An essay for CUCA by Philip Duly, Campaign Manager of The Freedom Association

Why does the mere mention of this subject create trepidation among our political leaders most of whom have acquiesced in the withdrawal of free speech on the subject? Last summer’s report by Migration Watch UK forecasting millions of new immigrants over the next decade met with abject silence from leading politicians and the broadcasting media. Is it any wonder that a significant section of the population feels forgotten and disenfranchised? If you are concerned that millions of additional immigrants endanger good community relations, your opinion is unrepresented by a single leading politician at Westminster.

The consequences of large scale immigration are far reaching and deserve to be considered carefully by our elected representatives. Immigration increases Britain’s population density adding to the existing development pressures in towns, cities and the countryside which in turn creates transport gridlock. Yet all the political parties currently imply that new immigration consists only of asylum seekers, some genuine and others which they term “bogus”. In fact the vast majority of new arrivals are legitimately entitled to settle here under our existing lenient immigration laws which were relaxed by the present government within a month of taking office in 1997. Not a single MP acknowledges publicly that 95% of new arrivals are not genuine refugees or that the vast majority of new immigrants are under 34 which will further increase their respective ethnic groups.

Migration Watch UK reported the present level of net immigration as two million per decade or the equivalent of a new city the size of Cambridge every six months. The development pressures and environmental consequences arising from the present level of new immigration, approaching the highest in our history, is creating unprecedented demand for new homes pushing house prices beyond the reach of young people and those on low incomes. It is therefore scarcely surprising that a recent opinion survey indicated that a majority of Britons would now like to leave the country. The annual total of new immigrants is now 250,000 only partially offset by 50,000 mainly indigenous people leaving the country. If this rate of migration continues, the United Kingdom is in danger of becoming a country of foreigners which could have devastating consequences in our towns and cities where a sense of collective community would be lost resulting in a disparate and fragmented society.

Our political leaders refuse to inform the elect orate that whilst our membership of the European Union obliges us to open up our borders to continental immigration, the top nine originating countries of new immigrants are not even members of the EU. The overwhelming majority of new arrivals arrive from Iraq, Iran, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Somalia, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. The combined population of these states is 347 million, each of which has a significant minority of the population that might qualify for asylum under present rules. The United Kingdom currently attracts by far the highest number of asylum applications with as many as 80% believed to remain here due to Labour’s chaotic and bureaucratic system.

Immigration represents yet another fundamental and irreversible change to our country which is currently taking place without our consent. For most of the past thirty years our political leaders have refused to discuss the issue and made false accusations of racism and xenophobia in order to stifle debate. Whilst the politicians at Westminster lack the courage to tell the truth to the people of Britain, we must campaign relentlessly to ensure the size and density of our country’s population becomes a legitimate subject for free and open debate. The Freedom Association has accordingly invited speakers from the three main parties to a one day conference in the autumn to provide each party with a platform to address the subject. We will continue to campaign to ensure freedom of speech is re-established throughout our democracy.