I never thought I would be writing this but I suppose it had to happen eventually: I find myself agreeing 100% with what our thoroughly deranged Business Minister Vince Cable had said. The man is just bang on the money. The subject is immigration.
Cable, who I accept is mad as a hatter 99% of the time, says that the Tories are running scared of UKIP and so are engaging in wolf whistle politics on the subject of Romanian and Bulgarian immigration after Christmas. As Cable, Call Me Dave Cameron, the frightful Theresa May and Nigel Farage all know full well, the numbers arriving here will not be gargantuan. None will be able to claim benefits for quite some time and so those coming here will be those willing and wanting to do low paid jobs.
British business needs such folk because our welfare system is far too generous and so has created a whole layer of society which is fit only to undertake unskilled/low skilled labour but refuses to do so. In making that point Cable is again bang on the money. The Business Secretary understands that for GDP to grow as it should we need these immigrants.
The facts are:
1. Relatively few Bulgarians/Romanians will come over to the UK in January
2. Those who do will come to work
3. They are not taking jobs from anyone – employers cannot fill such jobs from home grown “talent” as that “talent” prefers welfare to such work
4. Consequently Romanians/Bulgarians will continue (as they do now) to pay far more in taxes in the UK than they claim in benefits from the State. This, by the way is a stark contrasts to the wider “native population” especially in the Welfare-mainlining subsidy paradise that is Scotland
5. This immigration will thus assist the exchequer and will boost business. It is good for Britain.
Those are the facts and Farage, Cameron et al know this full well. But they also know that, whipped up by the Daily Express, Daily Mail and others most folks are convinced that hundreds of thousands of semi-criminal welfare seekers are on the way. This is simply not true.
Someone with honesty would do what was best for the country and explain that. All credit to Vince Cable for trying to do just that. He cannot bring himself to say that we also need drastic reform to welfare. For if we did that there would be no immigration from South East Europe as there would be no jobs. As an employer I would rather hire someone who was fluent in English (or what goes for English as a result of 30 years of Comprehensive Education) to work hard. It is just that there are no such folks available hence the need for immigration.
But for saying something which will earn him only vitriol from the popular press and which will lose his party votes but which is none the less honest, compassionate, principled and true Vince Cable is an unlikely Christmas hero for 2013.
As for Farage, May, Cameron etc…. you know that what you say is untrue. You are engaged in a sordid fight for votes and so carry on regardless. Shame on the lot of you.