Opinion: Immigration, my density has brought me to you
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We recently featured a Blowback by Mark Cromer of Californians for Population Stabilization, claiming that this country’s rancorous immigration debate has stopped a sensible discussion of sustainable population growth.
It seems the opposite is true in Britain, where fears of overpopulation are stirring immigration policy reform, and big-time Conservative politicians aren’t afraid to link the two. The Telegraph reports:
The population of England will increase by a third over the next 50 years as it becomes the most crowded major nation in Europe, official forecasts suggest. The current population of England is 50 million, but by 2056 the figure will be 68 million, meaning an average of 1,349 people will live in every square mile. At the moment England’s population density is 1,010 people per square mile.... The Conservatives, who obtained the figures in a parliamentary answer, said they were a damning indictment of Labour’s immigration policy and once again called for tariffs on migration....About 1.3 million immigrants have arrived in the past decade and ministers say the record levels are required because the British economy has 600,000 job vacancies. Yet the benefits to indigenous Britons have been questioned.
Today, the government announced the second stage of a new points-based immigration system. (I briefly discussed the issue, as it relates to the all-important forecasted curry shortage, here.) British employers will have to prove they can’t find a skilled countryman to fill an open post, and potential immigrants have to speak English and earn over 24,000 pounds (or about $47,400). The first stage of the points system went into place in February, applying to immigrants already in England who wanted to extend their stay. A third stage will go into effect later this year, covering temporary workers and students.
Just how crowded is England? As the Telegraph notes, the most crowded place in the world, Macau, has a population density of over 47,000 people to a square mile. California’s density is about 217 people per square mile, while the U.S. has a density of under 100. But Los Angeles County’s is 2,344, which is lower than Orange County’s 3,605.
In any case, the UK is working hard to keep out at least one temporary visitor.
(And, I can’t resist linking this.)