Britain set to tighten immigration rules
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a U-turn in migration policy, declaring his aim of ending what he called a 'squalid chapter' of rising inward migration. Among other measures tougher requirements for obtaining work visas and citizenship are planned. For commentators, the government's proposed reforms raise fundamental questions.
How to make your country unattractive
London-based financial advisor Andrey Movchan criticises the plan on Facebook:
“Many potential immigrants who are important to the British economy and who previously had to wait five years to obtain a permanent residence permit will now opt for countries where the process is either just as complicated or quicker and easier, but where the labour market is better and the hurdles, prices and taxes are lower. ... In general, the main characteristic of our current government (inherited from the Tories) is an inhumane determination to rush to tackle the wrong problems with the wrong methods, destroying what little good its predecessors left behind.”
The left must stick to its principles
In eldiario.es, former minister of consumer affairs Alberto Garzón warns the left to avoid shifting more to the right in their positions also for strategic reasons:
“There are plenty of precedents. In Germany, where the SPD and the Greens hardened their stance on migration to slow the rise of the AfD, this only helped to consolidate the far right. ... The cultural background is well known. ... There is a section of society that is afraid of the future. ... How can the left respond? ... These reforms coincide with the Starmer government's anti-pension reforms and other cuts. They can no longer be described as progressive. ... The left will not defeat the monster by imitating it. It's only chance is to remain true to its principles and dare to oppose the powerful, not the poor.”
Perhaps just a reflex?
The Labour Party's U-turn reflects a fundamental question with which the Social Democrats in Sweden are also grappling, writes Göteborgs-Posten:
“How credible is a turnaround on migration policy? In Sweden, the Social Democrats have sharpened their tone and policy on the issue of migration, even more so since the 2022 election. After years of presenting itself as a party of diversity and openness, the party has now put forward proposals for stricter asylum rules and reduced immigration. ... But can voters trust that this is a genuine change of course? Or is it a reaction to the growing influence of the Sweden Democrats and fluctuations in public opinion?”
Need for commonality should not be underestimated
Critics of Starmer's immigration crackdown overlook the desires of the elderly, criticises columnist Patrick West in The Spectator:
“Yes, we do need men and women to work in care homes. But the elderly in these places would probably prefer to be tended to by people like themselves, who understand what they're talking about, who readily comprehend their idiomatic, informal or archaic use of the English language and who get the cultural and historical references of which they speak. This timeless and universal need in humans for commonality, and the essential role performed by a shared culture and language, are things that can't be measured or counted. ... Both sides fail to see that the concerns of humans are often invisible and intangible.”