A balanced immigration debate

One wouldn’t normally expect London’s Evening Standard - which used to be published by Associated Newspapers, home of the Daily Mail - to be a standard bearer that views immigration, for example, in a positive light. But now the paper is owned by a Russian migrant, Alexander Lebedev, some of its journalists feel freer to give a more balanced account within the immigration debate which highlights the very real benefits of immigration to our nation.

This take on immigration by the Evening Standard’s Ian Birrell is timely because once again our Prime Minster David Cameron has made another set speech about the issue that both fails to give credit to the contribution migrant communities make in the UK whilst fuelling anger and resentment towards migrants particularly those who are non-white.

In Birrell’s article, he highlights the small army of carers who applied to care for his child with a life threatening illness, all of whom were non –British. But he could have easily mentioned our National Health Service, which is unpinned at every level by a huge dedicated migrant workforce.

Personally, if I had the opportunity, I would take the Prime Minister on a journey around London at 5am on any given morning. At bus stops throughout the capital he would see a workforce like no other getting ready to clean offices, universities and hotels even before we wake. Most will only receive minimum wage, the vast majority of workers will be African and Latin American women.

To Ian Birrell and the London Evening Standard, Thank you for given balance to what is sometimes a one-sided wretched immigration debate.

Read Birrell’s piece by clicking here

Simon Woolley