Thread: UK: Call to toughen border controls

UK: Call to toughen border controls

Liberal Democrats say that any amnesty for illegal immigrants will have to be 'earned'

Ned Temko
Sunday August 26, 2007
The Observer
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/ ... 07,00.html

Britian should have stronger border controls, spend more money 'integrating' immigrants into UK society and give a new border control force police-style powers, according to new proposals by the Liberal Democrats.
In a get-tough message on immigration, the Lib Dems will also suggest an 'earned' amnesty for some of the 600,000 foreigners who are illegally living and working in Britain.

The initiative, revealed below by the party's home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg, represents a dramatic shift from the Lib Dems' traditional reluctance to enter the debate over immigration controls. Due to be unveiled at the party's conference in Brighton next month, the proposal will carry particular weight because Clegg has been mentioned as a leading candidate to succeed Sir Menzies Campbell as the party leader.

Explaining the decision to launch the new policy initiative, Clegg writes that, with immigration consistently featuring as one of the top concerns of British voters, 'it is no longer a preoccupation only of the right... simply ignoring the issue is not an option'.
The plan envisages much tighter border controls and advocates giving 'police powers' to the new integrated border force recently announced by Gordon Brown.

It also calls for more financial support for local authorities to cope with the demands of immigrant communities and a range of policies to ensure the 'integration' of the growing number of foreign people who are already in Britain.

Speaking on Friday night, Clegg was keen to stress the difference between reported government plans to grant residence to tens of thousands of long-term asylum applicants and the Lib Dem proposal for a more limited, 'managed' amnesty.

This scheme would offer 'earned legalisation' for illegal immigrants who have 'lived in the UK for many years' - subject to a series of specific conditions and commitments. 'We are against a blanket amnesty,' he explained, 'because the experience of other countries is that this is an invitation for further illegal immigration.'

He acknowledged that the plan represented a departure from the long- standing Liberal Democrat aversion to talking about controls on immigration. 'We have said very little in detail in the past, beyond that we feel that immigration ought to be seen as a good thing - which it is,' Clegg said.

'This is about how we make a managed immigration system work. It is in part a response to the fact that the government is very vulnerable to the accusation of incompetence or populism, while the Conservatives either remain swivel-eyed or can't make up their mind to talk about it at all.'

The move, he said, was a challenge to the other major parties on immigration and comes amid heightened speculation that Brown might call an election as early as October.

Campbell has for months told his party to gear up for that possibility, although Clegg said the consensus was that the Prime Minister would probably wait until at least next year before going to the country.

Yeah, right! Remember that land I have for sale at the bottom of the Atlantic? You'd be a prime candidate to buy it!

Britain is so liberal and PC they'll gladly allow their country to become an islamic state in order to prove they respect the religion of islam.

Originally Posted by Sam-I-am

Britain is so liberal and PC they'll gladly allow their country to become an islamic state in order to prove they respect the religion of islam.

That's it, Sam...in a nutshell!