Home Blogs & Views Birmingham Mail Columnists The Stirrer
What next, Mr Byrne?
HODGE Hill MP Liam Byrne isn't the first New Labour politician to wade into the immigration issue.
John Reid, Charles Clarke and David Blunkett have all questioned the scale of new arrivals to our country - yet migrants continue to pour in at record levels.
What none of these tough-talking politicians wants to admit is that there's precious little they can do about it. As members of the EU, we gave away the right to control our own borders years ago.
That's why in the last three years alone, we've had 600,000 workers coming in from Eastern Europe.
Most people appreciate that modern economies benefit from the skills and energy brought by people from overseas. But they also add to the pressures felt in our classrooms, our hospitals and on our transport network.
So well done Mr Byrne for recognising the real world in which the rest of us live. The question is, as Immigration Minister, what are you going to do about it?
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