Immigration generates passion. We see it being used by politicians to whip up hysteria. We have Enoch Powell’s ‘river of blood’ speech. We have Farage’s threat of 5 million Turks descending on Britain. We hear Trump talking about Muslim’s being terrorists and Mexicans being rapists, murderers and drug dealers. We hear of little Pakistan and little India being set up in the north of England. We hear of towns being taken over by eastern Europeans. We are told that our culture is under threat and we are being usurped.
Everything is distorted or exaggerated. What is the truth?
Aren’t we really all the descendants of immigrants?
Do wealthy countries have an obligation to take in refugees fleeing from war or repression?
Do wealthy countries have an obligation to take in refugees from countries suffering economic chaos?
Is it in the interests of wealthy countries, with low birth rates, to take in a workforce from outside?
Don’t immigrants work hard and carry out work that people in the wealthy countries do not want to do?
Do immigrants take jobs from the indigenous population?
Don’t immigrants work for low wages which is good for the economy?
Don’t immigrants put in more than they take out?
Don’t immigrants put a strain on our institutions – schools and health services?
Don’t immigrants have an obligation to fit into their adopted country’s culture – learn its language, adopt its dress codes, accept its moral codes, religion and ethos?
Aren’t tolerant countries able to absorb a variety of cultures and religions?
Should a country refuse to accept immigrants whose cultural practices are greatly different?
Can a liberal country cope with taking in cultures who are illiberal?
Should a country tolerate intolerance in immigrants?
Doesn’t it take generations for people to assimilate?
Isn’t it enriching for a culture to to have a variety of inputs from other cultures?
Doesn’t the host culture benfit from this enrichment in areas such as cuisine, fashion, art, music, literature and philosophy?
Should immigrants hang on to their culture (religion, dress code, language, morality, philosophy) and refuse to compromise it?
Can a liberal culture tolerate intolerant attitudes (racism, misogyny, religious intolerance)?
Is the host culture entitled to feel threatened if they see their own culture being usurped?