Immigration Amnesty & London

Lots of comment around today on the support shown by all 3 Mayoral candidates in London for an immigrant amnesty. Guido has a convincing piece here http://www.order-order.com/2008/04/boris-is-right-tories-are-wrong-london.html

I'm unconvinced but persuadable. I agree that it seems unfair to penalise hard working migrant families just because they don't have a scrap of paper. But an amnesty would just encourage more illegals to try and enter. It screams 'Don't worry old chappy from Romania, in a few years time you'll get an amnesty and bingo!'.

People are using Reagan as a model, given his amnesty. But his legislation has not stopped mass attempts by Latin Americans to get into the States. So much so that McCain & others support another amnesty.

I could be convinced to support this if we denied all newcomers access to the welfare state until they had worked for a set period of time; mandatory deportation for all migrants breaking the law irrespective of how many children they have here or how many years they have been settled; and a significant reduction in people allowed to legally arrive.

We are a small island. It doesn't take a genius to work out that we cannot keep accepting thousands more immigrants every month for ever. Yes, those who come to fill gaps in the workforce are welcome, as are genuine political refugees.

Everyone else really isn't.

Boris or Ken or Camp Copper

Nominations are due today for the London Mayoral elections on 1st May. Ken is looking like he is going to be kicked out by bumbling Boris. Which is a good thing in itself - Livingstone is a great self-publicist but an incompetent socialist who thinks that Chavez and Castro are great role models for democracy and human rights (!!!!!!!).

Being the Mayor is a strange job. Not enough power to attract really serious heavyweight politicians (just look at the choices on offer for 2008!), but enough power to be a real menace to London boroughs & Londoners who pay the Mayor's council tax precept.

Livingstone's charge has gone up 150% over the past few years - so much for a streamlined Mayoralty & GLA.

Mr Rover will definitely be drinking a bottle of the good stuff when Ken loses on 1st May. But I have a nagging feeling that Boris can't get away from being a joke politician. Maybe the joke is on us and he is supremely intelligent, tapping into the popular cynicism towards politicians to be the ultimate anti-politician..... hmmm