The notion that there is somehow not enough physical space for additional people in the UK is utter nonsense. What is the optimal number of people for the land mass of the UK? 20 million? 60 million? 100 million? It is possible that the country's infrastructure is not equipped to deal with additional people. But of course there's a solution to that: build more!
If you want to pull up the drawbridge and stop people entering the country, then I hope you're happy to deal with the economic consequences, like working until you're 75 and low/no economic growth for decades to come. The UK's post-financial crisis economic recovery has been largely driven by population growth. Growth in income per person has been weak, but the number of people has grown, pushing up national income (not great if you're an average Joe, but probably not bad if you're a business-owning Maserati driver). And it's no surprise that countries like Japan and Italy have been economically weak for such a long time - they have ageing populations, and wealth tends to be concentrated in the hands of older people (who don't spend it). Economies need young people and to put it bluntly: immigrants tend to be young and they like to reproduce.
Yes, I'm biased - I'm the son of an immigrant. I was pushed to work hard and achieve, not to steal from the English. I now pay enough tax in a year to offset what I'll receive in public services for many years and pay the salaries of multiple public sector workers. Do I resent that some of this money might go to benefits for immigrants? No more than I resent the fact that it will go to benefits for English people. But then I don't believe that just because someone was born in another country that they're somehow thieving parasites. If someone wants to risk their life and cross the sea from Africa on a raft, well that person is probably the kind of hard worker and risk taker you want in your country. Yes, some of them might be trouble but then I believe that there might be one or two white English people in prison - what's their excuse? And I've used Eastern European tradesmen who have been extremely hardworking, as well as English tradesmen who have been lazy, dishonest *****! How does that fit in to your view of the world?
There are two choices: let the immigrants in and manage the influx properly or prepare for a long, steady decline for the UK economy.
And as for removing a layer of government in Brussels and somehow unshackling ourselves to unleash our raging beast of an economy... when the UK joined the EU in 1973 the country was already f**ked. We got a bailout from the IMF in 1976! It's very easy to complain about red tape, but I'm sure businesses would complain if they had to compete with companies from countries where regulations were looser. And all this complaining about sending money to poorer countries in the EU: have you not considered that if you build a road in Poland, the resultant growth in that economy means that Poles can buy more goods from the UK? And personally, I'd like to see another layer of government curtailing Cameron/Osbourne's power - their economic policies are a joke (as we're Blair/Brown's). How do you solve the housing crisis - give/lend people money to push prices up further and make homes even more unaffordable?! And for all this s**t he taks about living within our means and hardworking people, why can't he grow a pair and get certain companies to pay the tax they owe? Business owners should seek to maximise their profits and pay the least amount of tax possible - it's up to governments to set the rules and enforce them properly. The system is "too generous" - not to poor people struggling to make ends meet and going to food banks, but to companies making billions in profits!
So, do you want to let incompetent Dave preside over a long and spectacular decline in your economy?
