The objection to "immigration" is often a coded objection to multiculturalism

The objection to "immigration" is often a  coded objection to multiculturalism. Objectors just don't like the fact that parts of some of our towns and cities have changed to reflect the culture of the newcomers and look and feel different from those areas which have not had immigrants. They don't like the fact that when  you travel you sometimes see a mix of ethnicity and dress around you. They don't like the fact that our once exclusively White Anglo-Saxon Christian nation isn't like that any more.

I would suggest that the number of Britain's indigenous citizens who have actually personally been disadvantaged in some way by immigration is less than 0.5%. A few who have lost jobs to better qualified incomer candidates (in which example the employer is making a rational choice. And why not?). But the vast majority of Britain's citizens have not been adversely affected by immigration at all.

Whilst few are affected adversely by immigration we are all beneficiaries of it. The entrepreneurship and hard work of the Asian small shopkeeper. The care and skill of the Bengali nurse. The pride and talent of the Somali athlete or the Jamaican footballer. The culinary excellence of the Chinese or Thai or Indian restauranteur. (Not to mention the French chef, merci M. Roux et M. Blanc!).

Our nation is so much better for the arrival on our shores of people from foreign lands and for the contribution they have made to our society. As with all things not everything in the garden is rosy. There have been and are problems - not least the phenomenon of the home-bred Islamic militant. But the P&L is overwhelmingly on the credit side.