Dear members,
Yesterday we had further doubts cast on UK migration figures.
According to the BBC, the latest figures had London losing some 60,000
migrants to other parts of the country every month.
But there was a 550 per cent increase in national insurance registrations by
eastern European nationals in Hammersmith and Fulham, and the leader of
Westminster City Council daid there was anecdotal evidence that there were
over 2,000 migrants coming through Victoria coach station on a weekly
basis.
And we read "two thirds of local authorities across the country contacted by
the BBC said they did not have faith in the official number of migrants in
their area".
So much for migration statistics.
***But how could they be improved?***
One thing that stands out for me is the indifference of Radstst members to
this problem, judging by the lack of recent postings.
We are told we should asseess Radstats by its official pronouncements. Well
as I think I'ved said before, I do not buy that. I prefer to assess by
looking at the concerns expresed my members in their e-mails.
Back to the BBC yesterday. On radio and TV we had a government spokesman ( I
think it was the immigration minister Liam Byrne) telling us that immigrants
were a great benefit to us as they bought in a million (? I was not sure of
the actual figure mentioned) per day. Although he vaguely mentioned possible
problems arising from immigration, neither he nor the BBC mentioned that
some (e.g. Migration Watch) argue that the net benefit of immigration is so
small as to be of little significance . I note that Radstats members do not
seem to be concerned at this typical BBC bias.
Yet these are very important matters, more important by far I think than
some of the concerns expressed on Radstats.
John Barker.
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