On immigration, Britain should use the law to defeat EU laws

Posted 29 Mar 2013 by Walaa Idris

On Monday, the Prime Minister made a speech on immigration. He set out plans to reinforce rules restricting access to benefits, the NHS and social housing for European immigrants.

Yesterday in an article by the joint chairmen of the cross party group on balanced migration, Frank Field (Labour) and Nicholas Soames (Conservatives) said, Cameron must restrict European immigration because Britain is still facing an influx of people at an unsustainable high level, despite Coalition action to reduce immigration. Then added, the expected wave of immigration from Bulgaria and Romania (which could lead to 50,000 people a year moving to this country from next year) means that the issue must be tackled now. They advised that during periods of high unemployment, such as now, government should protect low-skilled British workers struggling to compete with foreigners for jobs.

A few weeks ago, after the Eastleigh by-election and UKIP’s dramatic ascend to second place; immigration “UKIP’s centre issue” suddenly became every party’s main issue. Immigration, a topic once the reserve of right- wing politics is now a One Nation Labour’s mistake to apologies for mismanaging it during their time in office, and a Liberal Democrats’ must monitor and control issue. In the space one month immigration moved from “the elephant in the room everyone scared and embarrassed to talk about” to “look, they are coming, we don’t have the resources to welcome them and need to do something fast”. Plus of course there is Ukip, the other elephant in the room.

But outside Westminster, immigration talk is still uncomfortable for too many people. Firstly unlike Westminster, the stigma of talking immigration hasn’t yet changed in the UK streets, kitchen tables and pubs. And secondly, many people in this country are either themselves immigrants or descendants of migrants. The feeling of “that could have been me, my parents or grandparents some years ago” makes many people including politicians (before Eastleigh) become very uncomfortable talking immigration. Plus as Brits, we are naturally an uncomfortable bunch when it comes to talking about how we really feel about stuff – well, at least openly. But also politicians are confusing voters. With the one hand they praise immigration and attribute our richness to it but with the other, now that we can’t cope, want to curb and curtail it but can’t due to EU law – laws to some extend they helped pass.

That is why if politicians treat immigration like a business, with a plus and minus spreadsheet of how much it costs and what are the returns, then they are in serious trouble. Because EU laws clearly states that member states may not discriminate against other member states by giving their own citizens preference. Let’s not forget this is the same EU that allowed Cyprus to raid Cypriots’ savings accounts during the toughest economic period in peacetime.

Then again, if politicians use figures and stats from existing police reports on issues ranging from serious crimes such as rape and murder, squatting , to other anti-social crimes then they can use possible measures under UK laws to curb numbers, by implementing a criminal vetting system for all those coming in from Europe (including non EU nationals). There is nothing in the EU laws that say sovereign members cannot protect themselves and safeguard the security of their citizens from criminals. We should learn from old mistakes such as Abu Qatada, it’s much easier to not allow criminals and suspected criminals in than to kick them out.

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Good of Labour to admitted their mistake on immigration, but when will we get an apology?

Posted 11 Mar 2013 by Walaa Idris

There is nothing wrong with immigration; no one in their right mind will consider it to be a bad thing if it is not abused. Not to mention, today, most of us, in most nations are immigrants or descendants of some kind of migration in one way or another.

Take me for instance. I was born Sudanese. But beside my African roots, my ancestry is a rich mix of Saudi Arabians, Egyptians and Turkish all of which were settlers and migrants. Now British by choice, I am the last person to talk down immigration or think it is bad, wrong, damaging, or of no value.

Nevertheless, uncontrolled immigration can be damaging to both the settlers and their hosting nations. Without the right provisions in place, services and communities become overburdened and both immigrants and their host could suffer. So it is immigration without preparation that is wrong and damaging, and if we learnt anything from the last government, is that lack of planning has disastrous consequences.

Then of course there is the economic issue. And no, not that ‘British Jobs for British workers’ nonsense, but British jobs for those who pay taxes and put back into the British economy and society. Not workers who get paid cash under the table. Those who permanently live in their vans and caravans parked in empty parking lots or building sites all over the country. The ones who work seven day weeks for weeks before driving back to their families in Eastern Europe loaded with the cash they made in the UK’s black economy. Or even folks who rent a house and illegally live a dozen to a room. People who never pay any sort of tax (Income, National Insurance, Road or Council) in the UK. Those so called immigrants aren’t even immigrants, they never even settle in the UK. They are exploiters who come under the banner of free movement to abuse the system, our economy and kindness. This group of people does many jobs; all of which off the books and they range from cleaning, gardening…., to building and construction. Because they can afford to – they cost far less than legitimate registered workers who pay their taxes can ever do.

It’s that kind of immigration and those abusers that people don’t want to come over to this country. Because they are not migrants, they are exploiters – here only for a fast buck and when the opportunities dry up they go back home or to where they can exploit another system. It is them that we need to safeguard against and stop from entering the UK.

All the political rhetoric and competition between the parties is futile unless we can secure and protect from this ever growing black economy – especially now as economies everywhere are struggling.

Those who employ them, whether businesses or private individuals are equally guilty of destroying the economy, both (the taxpayers and the corresponding countries’) need protecting from them too.

On a lighter more positive note, I am very glad Labour has finally woken up and admitted their mistake. Unlike many on the right I don’t think it is too little too late, and definitely hope it is not a political gimmick. Because, I believe it is never too late to admit mistakes as long as the lessons from making them are learnt. However, if they are in an apologetic mood, I think Labour should also apologise to all of us who they called bigots and racists in the past, when all we did was express concern about Britain and what is best for her.

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Is the Labour Party now enlightened, or is immigration their latest bandwagon?

Posted 7 Mar 2013 by Walaa Idris

Fascinating, how when David Cameron ‘a Conservative’ promised an In/Out EU Referendum, Miliband and his party said the Tories are running scared of UKip. They said it was shameful and weak to allow Ukip – a minor protest party – to set the agenda on the EU issue!

I wonder what Miliband and Labour think now about their own party. What do they call his Immigration Party Political Broadcast and Ms Copper’s Immigration Speech? Who set that agenda – and how does it make them feel?

How does all that immigration talk now makes Mrs Duffy feel? Remember Gillian Duffy from the 2010 General Election? In case Miliband and his party choose to forget, we did not. We all remember too well that Gillian Duffy moment – when his former boss and mentor, Gordon Brown, called a concerned citizen and Labour voter a bigot just because she asked him about immigration.

Less than a week ago Labour was pushed to fourth place in a by-election fought heavily by Ukip on a platform of immigration.

My question to Mr Miliband is who’s dictating this agenda? It can’t be the British public, because the Labour party for years hushed anyone who utters the word immigration labelling them a racist bigot. What changed now? Who is pulling their strings and setting their agenda now?

All sensible replies are welcomed, feel free to reply.

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Immigration is like spices.

Posted 19 Jan 2013 by Walaa Idris

Every time an audience on TV or a member of the public on the street is asked their opinion on any issue, the viewers and the presenter expects an organic response – a frank and genuine unrehearsed from the heart answer.

In most issues we expect it and accept it. That is until the topic is immigration. There is no doubt Britain has benefited hugely from immigration and immigrants. Those benefits are visible, tangible and speak for themselves, so I will not recite any of them here. Immigration is like spices. Good spices in the right amount enhance the food giving it the desired taste and flavoring. Over doing it in anyway and it does the opposite; it destroys the taste and ultimately the dish itself.

That is why controlled, managed and monitored immigration is important. That is also why when we hear locals say immigrants destroyed our community, usually an organic impromptu response, our first reaction should not be racist so and so. We should first ask the questions why and how, look for the evidence and then decide if the person is a so….

The attacks for this write up, and during Question Time and on Twitter – mostly from the left – is the equivalent of burying one’s head in the sand.

As a live issue, immigration won’t go away or sort itself out if we simply wish it to. It is time lefties stop acting like jerks about the issue and debate it honestly and realistically, they owe it to themselves, this country and it’s people indigenous and migrants.

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"The Human Rights Act needs to go, to restore sanity to the immigration system"

Posted 5 Oct 2011 by Walaa Idris

Those were Theresa May’s words that electrified the Conference and Conservatives across the land – until Maya the cat became the story and took centre stage and changed the tone and mood of the conference from a mellow, eventless gathering to excitement!

What transpired after that was shocking to some but not to me. The whole catgate business was neither here nor there as far as I was concerned!

Especially as we, now, know there was a Bolivian student, his girlfriend, their cat ‘Maya’, his immigration status and a court case. And although, the court, did not technically cite Maya the cat as a reason for the student to be granted stay in the UK, it was used as prove of his long residency and settlement in the country – the cat was mentioned solely to prove the ‘family’ the couple had together existed!

For those who think that’s absurd. I argue; why mention the cat in the first place if it had no relevance to the court case? That’s why lawyers love reasonable doubt.

As I mentioned before, catgate with all its excitement, the possibility that the Home Secretary (who by the way recently also misplaced her personal appointments book) needs to maybe pay more attention – after all it is the Home Office, a very serious department, but also the Black hole of many great careers….., all of that did not shock me one bit but what Ken Clarke said did!

For the Justice Secretary to publicly question the Home Secretary’s claims and to go as far as daring her…., that was a surprise!

On the up side it gave the media and many others something to get excited about!

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Please stop assuming!

Posted 26 Oct 2010 by Walaa Idris

The Daily Mail has turned moaning about everything and nothing into an art and made it their Trade Mark!

The Prime Minster, yesterday in his ‘New Economic Dynamism’ speech to the CBI, said: “As we control our borders and bring immigration to a manageable level, we will not impede you from attracting the best talent from around the world.” To me that sounds like the planed immigration cap should not ‘impede’ businesses from recruiting the skilled foreign workers they need, but it does not necessarily mean, as hinted by the Mail, that the Coalition is watering down their stance on immigration!

However, it does offer assurances to businesses that this government, is on their side. Plus no body YET knows what the finial details of the cap are, as they will be announced around Christmas time!

So to assume otherwise is premature, and we all know what ASSUME means!

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