Heather Rolfe, Researcher at NIESR interested in migration and equality and diversity in employment and education (NIESR is the The National Institute of Economic and Social Research), said yesterday "New immigration figures show 10% drop in student applications - are we closing the doors on the 'brightest and best'? "
The folly of allowing unrestricted immigration of unskilled workers has been clearly established, and thank goodness something is at last being done to stop it (and I want it raised in the EU renegotiations that are planned).
However, I take issue with Heather Rolfe's implied assumption that "closing the door" on the brightest and best is something to be regretted.
"The brightest and best" is an innocuous phrase, positive and encouraging in tone.
But is it not also the case that the brightest and best tend to be the pushiest and most extrovert?
To uproot yourself and go to another country (perhaps the other side of the world) and gain entry to that country and rights to settle and then establish an income - does this not take very considerable reserves of tenacity and determination and go-getting drive?
What is the impact on British society of allowing entry to millions of pushy people?
One Yasmin Alibhai-Brown might be OK. But half a million Yasmin Alibhai-Browns, all in their various ways feisty and outspoken and determined to push through change? Doesn't that start to get a little unbalanced?
And given the independent stand-on-your-own-two-feet character of most immigrants what impact is that going to have on attitudes to welfare and the outlook for the less pushy (the shy, the hesitant, the weak)? Is there any correlation between the influx of millions of pushy people and the increasingly intolerant attitudes of society towards welfare and fairness? Heather Rolfe says she is interested in "migration and equality and diversity" - I hope she is looking at the inward migration of all these extroverts and the impact they are having on social attitudes.
I am a naturally shy person. I know we need "go getters" but in my opinion a little goes a long way. Personally I would like to drop the "brightest and best" influx and concentrate on making our extremely expensive education system produce some home-grown go-getters.
http://niesr.ac.uk/ https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/201099/immigration-q1-2013snr.pdf
The folly of allowing unrestricted immigration of unskilled workers has been clearly established, and thank goodness something is at last being done to stop it (and I want it raised in the EU renegotiations that are planned).
However, I take issue with Heather Rolfe's implied assumption that "closing the door" on the brightest and best is something to be regretted.
"The brightest and best" is an innocuous phrase, positive and encouraging in tone.
But is it not also the case that the brightest and best tend to be the pushiest and most extrovert?
To uproot yourself and go to another country (perhaps the other side of the world) and gain entry to that country and rights to settle and then establish an income - does this not take very considerable reserves of tenacity and determination and go-getting drive?
What is the impact on British society of allowing entry to millions of pushy people?
One Yasmin Alibhai-Brown might be OK. But half a million Yasmin Alibhai-Browns, all in their various ways feisty and outspoken and determined to push through change? Doesn't that start to get a little unbalanced?
And given the independent stand-on-your-own-two-feet character of most immigrants what impact is that going to have on attitudes to welfare and the outlook for the less pushy (the shy, the hesitant, the weak)? Is there any correlation between the influx of millions of pushy people and the increasingly intolerant attitudes of society towards welfare and fairness? Heather Rolfe says she is interested in "migration and equality and diversity" - I hope she is looking at the inward migration of all these extroverts and the impact they are having on social attitudes.
I am a naturally shy person. I know we need "go getters" but in my opinion a little goes a long way. Personally I would like to drop the "brightest and best" influx and concentrate on making our extremely expensive education system produce some home-grown go-getters.
http://niesr.ac.uk/ https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/201099/immigration-q1-2013snr.pdf
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