Immigration is Bad For Britain | Godfrey Bloom

Summary

The speaker acknowledges the positive contributions of immigrants throughout history to the UK, including Polish, religious refugees, West Indians, and Asians from Uganda. However, they express concern about the country's capacity due to its crowded nature and the strain on the welfare state. They advocate for a controlled immigration system that selects who enters based on skills and need, rather than an open-door policy, which they deem unsustainable and potentially harmful to the community.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ The speaker corrects a misconception about 'Bongoland' and suggests looking up 'y86' for clarification.
• 🎤 The speaker expresses honor at being invited to the Oxford Union and Pocklington Rugby Club's anniversary dinner.
• 📝 The main topic of discussion is the motion that 'we've had too much immigration since the War', which the speaker is addressing.
• 🌍 The speaker argues that immigration is like a 'curro's egg', meaning it can be good in parts, and emphasizes the importance of focusing on the motion at hand.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The speaker shares personal connections to immigrants, being married into a Polish immigrant family and having lived among various immigrant communities.
• 🏛️ Historically, the speaker acknowledges the positive contributions of immigrants such as gold and silver smiths, and those who helped drain the fens in East Anglia.
• 🎾 The speaker fondly remembers West Indians who came to the UK, highlighting their love for cricket and their positive impact on the community.
• 👥 The speaker defends the hardworking Asian immigrants who came to the UK after being expelled from Uganda, noting their entrepreneurial spirit.
• 🌱 The speaker acknowledges the UK as a crowded piece of real estate and suggests that an open-door policy could be a 'recipe for disaster'.
• 🤔 The speaker, identifying as a classical liberal, expresses concern about the welfare state and the implications of large-scale immigration on social services.
• 🏘️ The speaker criticizes the government's housing policies and the impact of immigration on youth unemployment, advocating for a controlled immigration system.

Q & A

What is the speaker's stance on immigration in general?

The speaker acknowledges that immigration can be beneficial and has historical examples of immigrants contributing positively to society, but suggests that there might be too much immigration in recent decades.

What is the 'Bongoland' the speaker initially corrects to 'y86'?

The term 'Bongoland' is not clearly defined in the script, but the speaker corrects it to 'y86,' which seems to be a code or term that the speaker suggests can be found through a Google search.

What social events is the speaker attending?

The speaker is attending the Oxford Union and Pocklington Rugby Club's anniversary dinner, indicating a level of prestige and community involvement.

What is the motion being discussed in the script?

The motion being discussed is whether the country has had too much immigration since the War, with a focus on the impact of immigration on society and the economy.

How does the speaker's family background relate to the topic of immigration?

The speaker is married into a Polish immigrant family, which provides a personal connection to the topic and adds credibility to his perspective on immigration.

What historical examples of immigration does the speaker mention?

The speaker mentions religious refugees who brought skills such as gold and silver smithing, people from the low countries who helped drain the fens, West Indians who contributed to the Health Service and Transport Services, and Asians from Uganda who brought entrepreneurial spirit.

What is the speaker's view on the current state of the UK in terms of population?

The speaker describes the UK as one of the most crowded pieces of real estate on the planet, indicating that the country is full and may not be able to accommodate more immigrants comfortably.

What economic perspective does the speaker claim to hold?

The speaker identifies as a classical liberal and a Neo Austrian Economist, suggesting a preference for free markets and potentially less government intervention, including in the area of welfare.

What is the speaker's proposal regarding the immigration system?

The speaker proposes a system where the UK works out who they want to come in, similar to the immigration policies of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, focusing on bringing in people with needed skills.

How does the speaker feel about the welfare state in relation to immigration?

The speaker expresses concern about the welfare state, suggesting that new immigrants should not expect the same level of benefits as citizens, and implies a preference for a more selective immigration policy.

What is the main concern the speaker has about an open-door policy for immigration?

The speaker is concerned that an open-door policy could lead to overpopulation and strain on resources, as well as a potential negative impact on the community due to a lack of integration and distinction between new and established immigrants.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 Immigration Perspectives and Personal Anecdotes

The speaker begins by correcting a geographical misconception about 'Bongoland' and then transitions into a discussion about their experiences with various immigration events in the UK. They highlight their personal connection to Polish immigrants through their in-laws, who were successful and well-integrated post-war immigrants. The speaker also acknowledges the historical contributions of religious refugees and other immigrant groups to British society, such as gold and silver smiths, Dutch engineers, West Indians in the health and transport sectors, and Ugandan Asians with entrepreneurial spirit. Despite these positive examples, the speaker suggests that the UK is now 'full' and that the welfare state system, which provides extensive social support, might be strained by an open-door policy on immigration. They advocate for a more controlled immigration system that considers the UK's capacity and the potential impact on existing communities.

05:01

🏗️ Addressing Immigration and the Welfare State

Continuing the discourse on immigration, the speaker emphasizes the practical implications of an open-door policy, particularly in terms of housing and employment. They express concern about the UK's high youth unemployment rate and argue that significant immigration does not align with economic logic in areas with such challenges. The speaker advocates for a selective immigration system similar to those in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, where immigrants are admitted based on needed skills. They also address the potential negative impacts of an open-door policy on long-standing immigrant communities, who could be unfairly conflated with new arrivals. The speaker refutes the notion that most immigrants come for welfare benefits, asserting that this is an absurd assumption. The paragraph concludes with a reiteration of the motion at hand: that the UK has experienced excessive immigration since the war, which the speaker supports.

Keywords

💡Immigration

Immigration refers to the process of moving to a country with the intention of residing there permanently. In the video's theme, it is central to the discussion, as the speaker reflects on the historical and current impacts of immigration on society. The speaker mentions various waves of immigration, such as post-war immigrants and those from Uganda, illustrating the diverse backgrounds and contributions of immigrants.

💡Oxford Union

The Oxford Union is a world-renowned debating society at the University of Oxford. It is mentioned in the script as an event the speaker is invited to, suggesting a prestigious platform for discussing important topics, including potentially the issue of immigration.

💡Polish Immigrant Family

The term refers to a family that has immigrated from Poland. The speaker uses this as a personal example to highlight the positive contributions of immigrants, mentioning his father-in-law's successful business and community involvement, which challenges any notion that immigrants are unwelcome.

💡Religious Refugees

Religious refugees are individuals who flee their home country due to religious persecution. In the script, the speaker refers to historical instances of religious refugees, such as gold and silver smiths, who brought their skills and positively impacted certain areas of London.

💡Low Countries

The Low Countries is a term traditionally used to describe countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. The speaker mentions people from these regions who taught drainage techniques, leading to the fertile farmland in East Anglia, as an example of beneficial immigration.

💡West Indians

West Indians refers to people from the Caribbean region. The speaker recounts living in South London during a significant influx of West Indian immigrants, emphasizing their positive attributes, such as family values and contributions to culture, like making dominoes a spectator sport.

💡Uganda

The script refers to the expulsion of Asians from Uganda under the regime of Idi Amin. These immigrants are highlighted for their entrepreneurial spirit and successful integration into British society, further supporting the argument for the benefits of immigration.

💡Welfare State

A welfare state is a concept where the government provides a range of social services to its citizens, such as healthcare, education, and social security. The speaker discusses the welfare state in the context of immigration, noting the challenges of providing these services to an increasing population.

💡Neo Austrian Economist

This term refers to an economic philosophy that advocates for minimal government intervention and a laissez-faire approach to the economy. The speaker identifies with this philosophy, suggesting a preference for reducing or eliminating social welfare programs, although this stance is not the focus of the debate in the script.

💡Youth Unemployment

Youth unemployment is the rate of unemployment among young people in the workforce. The speaker cites a 30% youth unemployment rate in the north of England to argue against significant amounts of immigration, suggesting that economic opportunities should be prioritized for the existing population.

💡Open Door Policy

An open door policy refers to a liberal approach to immigration, allowing people to enter and reside in a country freely. The speaker argues against such a policy, suggesting it could lead to overpopulation and strain on resources, advocating instead for a more controlled and selective immigration system.

Highlights

Speaker corrects a misconception about 'Bongoland' and clarifies it as 'y86', suggesting to Google the code for verification.

Speaker expresses excitement about being invited to the Oxford Union and Pocklington Rugby Club's anniversary dinner.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of focusing on the motion about post-War immigration levels.

Speaker argues that immigration is like a 'curry's egg', being good in parts, and should be carefully considered.

Personal opinion shared that there might have been too much immigration in the last 20 to 30 years.

Speaker's connection to a Polish immigrant family, highlighting the positive contributions of immigrants.

Historical perspective on religious refugees and their positive impact on London's economy and culture.

Acknowledgment of the skills and contributions brought by immigrants from the low countries to England's agriculture.

Recollection of West Indians' significant contributions to the UK, especially in the Health Service and Transport Services.

Speaker's personal experience living among West Indian immigrants and their positive influence on community life.

Discussion of the entrepreneurial spirit of Asians who came to the UK after being expelled from Uganda.

The speaker's stance as a classical liberal and his nuanced view on the free movement of labor.

Concerns raised about the UK's welfare state and the implications of large-scale immigration on social services.

Argument made against an open-door policy, suggesting it could lead to negative consequences.

Proposal for a controlled immigration system that brings in people based on skill needs.

Concern for the impact of high immigration levels on the UK's housing and infrastructure.

Speaker's view on the economic sense of immigration in relation to high youth unemployment rates.

Final commendation of the motion regarding the country having seen too much immigration since the War.

Transcripts

if I may put you right on one thing

bongoland is actually

y86 and if you Google that code you'll

find it uh I only found that out myself

the other day um great thing about

politics is that tonight it's the Oxford

Union and I'm very flattered to be

invited and tomorrow night it's

pocklington rugby clubs uh anniversary

dinner and I rather suspect on both

occasions I will be the worst for where

um can I just again as our introducing

speaker uh suggested draw your

attention to the actual motion here the

motion isn't about whether immigration

is a good or bad thing immigration of

course is like the curro's egg it's good

in

parts so I would argue that we must pay

attention to that particular motion of

the em motion being we've had too much

immigration since the War I wouldn't

even argue that myself I would say

perhaps we've had too much immigration

in the last 20 or 30

years I'm married into a Polish

immigrant family my father-in-law uh

finished up after the war he was a tank

commander uh with uh the first polish

armor division uh he was a successful

businessman successful enough to send

two children through public school he

was a pillar of the community and a

great benefactor for Char

charity who would suggest for one moment

he wasn't welcome certainly not me and

of course we look back historically

don't we we look back at those uh

turbulent times in Europe and we see

those religious

refugees uh who came to us and they

brought their

skills uh the gold Smiths and silver

Smiths which parts of London and that

part of London in and around Hatton

Garden still benefit today who would

suggest that they weren't welcome

certainly not me what about the uh the

people from the low countries who showed

us how to drain the fen East Anglia

producing some of the most uh fertile

Farmland in the country if not Europe so

successful now is that part of the world

rumor has it they have a university in

the

fence I you not

be that as it may and of course after

the war we saw the West Indians come

across and I lived in South London when

they came in significant numbers because

we couldn't man uh our Health Service

and we couldn't man our uh Transport

Services wonderful people yes indeed my

Lord they loved cricket and all the

better for that in my view uh they were

God-fearing family valued uh really

really nice people and I lived amongst

them I counted a number of them as my

friends and in point of fact they turned

dominoes into a spectator sport who

would suggest for one moment that they

weren't welcome certainly not me

certainly not me and then of course for

those of you old enough to remember we

had that beastly regime in

Uganda who threw out those hardworking

uh Asians who came to us with all that

entrepreneurial spirit that integation

spirit that they brought here and

they've done so well haven't we so many

of those families that came to us have

done so well who would for a moment say

that they weren't welcome not me

certainly not

me but what I would suggest is we've got

to acknowledge some things that are

simply a fact of life this is one of the

most crowded pieces of real estate on

the face of the planet we are just full

now I'm a libert iian I'm a classical

liberal you might argue well goodness me

what's Bloom doing arguing against free

movement of Labor

well generally speaking in a pure uh

economic sense I wouldn't be but we have

a welfare

state for Worse not for better in my

view but we have moved miles away from

beverage where we have a social network

that produces cradle tog grave pensions

social security health education none of

these things I would go for myself as a

Neo Austrian Economist I'd get rid of

the lot but we are where we

are so when you bring significant

numbers

in they are then going to expect quite

rightly and quite naturally and the

noble Lord makes the point we're a fair

Nation Nation we're quite right we

should extend these facilities uh if if

uh if they are there and if that is

appropriate but of

course they they can come and they are

welcome and I know how hardworking in my

constituency are they are and how well

received they are and how well thought

of they

are but if they stay and of course many

will like my father-in-law eventually

they will want their pensions their

State uh uh uh education and all the

other things that go with the modern

welfare

state and you may or may not made the

argument for economic advancement for

immigration uh and I'm not here to make

that argument for or

against uh and I I don't really think

that matters particularly we know just

down the road outside Oxford they're

already beginning to concrete over

Greenfield sites the government tell us

we need another 200,000 dwellings a

year well I don't want my nation my

beautiful Island concreted right over to

tweak up GDP by another half a percent a

year thank you very much I don't want

rep representing a Yorkshire

constituency significant amounts of

immigration from wherever it comes when

I have 30% youth unemployment in the

north of England it doesn't make any

economic sense at all what we need of

course is a system where we work out who

we want to come in who we know who comes

in and they apply like any other

civilized country on the face of the

planet Canada Australia New Zealand

South Africa perfectly reasonable if we

need that skill we bring people in but

an open door policy an open door policy

is a recipe for

disaster and the people that it will

affect most of those immigrant families

like the one I married into who have

been here for a

generation they're the people because

people will not distinguish between who

is new who is old who's adding to the

community who isn't adding to the

community and like the noble Lord I

don't believe for one minute most

immigrants come here for welfare

benefits that would be

absurd thank you uh you mention adding

to the community yet you proposed to get

rid of welfare how would that add to

your community that you represent when

you get rid of welfare and is that UK

could policy well firstly will have

escaped your notice perhaps I'm now an

independent not

you and I would very I would very

happily come back and de debate

the advantages or disadvantages of a

welfare state but tonight that's not the

debate the debate is the motion is this

country has seen too much immigration

since the war that is the motion and I

commend it to the

house