So the migrant crisis is a pretty big deal right? I
mean, this is a crowded island, housing is limited, unemployment still a
problem, and now on top of our standard net influx of immigrants we’ve got
zillions more from Syria to house and feed and keep healthy.
Everyone’s been shouting about
this issue, everyone’s throwing figures around. Even the Guardian is getting
confused; I found three different numbers representing the amount of people
arriving in Europe by sea in 2015 in the
same article. No wonder anyone can just pick and choose whichever figures
suit their cause.
I don’t like to sugar-coat or pussyfoot or rose-tint, so
here’s what I understand to be happening (if you don’t like stats you might want to skip
this next paragraph).
UK growth rate is currently 0.6% which is higher than
most of Europe but lower than the US and Australia [World Bank]. I’m trusting you, as fellow
grown ups, not to freak out if I tell you that the UK population is predicted
to increase by 9.7 million in the next 25 years. To put that in perspective
that’s 15% of the UK’s current population (which was 64.1m in 2013) [International Passenger Survey, Migration Watch UK].
Anyway, organisations like Migration Watch UK enjoy
trying to scare us by saying that '68% of this projected growth will be caused
by immigration!!!' but that’s not a particularly surprising figure when you
consider that, according to the World Bank, the number of births per woman in the
UK was 1.9 in 2013.
It’s true that recently there have been a lot more people migrating to Europe. As far as I can work out 744,000 arrived by sea in 2015
compared to 219,000 in 2014 (equivalent to 0.15% and 0.04% of the EU’s
population respectively) [UNHCR, the Guardian]. Again, not particularly surprising considering the war
in Syria. 4980 Syrian asylum seekers have been permitted to stay in the UK
since 2011. Cameron says the UK will accept 20,000 over the next five years... not exactly zillions.
At this point let’s pause before we start arguing over
how many asylum seekers should be allowed to stay, or before our heads explode
from having so many numbers crammed into them. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I
can’t possibly consider every angle of this issue in a single blog post so
forgive me if I miss out fundamental stuff or focus on things which seem to be
of little consequence.
It’s very easy to see the figures and feel scared. More
people in this country poses a threat to our wonderful (yet already strained)
NHS, to our (unaffordable) housing market and to all the other freedoms
and services we enjoy.
I’m only 22 with nothing much to lose which makes me
something of an idealist. But after a conversation with someone much wiser and
more rational than me even I have to admit that there’s only so many migrants
we can support before our high standard of living goes out the window. Although
perhaps we could all survive a lightly lower standard... but that’s another
blog post for another day.
Yep, it’s very easy to be afraid. Not only that but we
are effectively helpless in the face of these new arrivals; how many of us get
to decide how many migrants are allowed into our country? Not very many.
Perhaps that’s why some of us are beginning to express our
dislike of immigrants, whether by actively campaigning and joining the relevant
political parties, or simply by the things we say and what we choose to read on
the internet.
Deuteronomy 24:17 says ‘do not be unfair to a foreigner
or an orphan’. And some companies ought to read verse 14: ‘don’t cheat hired
servants who are poor and needy, whether they are fellow Israelites or
foreigners living in one of your towns.’ In other words, treat them as our equals. At the end of the day we
don’t have very much power over whether migrants come to the UK or not, but we
do have the power to make their lives miserable when they get here.
Sometimes it’s important to distinguish between economic
migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. But I recon that anyone who has left
their home, everything they know and love (because, unlike us Brits a lot of
people actually do love their countries) at great personal risk, isn’t doing it
on a whim or because they’re a ‘scrounger’. They’re probably doing it because
their life, or their family, depends on it. For whatever reason.
So, my concluding point would be: please treat our guests with respect, if not kindness
and love. If you want to help them more directly there are organisations who could use your time or money or space. We live in a globalised world so, whether we like it or not,
their problems are our problems too. The war in Syria is our problem, and so is IS, and the lack of human rights in some countries, and the civil wars in the Middle East etc etc.
No problem was ever truly solved by
hostility and ignorance. Who knows, through immigrants and our attitude towards them the UK might even become a place we can
love.
‘We love because God loved us first. If people say “I
love God” but hate their brothers and sisters, they are liars... God gave us
this command: those who live God must also love their brothers and sisters.’ 1
John 4:19-21
Sorry for the incredibly shoddy referencing. If anyone would like to know where I got any of the numbers from just message me.
Please follow the links (time or money or space) if you feel prompted to provide more practical assistance to the migrant crisis. But there are loads of other organisations out there doing similar stuff so feel free to do your own research.
Any corrections are welcome, I try to research thoroughly but I don't always get it right. And comments/suggestions/stories/questions would also be great to hear if you feel like sharing em in the comments box below! My voice gets boring after a while.
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