“The British public demand a clamp-down on migration”
🌍The truth
🔵An overwhelming majority of the British public support people being able to take refuge here.
A 🧵/1.
“The British public demand a clamp-down on migration”
🌍The truth
🔵This century* there’s never been a British majority negative toward immigration. The current figure is 26%.
*Since the European Social Survey began in 2002. /2.
“The British public demand a clamp-down on migration”
🌍The truth
🔵In the last 30 years* there’s never been a British majority worried about immigration as a key issue. Except for one brief moment in the run-up to the 2016 EU referendum.
*Ipsos MORI chart starts in 1993. /3.
“The British public demand a clamp-down on migration”
🌍The truth
🔵British attitudes to immigration, over three decades, have broadly correlated to the size of the refugee population in the country. Except for a peak of negativity in the run up to the 2016 EU referendum. /4.
“The British public demand a clamp-down on migration”
🌍The truth
🔵British attitudes to immigration have broadly correlated to the rate of population growth/ net migration. Except for a peak of negativity in the run up to the 2016 EU referendum. /5.
“The British public demand a clamp-down on migration”
🌍The truth
🔴They don’t. /6. End
P.S. 1st tweet: 56% agree with: “Most foreigners who want to get into my country as a refugee really aren't refugees. They just want […] economic [benefits], or […] our welfare services”. They’re wrong, as Lord Kerr has pointed out👇
A. Go it alone
B. Be civilised
C. Control your border
B+C: needs intense, sustained, multilateral, international cooperation. Forget A.
A+B: no effective border regime. Forget C.
A+C: be like East Germany. Forget civilisation.
P.S. I know: East Germany was, infamously, trying to keep people in, perhaps more than keep others out. (Actually it was both).
But the point’s the same: how do you “control” a border?
And stay civilised.
P.P.S. For the avoidance of doubt: I don’t just make this stuff up. I know you’d never think that …
Over many years, I worked at various times (mainly as a government official) on: asylum/migration; frontier controls; organised crime; maritime law; international development.
The coalition agreement of the new German govt, to be led by @OlafScholz, addresses border control:
“Free movement of people is one of the EU's key achievements. Defending those & making them fair is important to us.
“We want to restore the integrity of the Schengen area … /1.
… & make exemptions to its rules more restrictive & not implemented without consulting our European partners.
“In the future expansion of the Schengen area, we want to pay particular attention to compliance with the rule of law & humanitarian standards in addition to … /2.
… the existing security criteria.
“We want Frontex to develop into a real EU border protection agency, founded on human rights & the mandate it has been given.
“The goal must be effective external border protection based on the rule of law, which is transparent & … /3.
The new German government to be led by @OlafScholz says in its coalition agreement, published earlier:
“We are committed to a common European policy towards the UK & are striving for close bilateral cooperation within this framework. We insist on full compliance … /1.
… with the agreements that have been adopted, in particular with regard to the Northern Ireland Protocol & the Good Friday Agreement. In the event of non-compliance with the agreed standards & procedures, … /2.
… we expect a consistent application of all agreed measures & countermeasures”.
The German car-makers will be along in a moment. /3. End
The new German government, to be led by the social democrat @OlafScholz, has just published its coalition agreement.
At 178 pages it will take a while to analyse. Many interesting points.
Here’s what it says about the fundamental issue for all on this continent: Europe. /1.
TL;DR Germany will double down on a federal European state, with strategic sovereignty, more autonomous in technology, energy, health, raw materials & regulation, & a global leader.
Key text (my English translation) follows. /2.
“We will use the Conference on the Future of Europe for reforms. We support necessary treaty changes.
“The conference should lead to a constitutional convention & to the further development toward a federal European state, which is decentrally organised … /3.