Jonathan Freedland wrote an excellent article in the Evening Standard on 1 March rubbishing the notion that immigrants are bad for London. He concludes:
Of course there are challenges for a big city absorbing more and more
people. But we should see that for what it is: a problem of success.
And if we really don’t like it, there is an easy solution: we can
become poor. No one will want to come and live here then.
It’s so sad to see UK fall for this cheap populist speech about “Eastern invasions” from Romania and Bulgaria, carrying diseases and stealing the jobs. Especially since the UK has been a champion of free labor markets and Eastern EU enlargement.
The New European
http://transatlanticpolitics.com
So if immigration is such a boon for London, then how is it that 1/2 of children in inner London live in poverty?
From the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) 2005/06 report prepared by the Department for Work and Pensions: “Children in Inner London had a greater risk of low income than for
any other region, with around half of children in households below 60 per cent of median income After Housing Costs.”
And I see one more “journalist” trotting out your chestnut of the non-impact of immigration into Israel which conveniently ignores the effect on the Palestinians who previously provided low skilled labour in the country.