are simply economic migrants, as their cases trundle through the system, they are forced to take benefits or work illegally, since by law they cannot work and contribute. Rather than keeping them in enforced state dependency, they should be set free to work, pay tax and National Insurance contributions until their status is determined.

Finally, re. the end of "multi-culti", c.f. the experience of France with forced integration. Riots anyone?

Malcolm, London,

Should we limit immigration to Europeans? No.

KEVIN MCKENNA, Lucca, Italy

Bringing in immigrants in not a problem if i may say but where is the love and welcome atmosphere for them to be happy. after the Uk has given them hope that they have freedom of living life here the way they want. At the end 80% of asylum seeker are not alowed to work but only discriminating them against the hope given to them.
I would also tell the public that 90% of asylum seeker are the best in progress in EDUCATION, they are very well ready to learn and work. 99% of them are based on circumstance beyond control.

Alex, Brighton, Uk

I live in the South West of England and the economy is dominated by the service and tourist industry. Since Poland joined the EU the area has been flooded with Polish. Visit any large hotel, restaurant or pub and you will be served by someone from Eastern Europe.
Where have all the people that used to do these jobs gone!
I suspect they are all on retraining courses. There are no longer summer jobs available for the local youth and the local schools are struggling to cope with children whose first language is not English.
Is no one going to put the brakes on?

Philip Nixon, Birmingham,

The West is in a moral maze, Postmodern thinking tells us there are no moral absolutes, all is subject to relativism, enlightenment values have been stood on their head. This thinking has become the new political religion, and as such is practiced throughout every Western nation state,

This new ideology has morphed into Multiculturalism and is responsible for the West'ern nation states opening it's borders to mass immigration, Britain's plight is being replicated in every Western nation without exception. Multiculturalism and Postmodern ideology is central to all that we see today, which is chaos as a result of the unintended consequences of this regime.

To discriminate is also a central plank in this thinking, so add this to no such thing as no truth (moral absolutes) and relativism and you then begin to see the madness of unlimited immigration.

To our politicians there is no alternative, they are paralysed in the in the headlights of reality.

Bill, Sheffield,

Bajram , why are you looking for an advantage, even an endless procession of freeloaders and criminals from the EU would be of no "advantage" to this country . How about this for an immigration policy; One out one in . Every time a British national emmigrates we will allow a foreign national to take up residence.Criteria for entry would be:
1 . Returning British national.
2 . Qualifications and ability equal to that of the British national leaving this country.
3 . Shut the door.

Nick Dixon, Sutton Coldfield, U.K.

Minette Marin has bought Government spin: Multiculturalism has not been 'dumped'; its name has been changed to 'diversity'. Hands up anyone who can explain the difference ! In any event, pursuing 'multiculturalism' by all UK public bodies - from the smallest local authority through to the BBC, is absolutely enshrined in law - the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2001. It is a criminal offence for the chief officers of those bodies not to publish detailed plans that comply with the CRE's multicultural framework. Let's get the facts out in the open - please!

Frederick, Bordon, Hants.

Common sense at last but will it be soon enough before Enoch's predictions come true.

Fred, Dubai, Dubai

Limit it and leave the EU.

We are amongst the most land-poor people on earth; why does this Govt want to make us poorer ?

Now people cannot afford a family home at a family time of life. Overcrowding is affecting our roads, trains, housing, sleep (noise pollution), surroundings, biodiversity, water suppies, fish stocks, recreation ( hence health ) and quality of life.

No wonder the UN says the UK is the worst place in the developed world for children to grow up. I recall T Blair saying, in the mid-90s, that there would be no return to mass immigration; never should anyone again trust Labour over migration.

Simon, Reading,

>I say this believing that a regular mixing of new 'blood' is essential in any Country.

Obviously.


Japan, which has almost no immigration, is the world's 2nd largest economy, and has the 1st world's lowest crime rate.

Damn it, when will those silly Japanese learn that their immigration policies are wrong, and be like us!

tt, London, Wa

YES you should drastically and urgently limit both EU and non-EU immigrants. Get some of your identity back or retain as much as what you have got left! Craig's suggestion of getting out of the EU, could solve 2/3rd of the problem, since your immigration policies are mostly mandated by the EC anyway.

At a push, if you must - support ONLY skilled and professional immigrants- that way, legitimate, hardworking contributors of the UK economy (whatever color or creed they may be) will not be brushed in the same stroke as immigrants who are perceived as wasters (i.e. on welfare, no intention of integrating- or worst, out to destroy values).

funkywm, Devon,

It wasn't so obvious that multiculturalism was wrong. We had good race relations in Bradfod for a long time, with a stict policy that criticism of Pakistanis was not to be tolerated. Whites gibbed, but accepted it, until the Satanic Verses affair - only possible because Rushide was not white - made it untenable.

However I think we've got to write it off as a failed policy. By refusing to tolerate racism you simply make minorities more and more sensitive until words like "niggardly" turn into major incidents.

Malcolm McLean, Bradford, UK

Dear Bajram,

Why should mere European (not even EU) nationality be sufficient grounds for entry? You have to take into account skills and language abilities too. There is no intrinsic reason why an unskilled Albanian peasant or a Serbian handyman who speaks little English should have priority over, say, an American academic or Indian neurosurgeon.

To the extent immigration is necessary it should aim to 'raise the bar' on the average level of intellect in the country. Unskilled or uneducated people - from anywhere in the world - simply shouldn't be admitted.

AA, New York,

No. What's wrong is the policy that anyone from anywhere in Europe can come straight here, whereas from elsewhere in the world they face stiff and often humiliating interviews. What Ms Marrin suggests would be highly discriminatory and a bit silly - for instance many who already speak good English as a first or second language would be excluded.

What we should do is harness modern technology to keep close track of people after they arrive - at their or their sponsor's expense. Anyone falling foul of the law or requiring support from public funds would be deported, but those with a clean sheet after several years could stay.

Barry, Wallington, UK

Instead of using immigration as an escape goat, politicians should rather concentrate their efforts in providing a better health service, education, care for the eldery, a better civic society and ofcourse, a better public transport. while a franc debate is needed about emmigration, my worries are that non european emmigrants are being stigmatise and that accross europe they are looked upont as the cause of every day suffering.
Maybe we should go back in history to see where the problem lyes
while it seems ok for failed politicians to blame immigration, lets have a debate and a proper one

julien, london, England

I think we should open our doors to English-speaking and west European countries with a similar GDP per head to ours, and willing to open their doors to our citizens: GDP similar enough to ensure that the traffic isn't all one way. I've never really met anyone who resents Australians or Canadians, and providing Brits can work there, I see no reason to keep them out.

But the idiot who opened the floodgates from Eastern Europe did a huge amount of damage to this country, as we did not build the infrastructure to cope with them. And now he's in Europe again trying to give away yet more of our national sovereignty.

PJ, London, UK