h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

On the beeb this morning they mentionned a MORI poll that had been conducted in order to find out what matters to the electorate. The survey allowed people to specify more than one issue.

The number one issue (cited by around half of those surveyed) was the NHS. No great surprises there.

What horrified me was that the number two issue, mentionned by over a third of those asked, was immigration.

Is this an example that scaremongering can dictate what we worry about? Is this lead by a certain political party and their (in my oppinion) racist election posters, or is it the red-tops appealing to the lowest impulses of their readership.

Is 'immigration' more of an issue for you than education, or social security and pensions, or the economy, or trust, or the environment, or foreign policy, or civil rights?

Perhaps for some people they feel that immigration affects all those other issues you mentioned.
It's more worrying to me that the tabloids rarely differentiate between asylum seekers and illegal economic migrants.
There should never be any question of stopping the former but there should be better systems for dealing with the latter.

I feel like I'm totally out of touch with the rest of society. Neither of those two issues would probably appear on my top ten of issues. Just shows how many of the population are driven by the tabloid newspaper drivel and such stuff, lies damn lies and politics.

I'm a displaced townie currently stuck in the country and the only issue round here seems to be hunting ~ not something ever likely to be relevant to my life.

Immigration IS a problem here in Scotland - the population is falling and we can't get enough immigrants. The issue is never presented that way though. I think if the media said 'Hey, your pension will be worth £3.50 a week in 2040 if we don't have any immigration.' and started scaremongering about that, then attitudes would be a bit different, but not *that* different.

I think it's just racism at heart.

It's seriously simplistic to assume that anyone who worries about immigration is just a racist.It's one of the reasons it's so hard to have any kind of rational debate on the subject on the subject.

Well, I believe that racism is at the heart of many peoples' attitudes towards immigration. Of course it's not the whole reason, and it was maybe simplistic to imply that it is. But among my friends, the ones who are anti-immigration don't need much prodding before the racism comes out.

And I know that's hardly statistically valid but it's my experience.


'Are you thinking what I'm thinking?' Guess not..

I'm with 2legs.

Is there a link to that poll, Kelli? It might be helpful to others to see who commissioned it and how the info was collected.

Immigration tends to be a topic that gets some people's backs up, but as this seems to suggest, it's actually less important overall to many people compared to other issues.

I'll go and have a look for one, it was mentionned by Declan Curry on Breakfast this morning. I was simply amazed that immigration was higher up the list than education for example!

This from the beeb, can't find a link to whatever poll Declan was referring to ATM, still hunting though:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/issues/4352373.stm

Think this is the one here
http://www.mori.com/polls/2005/mpm050322.shtml

NHS at number 1 (44%), race relations/immigration/immigrants number 2 (33%), education/schools number 3 (30%)

Question(s) asked were:
Q7 What would you say is the most important issue facing Britain today? (Spontaneous)
Q8 What do you see as other important issues facing Britain today? (Spontaneous)
Base: 935 British adults 18+

Hi FatKelli

No immigration is not MORE important than your list, but it is an important issue. I feel it is a question of numbers and absorption.

I don't want to know where you live, but in some areas of Britain the non integration of immigrants does cause problems.

I fully understand why certain incoming folk want to stick with their own people, that's fair enough, but our multicultural society, added to by years of immigration, benefitted by a slow absorption of people who wanted to integrate.

I was amazed to see recent reports - which I grant I cannot validate- which said that a certain ethnic group were asking for their own laws to 'run' in their area.

Hardly likely to suggest a willingness to bring something of value into the society?

Novo

Looking at the answers to Q7, race relations/immigration/immigrants came out as the top response!

I don't deny that immigration policy is something for government to consider, I just don't think it is the most important issue facing britain today, it wouldn't be in my top ten.

Immigration is such an emotive issue and like hunting seems to polarise people.
What is a real problem is that when someone raises their head above the parapet and calls for limits or reviews of current policies the immediate response of those who favour completely open immigration is to call that person a racist.
There are good arguments for both sides to this debate but making people too afraid to speak their mind for fear of being accused of something as serious as racism is not the way to go.

IMHO the issue of immigration is *entirely* about racism.

In our society it has become (quite rightly) unacceptable to be publicly and overtly racist. People feel uncomfortable being against "P***s" or "Blacks" ect... because it has been socially unacceptable to do this.

In order to continue the racism they had to find a santitised way of doing it, instead of being against "coloureds" they now proclaim themselves againt "illigal immigrants".

I am willing to bet is the was say a humanitarian disastor in Canada, and 150,000 english speaking white canadians came to Britian there owuld be no outcry about being "swamped". Rather the same bigoted Mail reading people who harp on about immigration would probably be helping the relief effort.

Most people are not anti immigration just anti bron skinned people. Especially if they happen to be Muslim as well.

Hi pixel

Are you concerned about the level of immigration in the country? If so, what do you think we're going to lose by it?

My maternal grandmother was a political refugee and was warmly welcomed here.
I never said that i agreed that immigration should be halted just that i find it disturbing that you cannot raise the issue without being abused and accused of racism.
There are legitimate arguments on both sides and people should be allowed to make them
To misuse a cliche " i might hate what you have to say but i'll defend to the death your right to say it"

Immigration is one of the issues that concerns me in this electoral campaign, but only because I despise the Tories' immigration poster. As an issue that concerns me in a non-election-campaign sort of way, iy barely registers. Education, crime, the environment, foreign policy, even the arts are more important political issues for me.

Maybe they only asked Daily Mail readers?

Only kidding...probably...

David

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OK, what are the anti- ones then?