England, like many developed countries, has too large a population. It also has a very high standard of living compared to most of the world.
Many people in the third world are desperate to get to England and escape the terrible conditions in their own countries. They want a job and a better life for themselves and their children. They risk their lives to get here.
We do not want them here because we have too many people, there is not the infrastructure or facilities and we are concerned that our culture is at risk.
We can put up obstacles to prevent immigration. We can legislate to keep them out. We can fight a xenophobic war against immigrants. We can become racist and fascist.
I have a better solution.
Why don’t the super-rich capitalists refrain from creating poverty in the third world, which they exploit for profit, and enable the whole world to stabilise, educate themselves, restrict their population, develop prosperity and not need to emigrate to survive?
If there wasn’t the huge differential of wealth across the globe there would not be a problem.
Capitalism creates poverty.
Until the selfish and greedy super-rich elite develop empathy and compassion, or there are international laws to restrict their predatory sociopathic tendencies, we will have poverty, war, conflict and misery.
In the midst of plenty most still go hungry…………… It cannot be right.
The logic of your argument is that a communist/socialist structure creates wealth. That is not borne out by factual evidence. For example, Russia is one of the richest countries in terms of natural resources and manpower but the vast majority of its population live in relative poverty. Southern Rhodesia was the wealthiest country in Africa but it has been destroyed by Mugabe not by western capitalism or warfare. Capitalism creates wealth as shown in the rise of the middle class in China.
Socialism v capitalism, a moribund dichotomy, is not the point of this article.
A small minority in Southern Rhodesia, the white people, were ‘rich’ through the same exploitation of the disempowered that continues to maintain the tragic impoverishment of so many in the world today.
Consider the environmental and social cost of the race for material gain in China. Russia, whether under the Tsars, Stalin or the oligarchs, has yet to show concern for the well being of certain sectors of their society.
The logic of Opher’s piece is in the last lines, “In the midst of plenty many still go hungry……it cannot be right.”