Tag: Immigration
Anti-politics after 23 June: How bad will the hangover be the morning after?
Disaffection with politics and politicians has been on the rise since World War II. Will Jennings and Gerry Stoker discuss how this trend of negativity has fed in to the campaign to leave the EU, and write that while a remain victory may stem some of the immediate pressures on the British economy and state, […]
A short handbook of Brexit fallacies: Putting facts in context
The Brexit debate is full of facts, figures, and fallacies. But Albert Weale writes that facts are not enough, and that to make a responsible voting choice, facts need to be fitted into a bigger picture. He looks at 18 different fallacies to see where the logic breaks down in statements that often seem ‘right’ at first glance. […]
How position shifts regarding sociocultural issues may (or may not) hurt political parties
Sociocultural issues such as immigration have increased in prominence in recent years in Western Europe, with far-right parties gaining traction in the guise of figures such as Marine Le Pen (and her father Jean Marie before her). Here, Kyung Joon Han looks at whether position shifts from these parties hurt them politically, finding that that niche […]
Although it has been largely ignored, soft security matters in the EU referendum debate
People fear the extreme and demand their governments be tough on security, but in truth our safety comes largely through control of the mundane. Matt Wood and Rita Hordósy write that the current Brexit debates links security to concerns about immigration and the danger of a terrorist attack. However, if we see long-term economic and social stability as related […]
Incomplete Europeans: Polish migrants’ experience of discrimination in the UK is complicated by their whiteness
Although Central-East Europeans have officially been a part of the EU for more than a decade, they have not been completely embraced. This is especially true in the UK. Yet this topic has remained very much on the sidelines of the Brexit debate. Dagmar Myslinska’s research on Polish migrants brings a better understanding of the circular, temporal, and open-ended nature of free movement which has affected […]
The political potential of migrants is often overlooked in discussions around integration
In a recent study, Hanna Wass, Päivi Pirkkalainen and Marjukka Weide drew on the Somali community in Finland as a case study to consider immigrants as a political resource. They found that turnout among Somali-born voters was only slightly lower than native citizens, and that their engagement in civic associations is highly dynamic and diverse. […]
A two-way street: how to make immigration work
Opponents of immigration have two main concerns: that immigrants are bad for our economy because they force wages down, and bad for our culture for they are at odds with our liberal views. Here, Randall Hansen writes that anti-liberal attitudes need to be challenged whatever their source – minorities who oppose liberal values or Europeans […]
Economic solutions are unlikely to ease immigration concerns
Immigration is a huge element of contemporary political debate, and it continues to divide and polarise opinion, while fuelling the rise of UKIP and other radical parties across Europe. Here, Craig Johnson and Sunil Rodger argue that while hostility to immigration may be in part to do with economics, a sunny economic outlook is unlikely […]
Book Review: Immigration Detention: The Migration of a Policy and its Human Impact edited by Amy Nethery and Stephanie J. Silverman
The collection Immigration Detention: The Migration of a Policy and its Human Impact, edited by Amy Nethery and Stephanie J. Silverman, gives an overview of the practice and human impact of detention as an integral part of immigration management and control through a series of country case studies. While Gayle Munro would have welcomed more direct engagement with […]
Theresa May’s announcement of new community sponsorship schemes was the silver lining of her conference speech
Theresa May’s speech at the Conservative Party conference, which focussed largely on immigration and its supposed negative societal and economic effects proved to be controversial, finding criticism even amongst conservative supporting newspapers and members of her own party. Marley Morris however found some promise in the ideas she presented around community sponsorship. Similar PostsTheresa May […]
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