a sharp view! though the social tention should not be only connected with labour flowing. Job itself definitely do something, but equally cause something, what is not always positive. The most basic social value, the most stable element which maintain social stability, especially for ethical cultiva

Yabin Li, Shanghai, P.R.China

Spot on. What the public bar has been saying for years. The amount of hidden unemployment in the public sector is a moral disgrace. Plus huge unwarranted increases of the lazy on benefits, leaving the immigrants to do their work,e.g. farm workers . No real shortage labour at all. Brown buying votes

Rodney G James, Brasschaat, Belgium

One thing that has to be taken into account is that the majority of Eastern European migrants are educated, usually to a higher level than most British, are hardworking and most importantly intend to return to their home countries at some point.

Christian, London,

We used to call it the Civil Service now it is a body connecting together thousands of the like minded; they are énarques, a class apart, answerable to no one, not so much a safety net as a carapace. Their power is in their scrupulous enactment of European legislation entombing us while they thrive.

Malcolm Turner, Alsager, England

I'm kind of shocked that this kind of thinking could prevail in a country that supposedly is so much less conservative than the US. Does the argument about the pressure that immigration will impose assume that the infrastructure will stay exactly the same for the next twenty three years?

Tom, Dallas, USA

So why aren't the family looking after? After all, family is happy to inherit the parents' wealth or take tax payers money as if it is the tax payers' fault you have sick relative

LS, Oxford,

Field's proposals just won't work. Asylum etc is unlimited.

Many potential immigrants will just revert to asylum seeking, like at the start of New Labour. What's going to happen to student's, spouses and family visas numbers?

Draconian entry controls and the ejection of illegals is required.

Eric, London, UK

I'm from Ro, I have a degree in humanistic science, but i work as carer. I dont know how poor my enghlish is, dont know how poorly educated I am, but i do my work with respect and commitment. ps: I pay taxes, a rent, bring money into economy, I've never apply for benefits. what am I doing wrong?

gabriel, colchester, uk

I wouldn't want to be disabled or in a bad situation at the mercy of an immigrant forced into social work. Why not shut off any more immigration? Too simple? And for those who are in the country, if they don't work, ship them back. Of course, some people will scream; some people always scream

ash, Idaho, US

Very good idea but after a couple of year's doing this can they please go?
It has taken 60 years ever since Enoch Powell's speech for the true facts to be accepted.Indians I knew 30 years ago wanted to stop immigration as it was spoiling their cherished way of life and they didn't want to share it!

james allen, manchester, england

Enoch powell has been proven wrong because he was specifically talking about race as a factor to immigration.

The reason we are being overstretched now is because of a huge explosion of white immigrants, who, from 2004, have been pouring in non-stop from Europe, but especially Eastern Europe.

kim, london,

Not sure if public sector bureaucrats can care as well as Philippinos. Would it be racist to bar foreign care workers except for those from the Philippines?

Alex, Tunbridge Wells,

I don't think it will work out as neatly as Minette is saying. However if bureaucracy is cut back heavily there will de facto be a lot of unemployed ex-state workers, some of these would probably take some of the carers jobs available. Minette's proposal of redeployment will cost more though.

tari, London,

And yet still they just talk. The gates of the UK are firmly wedged open and will remain so whilst Labour is in power. They have created a time bomb and the fuse is getting very short. Only creative manipulation of crime figures and PC policing is keeping the truth from coming out. Election now.

Roger, Surrey.,

Can we start thinking the same way about gays now? Only last week there was a massive recruitment drive at Manchester for Gay/Lesbian and Transgendered.

I was thinking of applying myself. As a career move of course.

William, Manchester, England

Nasty public sector workers, useless spongers, sitting on fat pension funds when the rest of us have to work sooo hard to make ends meet. As if cutting & pasting of the Daily Mail wasn't hard enough I had to Find & Replace "immigrants" with "public sector workers" . My fingers are worn to the bone!

Rot Baron, Bristol, UK

As well as these measures (although don't inflict sacked state sector workers on the vulnerable!) limiting child benefit to 2 children (replacement) would be a help. You can't get a quart in a pint pot.

Marcher Baron, Welsh Marches,

The British emigrating and becoming migrants in other countries need replacement. Other non EU countries accept and help them to settle well and not make a big fuss out of it, like us. Commonwealth citizen deserve equal rights with EU citizen, I hope we know the reason...

Zoe, Birmingham,

The British government should take immediate action to place
reasonable limits on immigration while there is still time to do so. Otherwise G.B. could wind up with 20 million aliens who speak little or no English, as is the case here in the U.S.A

Seán MacCurtain, Franklin, N.Y., U.S.A.

Minette, your point is taken, but I personally think the real issue comes down to the native culture, current education quality and the community itself, which turns the other way to the problem of having millions of working-class youngsters living in a world of state dependency instead of working.

Ted Knightsbridge, Hackney, UK

Ruby, its your taxes, if you pay any, which is paying for this vast army of useless bureaucrats. At least media workers and fat cat bosses create wealth whilst many public workers are just parasites.

Chris, Camberley, UK

I'd have liked details of the existing jobs Minette wants to axe. But it's absurd to suggest they'd all be good at care work, whereas Filipinos (whom she mentions), for example, often are because, as DL Stephens says, they have a tradition of respect for their elders - I've seen it in action.

Barry, Wallington, UK

My mother is in a residential home. Her carers (mostly immigrants or the children of same) are kind and pateient. I wouldn't welcome disgruntled, unsuitable redeployed state sector workers, thank you Minette Marrin. They can look after your elderly relatives, if you wish...

Giles Falconer, Sleaford, United Kingdom

Vancouver Jeff. Who says all jobs must be full-time?! Why not part-time work for some? Think outside the box! I have chronic fatigue and work in the NHS. It would suit me better if I could work mornings and evenings (fitting hearing aids) -break inbetween. Rumour has it patients would like this too!

Freya, London,

What you are proposing here is no less than what Stalin and other communists wanted. Freedom to do the job we want is a right which should be held preciously. Rather than government workers why don't you deploy media workers and the fat cat business workers if you are going down the communist way?

Ruby, Welling, uk

We shold just say no to immigration unless by marriage/partner or other EU citizens, the political refugees we could pay an East Euopean Counrty to house them it would cost a lot less and I feel we would have a lot less apply.

James , Brighton, England

It is madness to entrench the idea of "job + pension for life". Create the new posts and end the old, but make each person apply for them and gain the role on merit, otherwise I fear for our old folks. They've given us the runaround for years, now it is their time to play...g..g.g.g. GO!

Roger Thornhill, London, UK

Enoch wrong? Methinks not Minette, other than in terms of degree of outcome. but that can and will change. britain has been destroyed. Wishful thinking as usual.

Billy Barnett, HK,

My son has a learning disability. To think that he could be employed in an abattoir or farm or park to do heavy lifting and tiring work for an eight hour shift is ludicrous. Let me say it again - LUDICROUS! Moving deadwood bureaucrats to actually do real work appears sisyphean!

Jeff, VANCOUVER, Canada

Hmmm so because a group of newcomers come to the same conclusions as Enoch then Enoch was wrong? What a strange form of logic.

Perhaps this writer should do a little research and find out exactly what the late, distinguished, MP of considerable intellect did in fact say.

PJW Holland, London,

Saying 'just let the excess be care workers' does a massive injustice to the skill - yes, skill - of people who are employed to work in the field of care. It is not a dumping ground but should be more highly respected.

Kate, London, UK

Enoch Powell is not being proved wrong. He was right. He has always been right and will always be right and we should do something about it.

jo, Grays, uk

Contrary to your perverse assertion that Enoch Powell is at 'last being proved wrong', the events of the past ten New Labour years have proved everything Enoch Powell forecast, to be absolutley correct. On Europe as well as immigration!

Callan, Liverpool, England

Humpty Dumpty ring a bell?

Andrew Milner, Karuizawa, Japan

I have a better idea. Promote British people to emigrate to Australia, USA, New Zealand and Canada.

That will keep the population stable.

Vishal Patel, London, UK

Good points, but the damage is already done. Britain has changed and not for the better, in my opinion. I see nothing but strife and tension in the future,and I recommendi relatives to seek their future abroad.

Stewart Wilson, Paisley, Scotland

The elderly, and others needing care are, better served by immigrants from cultures that respect the elderly than they ever would be by putting them at the mercy of redeployed PC nutters. The less fortunate are not fodder for self serving "projects". They just need care.

D.L. Stephens, York, England

Why Enoch Powell has been proved wrong - so far - is the explosion of the "welfare state" easing social tensions and all the public sector jobs that go with it (including the 800,000 mentioned in the article).

andy, london,

More than ten years of damage and they needed a damn YouGov poll to let them know the obvious - that barely controlled immigration would put huge pressures on infrastructure and public services, not to mention the problems of social cohesion, and saying so doesn't make you a racist. Unbelievable!

James, Newcastle,