Migration & Immigration

[Voldemort]

Can we have a serious discussion about this?

[I’m writing this as a middle-aged, middle class white man in a first world country, and I have no desire to migrate.]

It might be disingenuous to start with this point but migration/immigration is only an issue because we have a world with borders and different (for want of a better expression) operating systems.

If I lived in what the US President so succinctly called a sthole, I would want to move to somewhere with better prospects. And I would guess everyone reading this would be the same.

This is perhaps more true today as the borders do not prevent the flow of information and knowledge from one country to another, just the movement of people. If I were sat in a sthole watching youtubes of what life is like in the US/UK/EU I think I would want to go there rather than remain in the ‘hole

That so many people want to come and live here should be a matter of national pride, not cause for racism and hatred.

In the next half a lifetime this world, with increasing longevity, and massively improved healthcare (forex, look how the rate of infant mortality in Africa has plummeted in the last 30 years), is going to go from very busy to overpopulated. As such the issue of immigration/migration/freedom of movement is not only not going to go away but will become even more of an issue on a global scale.

Should people be forced to remain where they are born? Or should people be free to live where ever they want to?

[Voldemort]

Hayek said:

Eliminate all forms of state support including the NHS, schools etc and you'd eliminate the problem.

It would, I think, be preferable to have a global minimum standard of state support rather than none at all.

[Voldemort]

del mar said:

We should only bring in people who we need and will make a financial contribution to the country.

'bring in'

You think we advertise somewhere? "Immigrants wanted: must be useful"