Archbishop Carey gets it right on immigration

Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, was entirely right yesterday when he called for limits on immigration to the UK. Showing just how much of a better Primate he was than our current Archbishop, Lord Carey has joined a cross-party group of MPs and Peers in calling for a balance migration policy; one advocated for some time by the pressure group Migration Watch.

Lord Carey's contention is that we need to limit net migration levels now in order to prevent the UK's population reaching 70 million which the Office of National Statistics predicts could occur by 2033.

A balanced migration system is not one which says let's lock the door and throw away the key; such a policy, advocated by the British National Party and others, would cause serious damage to the British economy. It remains a fact that migrants have contributed enormously to the British economy over the past 50 years and we will still require them to do so in years to come as our population suffers from a natural decrease. But the stream of migration cannot carry on at current levels. The UK cannot afford to house, feed, educate and provide health care for 70 million people; our resources are already stretched as it is. A balanced migration policy, which balances immigration against emigration is by far the best approach.

Lord Carey also spoke some wise words about the need for migrants to accept the values of this country. I agree with him entirely.

As previous posts on this blog will show, I am a robust defender of freedom of speech and freedom of religion. I do not, as some people do, believe that when people come here they should be forced to discard their own religions, cultures and beliefs or practice them in secret. I'm quite happy for Muslims to build mosques (with minarets if they so wish), Jews to eat Kosher food and Sikhs to wear their turbans.

But equally their must be an acceptance amongst migrant communities that Britain is a Christian country, with laws based on Judeo-Christian principles and that our practices, values and culture will continue to be based on our Christian tradition. We should not be ashamed of our Christian heritage, Judeo-Christian values have informed many of the best things in British society; we should celebrate it far more. So should immigrants. I do not see any reason why immigrants cannot retain their own identities, cultures and religions whilst not embracing our history, our language and our traditions.

Archbishop Carey got it exactly right yesterday, more politicians should take note.