Bright weather, calm seas and light winds on a spring bank holiday and, guess what, illegal Channel crossings shoot up (as reported by the BBC). And yet, it seems that every time this happens, as it did over the bank holiday weekend, the Home Office throws its hands up in surprise and tells us how many the French stopped from coming – which is invariably a fraction of the number who did make it – as often as not with the aid of our hard-pressed and misdirected Border Force. We are not alone in repeatedly calling for the necessary action to stem the tide of illegality. “We need to be tougher on illegal immigration”, said Tom Hunt, MP for Ipswich (read his article here). We agree, Mr Hunt. Tough talk from the government is all very well but it will not wash with the electorate when its follow-up action is weak or non-existent.
Blog of the week
The link between mass immigration, population surges and the erosion of green space may not be an obvious one but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. On the contrary, even if politicians and large parts of the media do gloss over or ignore it, the connection is there and is significant. This concerns people because of the practical impact it has on their lives, our precious countryside and green spaces. Did you know that the total land area in the green belt that was set aside for development by councils in the period 2015-20 was nearly 60 square miles? Here are the Government figures. We recognise the need for development, but this cannot be driven by immigration – as it has been for past 20 years. If the government is serious about turning generation rent into generation buy it could start with the greener option of reducing mass immigration. See our blog on this for more.
Migration Watch in the Media
| See below for our Chairman Alp Mehmet’s response to the week’s news: Telegraph: Illegal channel migrants threaten ‘mob unrest’ on arrival over housing delays ‘While ministers claim to be acting to discourage illegal immigration, not only do numbers go up but those who force their way into the UK threaten to riot if their living conditions don’t improve quickly. Unfortunately, the chances are that our government will only too readily cave in to their demands.’ Mail Online: Priti Patel will announce electronic tagging for foreign criminals to help kick them out of the country when they have served their time ‘It isn’t tags that are needed but tickets for a quick exit. Out of prison, out of the country should be the mantra.’ And finally, just to show that our message is getting through, see this write-up of Alp’s comments on the ‘points-based’ system on Talk Radio last week. Michael Curzon for The Conservative Woman definitely gets it. The Conservative Woman: How the voters have been conned over ‘immigration control’ ‘As Alp Mehmet of Migration Watch has pointed out, the Conservative Party’s deployment of a points-based system equates to nothing more than smoke and mirrors.’ |
Make your voice heard
A quick reminder that your voice counts. Politicians want your vote, so letting them know that your support is conditional on proper immigration control (and that means control which reduces immigration), is the most effective way you can help us influence the government. With the loss of key checks on immigration, the numbers are only going to go up once international travel returns to normal. This is not what people voted for – not just once but time and again. Please write to your MP to help combat this betrayal of democracy.