[Livia]

Originally Posted by Jesus.

What is the answer then?

Firstly, we're all descended from immigrants, so categorising them and us is not really that helpful in this situation. I don't think the current methods for dealing with this are perfect, but this thread is a collection of flawed ideals.

We've always had homeless people, and people starving, yet those on the right refuse to increase taxes to pay for things, and continue to strip away the social safety nets that are left.

I saw Cameron on TV the other day after the election, saying that what he learned, was that he needed to do welfare "reform". Now what do people think that actually means? It means taking more money from those that need it the most. I can't take any argument on immigration seriously while the government are doing their best to completely divide and conquer the country by increasing the gap between rich and poor.

So I don't think immigration is perfect, and there are lots of issues to deal with, but the government (this one and the last) are so scared of standing up to their corporate masters, they continue to demonise, attack, and take from the poorest people in the country.

Why not march them through the streets in stocks and let all the Anglo-Saxons throw tomatoes at them?

We're all descended from immigrants, yes. But that's nothing to do with this. Every country in Europe is descended from immigrants to an extent. The USA is descended from immigrants, you can't just walk in there and set up home. Same with Canada - part of the Commonwealth. You have to have something to offer them, a skill or a profession, and even then there's an application process and you have to wait to see if you've been successful. Opening our borders so that anyone at all from anywhere in Europe can come here has led to the majority of voters making their feelings known. Many people have come here to work, and in the process they've undercut indigenous workers. Some have come just to mooch, and if you don't believe that's true, then you're unconnected with reality. People want a better life for their families, and if this country hands stuff out for free, who wouldn't take it?

What this all boils down to is that people - not just in this country, but in other parts of Europe - feel the open borders situation is unworkable. Consequently, they've voted to the right. No one's saying immigration should stop completely. I guess we're lucky in this country they've turned to UKIP and not the BNP. The story's not the same in France... they've turned to the far right, and even in Germany they're further to the right than they have been since the 1940s. That worries me a lot. Part of my family came here after the last time Germany was on the far right. I don't want it to happen again and if we want to stop it, the free-for-all has to stop.