Monday 18 April 2011

Tales Of The Obvious

40% of people did not feel Britain had benefitted from immigration in any way.

The above is from a review of YouGov poll.

The article makes it obvious that this is from a poll of more context, something to do with Cameron stirring up old Tory values, but you can't help wondering if the pollster went up to the pollee "What about them immigrants, eh? What have they ever done for us".

I also hope that at least some of the 60% replied "Made my mum/my dad/me". Though this could be true for much of that 40% as I can personally vouch for...

I wonder if those 40% somehow thought of it as a zero sum game. That immigrants from all over the world have done much to enrich British life and culture, but since a Pakistani owns the shop on the corner (denying a British citizen the chance to work hard for many hours a day for not much pay and much abuse) then maybe it's a wash.

Perhaps those Doctors recruited from India to cover an English shortfall are balanced by those muslim types who just don't want to fit in.

I does make you wonder, though, what immigrants would have to do to make the 40% feel like they had contributed?

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