Immigration

The Daily Mail and the Daily Express have had front page headlines about immigration for years. When the Mail isn't busy classifying inanimate objects into those that cause or cure cancer, and the Express isn't screaming ludicrous weather warnings, it's always some variant of "immigrants want to eat your babies."

This ceaseless campaign against all foreigners that brings such joy to Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Nigel Farage, Nick Griffin, Marine le Pen, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, is now at the heart of the Brexit campaign. It's the issue they go on about all the time as it's their only argument that has any resonance with anyone. So how does a pro European answer it? I have three answers.

First, a free movemet of goods and services means a free movement of people. The other Member States will not change that. They will not agree to the UK having tarrif-free trade without it. Sure we can leave and have our own trade agreement but if you want tarrif-free trade, accept that free movement of people is part of that.

Second, the way to 'tackle immigration' is to tackle the causes of immigration. People come to Britian because they're not going to be bombed by their government, or shot by some quasi-religious murderer, or jobless for life. Much better that we make all the efforts we can to improve the situation in the places from where people flee at huge expense and very real risk to their lives. The EU does a lot of work to improve the lot of the poorer members, thus benefitting everyone, including Britian.

But my better answer, by far, is to spend 2 minutes listening to the excellent Hollie McNish and her brilliant expression of why fear of immgration is so wrong-headed.