That might be true but the fact remains this country is in no position right now to offer decent housing, schooling, healthcare and financial support to everyone attempting to come here at this time, surely we can agree on that?
Reasonable arguments shouldnāt need that preface but many people have been cowed into using it as a matter of routine.
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If I, or a n other was to express concerns about the numbers of immigrants arriving, and the detrimental effect their added numbers has on already stretched services such as medical care & housing, many people (including a few on here) instantly jump to the conclusion that the concerns are borne from racist views.
Pardon the pun, but views on immigration are not black or white
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Lets be clear on whats going on here in the UK.
We have mass legal migration, while at the same time we have a far smaller number arriving in boats which comprise of asylum seekers some of which are possibly trying to get here for unscrupulous reasons, others genuine.
All migration, despite the fact that it was the previous governmentās policy to leave the gate wide open, has been lumped into one bag with the message that all of them are those few that have arrived on a dinghy that are trying their luck.
Why? Largely government incompetence Iād say but Iām increasingly thinking they knew exactly what they were doing all along.
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Nobody is blaming all the countryās ills on a few thousand people who arrive in rubber dinghies every year (Iād advise you to go and check your figures at this point) but the simple fact remains we are in no position at all to accommodate the numbers who are coming.
We can argue about the reasons all day long but the fact remains.
In 2023, it was 29,437. To put that into context, there are only four Premier League grounds that would not be able to accommodate that number.
The highest annual figure was in 2022, when the particularly benign summer weather meant that 45,774 made the journey. Even that number is less than the capacity of seven Premier League stadia.
So, yes, we are talking relatively small numbers here.
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You clearly said a few thousand people every year. A few is generally regarded as being 3.
Thereās a considerable difference between 3000 and 45774.
Not sure whatās funny?
Your increasingly desperate attempts to defend your stance, for a start.
You really ought to get your own standup series, because itās comedy gold.
You said a few thousand. A few would suggest 3. I pointed out thereās a considerable difference between 3000 and 45774 and you respond with a laughing emoji making out Iāve said something hilarious. Canāt see the joke myself.
I donāt think Iād last too long on the stand up circuit using that as material.
Plenty of people have made careers out of far worse.
FFS, its common knowledge that āa fewā isnāt 2 or 3, or a handful, or half a dozen, all common phrases to describe " a few", its over 45,000 
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Perfect timing. The other half of the double act.
āHello everyone, great to be here. Been arguing with some bloke on the internet this week. I pointed out thereās a big difference between 3000 and 45774!!ā
*waits for laughter.
*room empties.
*walks offstage, perplexed.
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Donāt use it then. People just roll their eyes when they hear it.
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I donāt use it. I donāt see any reason to when expressing my views.
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Anyway, Iām off to buy a brand new Audi. Heard they only cost a few grandā¦
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Iām not so sure. I think under current political thinking that might unfortunately be true. I think these are issues that can be fixed with a little bit of creative thinking, but of course not everyone attempting to come here at this time, unless weāre talking specifically about those who are eligible for asylum.
Specifically, Iām thinking about those areas in the UK which are facing demographic problems age-wise, which could do with a healthy injection of younger people, which unless Iām much mistaken, tends to be the demographic of immigrants. Iāve read recently about schools having to close because of shrinking intakes, leaving many areas under-served, with students having to travel hundreds of miles to their closest school. I donāt know if thereās a shortage of housing generically or a shortage of housing in the right places, but Iād wager that itās more the latter.
Iām thinking of examples like The refugees who brought hope to a Scottish island | Scotland | The Guardian which could probably be replicated in many more places across the country. This example sticks out in my head because Iāve heard of Helmiās, and I think itās meant to be one of the places to eat in the region. At least, if thatās the correct one Iām remembering.
As for healthcare and schooling, I think part of the ongoing issue in both is a lack of trained staff, which I think immigration can be a key contributor to solving.
Financial support, Iād agree. But if you look at the overall picture, immigrants coming in on visas do not have access to public funds and so are not eligible for the welfare system. Asylum seekers may require financial support, but if you listen to the stories, the interviews, the overwhelming opinion is simply that they want to be able to restart/get on with their lives. Processing them quickly and providing minimal support for them to get on their feet would negate the need for any of this financial support. There was never a need for hotels or Bibby Stockholm if the government had done its job properly and just processed the damn claims.
Overall, Iād say that if Labour can actually sort out the government, and by that I mean the governing processes, which seems to be Starmerās key belief, then I think thereās promise to fix those problems. But these are more structural issues with the entire country, and not very much to do with immigration in and of itself.
I can understand where youāre coming from, but I think thereās a lot of nuance in this.
I can understand someone growing up in an area which is largely a monolith ethnically speaking, being part of the ethnic majority, may not understand that certain things they say, certain attitudes/perceptions/believe they have are racist. Thatās fine. Itās a question of intentions. ANECDOTE ALERT: I was reading an account of someone growing up in an area where a slur was used to describe Chinese takeaways, not necessarily because of malicious intentions even if it may have originated that way, and then getting a rude shock on going to university and using it in the context of getting a takeaway. I think itās always an opportunity to educate someone on that. Being someone who grew up in an environment where I was in the ethnic majority, and moving to places where I was an ethnic minority, I can certainly see the harmful stereotypes I grew up with and have been trying to get rid of. I will never shame someone who is well-intentioned but poorly informed.
But if a person persists in saying those things, holding those attitudes and beliefs in the face of correction, then I think itās fair game. Particularly if they then double down, or complain about political correctness.
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