Is The UK a “country of immigration”?

Population density per square kilometre – Source: Wikipedia

It’s fashionable for British politicians to side with the argument that immigration to The UK should be on some kind of points system according to the potential immigrant’s skills. Along with this usually goes the argument that Britain is a “country of immigration”. I heard this argument just today on The Week in Westminster on BBC Radio 4.

A country of immigration. What does that mean? Well, let’s consider what other countries are COIs. There’s The United States of course and Australia. I’m not aware of any other country that deems itself a country of immigration.

I don’t expect the native Americans or Australian aboriginals consider their land a country of immigration but as modern countries both The USA and Australia were both initially Anglos Saxon so that is one thing that they have in common with the UK. All three countries are democracies and all have English as the predominant language.

However, I’d argue that what makes Australia and The USA countries of immigration is their low population density. In short they have loads of space. The USA has 25 to 49 people per square kilometre and Australia only 0 to 9 people per square kilometre. By contrast, the UK has 150 to 299. Figures according to Wikipedia.

The house prices in the UK are astronomical, the traffic is heading toward gridlock, getting a seat on a train is a miracle. The UK is full yet Keith Vaz, MP thinks that The UK is a Country of Immigration so none of this matters. He is of course…….

TALKING BOLLOCKS!

All countries accept some degree of immigration and immigration has made a huge and positive contribution to The UK but The UK has no special designation as a Country of Immigration. The term is put about by the pro-immigration lobby to somehow establish immigration as an ongoing part of British culture.

Let me make it clear that I have no preference which races or religions do not come to The UK. We should accept asylum seekers and EU citizens of course but the idea of opening up The UK to immigration by ability is merely part of New Labour’s project to turn a sovereign country into the first corporate state. It may increases GDP and make Gordon Brown’s spreadsheet look good but individually, black, white, Christian, Moslem or atheist, we all lose out to overcrowding.

My little poll seems to be slighlty weighted one way but almost even.

If you voted in the poll please also leave a comment and explain why you hold your opinion.