Open borders

Some people think I'm a racist because I voted Leave. Some people think I'm a racist because I voted Leave, because those people think that everyone who voted Leave, did so because they have an issue with immigration. Some people think I'm a racist because I voted leave, because those people think that everyone who voted leave, did so because they have an issue with immigration and that having an issue with immigration makes you racist

So I'm a racist

But you know what? I don't have any issue with immigration. As a Libertarian, I believe in open borders. Completely open borders

Sure, the way things are at the moment, we have issues. People talk of schools, housing, jobs, welfare, culture, crime, terrorism and to greater or lesser extents, immigration is causing problems with all these things and more. And it needs sorting

The issue is not with immigration. The issues arise when Governments interfere in immigration. Governments are the problem. Just like in pretty much every other aspect of our lives, when Governments get involved, things turn to shit. And so it is with immigration

You can earn a better wage in England that you can in Poland, because England has a very high minimum wage. A minimum wage which was imposed by the Government
Jobs are available in England even though we have a lot of unemployed English people, because the English welfare system is the most generous in the world. Created to be so by the Government
On top of that, the EU Government rules that the domestic welfare system of EU countries must be available to EU immigrants, so you can come here from the EU and go straight on the dole, if that's your thing (I think there may have been some restrictions placed on that now)

If the minimum wage was scrapped, everyone would all get paid what they are worth to the market. Eventually the same type of job would be worth the same rate in England or in Poland, so higher wages would no longer attract unskilled workers
But who would fill all the available jobs? If we scrapped the welfare state, English people languishing on the dole would have to get jobs. The lowest paid unskilled work, would be taken up by the local population. If there were not enough of those people to fill all the jobs, wages would begin to increase and people would be tempted to come from further afield

Wage harmonisation through market forces and a welfare state that supplied only a temporary safety net to those who had first paid in, would solve the problem of mass, uncontrolled immigration, without the need for borders

We wouldn't even have half the third world camped on our doorstep. Economic migrants and refugees would have no need or reason to travel half the way across the world to come to England. Asylum, as it should be, would be sought at the first safe country and jobs would no longer attract mass migration

Of course I understand that what I have just proposed is a very simplistic view of the whole thing. I get that economies would ensure that wages were not the same the world over, at least until the third world pulls it's finger out. Differences would still exist and many people would be attracted to other countries for many reasons

I'm not about to start writing a book on the subject, but you get the idea? Without artificially inflated wages and fill yer boots benefit systems, immigration would be a lot more controlled and a lot more civilised. It would even be beneficial

So that's me. I do believe in open borders, I just don't believe in Government generosity with other peoples money

Which probably still makes me a racist in some way

Oh well...