Labour must take a strong pro-immigration stance and promote “tolerance and diversity” even if it means losing voters, Owen Smith has said.
The Labour leadership contender nailed his identity politics colours to the mast, suggesting that a largely white parliament sends the wrong signals, and voicing support for party shortlists that would exclude white people.
The MP for Pontypridd told the Independent that “there are still whole communities that are un-represented in Parliament and they should be”, and argued that there’s a case for all ethnic minority shortlists.
“There is an important signal that we can send by making sure ethnic minorities are represented in Parliament, and I don’t think we’ve thought deeply enough about that and the signal it sends that Parliament is so white.”
Mr. Smith insisted that while Labour had previously sent “mixed messages” on immigration, it’s essential the party should “be absolutely clear” that they are in favour of it.
“I think even if there was some electoral damage, we should be clear about it,” the Labour MP said.
Explaining his view, Mr. Smith told the website: “We’ve had a really ugly debate about immigration in Britain and crucially I think Labour, which is the party that always has to speak to the best of people’s value and always has to speak for decency in Britain and tolerance and diversity, needs to be much more straight forward about our views on immigration.”
Mr. Smith said the Labour party should tell the public that immigrants play a key role in GDP growth and delivering public services, and that they pay more in taxes than they take in benefits.
In actual fact, Migration Watch calculated that EU migrants cost taxpayers £1 billion in 2014/15 while non-EU migrants strained the country’s finances by an incredible £17 billion that year. Only households with a gross annual income of more than £35,000 are net contributors to the UK’s treasury.
Dr. Joseph Chamie, director of research at the Centre for Migration Studies, described economic growth driven by mass migration as a “Ponzi scheme” which boosts companies’ profits at the expense of quality of life and the environment.
“The underlying strategy of Ponzi demography is to privatize the profits and socialise the costs incurred from increased population growth,” the demographer ,who directed the United Nations Population Division for 12 years, wrote.
Dr. Chamie pointed out that mass immigration means more demand, consumption, borrowing, and profits, and explained that such a system is unsustainable.
He wrote: “When the bubble eventually bursts and the economy sours, the scheme spirals downward with higher unemployment, depressed wages, falling incomes, more people sinking into debt, more homeless families — and more men, women and children on public assistance.”
With “Ponzi demography”, Dr. Chamie stated that companies enjoy the profits of a larger population while the general public is left to pick up the tab for mounting costs of education, healthcare, housing, and crime.
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