I get annoyed when reporters collar some random person on the street to get their opinion on a topic of national interest. Why should we care what Joe Bloggs thinks about immigration? Do we know if he has reached a conclusion about the debate by informing himself of the relevant facts? Has he read very little about the subject, but has discussed the matter with work colleagues, family and friends? In his neighbourhood is there an immigration problem? Without this background information, when he is asked a question like ‘what should the government do about immigration?” there is a good chance he will express an opinion that is not well thought out and may just jump on the populist bandwagon. There are too many immigrants. They don’t respect our culture. Muslims commit crimes and are part of a terrorist culture.
There is often no differentiation between refugees, economic migrants and illegal immigrants. Migrants are the target of prejudice no matter what their circumstances. This hostility is endorsed by some politicians who recognise that there are votes to be had by adopting a hard line against the number of immigrants coming to the UK. As if there is some magic number that would cover refugees, those with valid visas and those applying for citizenship. A quota for humanitarian assistance, beyond which… tough luck.
odespinner 