Ben's Column

<table width="100%" height="100%" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr> <td colspan="2" align="left" valign="bottom"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""><tr><td background="../../graphics/180601_pages/pat.jpg"><img src="../../graphics/180601_pages/top.jpg" width="760" height="54" alt="MP for Exeter" usemap="#Map" border="0"></td></tr></table> <map name="Map"> <area shape="rect" coords="38,21,223,37" href="../../biog/" alt="Biography" title="Biography" target="_parent"> </map> </td> </tr> <tr><td align="right" valign="top"> <table summary="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td width="150" height="341" background="../../graphics/buttons/bottom.jpg" valign="top"> <table summary="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> <a href="/" target="_parent"><img src="../../graphics/buttons/home.gif" alt="Home" width="150" height="34" border="0"></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <a href="../../exeter_labour/index/" target="_parent"><img name="Image6" border="0" src="../../graphics/buttons/party.gif" width="150" height="23" alt="Exeter Labour Party"></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <a href="/" target="_parent"><img name="Image7" border="0" src="../../graphics/buttons/speeches.gif" width="150" height="23" alt="Speeches"></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <a href="../../column/" target="_parent"><img border="0" src="../../graphics/buttons/column.gif" width="150" height="24" alt="Ben's Column"></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <a href="../../faqs/" target="_parent"><img border="0" src="../../graphics/buttons/faqs.gif" width="150" height="23" alt="FAQs"></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <a href="/" target="_parent"><img border="0" src="../../graphics/buttons/local.gif" width="150" height="23" alt="Local Information"></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <a href="/" target="_parent"><img border="0" src="../../graphics/buttons/newsletter.gif" width="150" height="23" alt="Newsletter"></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <a href="/" target="_parent"><img src="../../graphics/buttons/links.gif" width="150" height="23" border="0" alt="Links"></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <a href="../../contact/contact/" target="_parent"><img src="../../graphics/buttons/contact.gif" width="150" height="23" alt="Contact" border="0"></a> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td align="left" valign="top">  <html> <head> <title>Welcome to Ben Bradshaws Website</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> </head> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#cc0000" vlink="#cc0000" alink="#cc0000" leftmargin="0" topmargin="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0"> <font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><a name="top"></a></b></font> <table width="90%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10" summary=""> <tr> <td align="right"><a href="../../column/column/" target="_self"><img alt="Back" src="../../graphics/new_bio/back.gif" width="90" height="22" border="0"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="-3"><font size="4" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#CC0000">Immigration — 23 February 2005</font></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="-6"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It is quite right that we should have an open and honest debate about immigration.<br/> <br/> But that debate should deal in facts rather than fantasy or scaremongering. <br/> <br/> The first thing to remember is that our economy needs migrant labour. With unemployment now so low, many of our local hotels, factories and other businesses would struggle without foreign workers. <br/> <br/> Our ageing population means we are likely to need more imported labour in future. Who else is going to do all the jobs and pay the taxes which fund our pensions and public services? <br/> <br/> We have always had migration, both in and out. People coming here have contributed to the richness of our culture and our gene pool. Britons helped populate the New World and, more recently, retirees have cashed in high property values and moved to warmer climes in Spain or France. <br/> <br/> Asylum differs from immigration. Britain has a proud record of providing refuge to those fleeing persecution. One of my ancestors fled anti protestant persecution in France. The parents of the Conservative Party leader, Michael Howard, were from Transylvania. <br/> <br/> There�s been some scaremongering in the press about asylum being �out of control�. The truth is asylum numbers have dropped by 67 per cent from their peak. The average time to decide a case has been cut from twenty months to two months and the number of failed asylum seekers removed from the UK is also up.<br/> <br/> Most people, I believe, support managed migration and genuine refugees. What people object to is the rules being abused or when people jump the queue. That is when they lose confidence in the system as a whole and provide fertile ground for racists and other extremists. <br/> <br/> Politicians and the media have a responsibility to discuss these issues responsibly and not to exaggerate or play on people�s fears. Prejudice must be confronted head on, but we must also address people�s genuine concerns and ensure the system is properly managed, fair and transparent. <br/> </font></td> <tr> <td height="-7"><a href="#top"><img alt="Back to Top" src="../../graphics/180601_pages/back_top.gif" width="100" height="27" border="0"></a></td> </tr> </table> </body> </html> </td> </tr> <tr><td> </td> <td align="right" valign="bottom"><table width="100%" height="70" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> <tr><td width="100%" height="70" align="left" valign="bottom"> <font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="/" target="_parent">Home</a> | <a href="../../exeter_labour/index/" target="_parent">Exeter Labour Party</a> | <a href="/" target="_parent">Speeches</a> | <a href="../../column/" target="_parent">Ben's Column</a> | <a href="../../faqs/" target="_parent">FAQs</a> | <a href="/" target="_parent">Local Information</a> | <a href="/" target="_parent">Newsletter</a> | <a href="/" target="_parent">Links</a> | <a href="../../contact/contact/" target="_parent">Contact</a></font><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br> </font> <font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#000000">The contents of these pages must not be reproduced by any third parties for commercial gain. <a href="/" target="_blank">Privacy Policy</a><br> </font> <font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ben Bradshaw © 2000-2008 Last updated 08/2007</font> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1">| Developed by Websight</font> </td> <td height="70" width="251" align="right" valign="bottom"><img src="../../graphics/180601_pages/ben_logo_new.jpg" alt="" width="251" height="61" border="0" align="right"></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table>