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Press Releases for December 2002

December 27, 2002
Welcome for UN High Commissioner's comments that Britain is' taking more than fair share of refugees'

December 10, 2002
Free movement of East European labour has 'potentially massive consequences'.

December 10, 2002
Social costs of mass immigration outweigh small economic gain.

December 10, 2002
In a response to a Foreign Office announcement on December 10 concerning the free entry of East European workers to Britain when additional states join the EU, MigrationwatchUK issued the following:

December 1, 2002
'MigrationwatchUK wants proper analysis and debate….' John Humphrys, Sunday Times

Full Text of Releases : December 2002

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Welcome for UN High Commissioner's comments that Britain is' taking more than fair share of refugees'

Comments today from UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, that Britain is taking more than its fair share of refugees have been welcomed by independent think-tank MigrationwatchUK.

Said MigrationwatchUK chairman, Sir Andrew Green; 'Mr Lubber's remarks are very welcome. They confirm what we have been saying for months. He is quite right to call for burden-sharing. We are taking far more than the one per thousand he suggests. He is also right to point out that our money would be better used helping refugees in or near their own countries.

'This is in sharp contrast with the Refugee Council's claim that we are only taking 2% of world refugees. In fact we are taking 23% of all the refugees who come to Europe, and more than any other industrialised country,' he said…

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Free movement of East European labour has 'potentially massive consequences'.

In a response to a Foreign Office announcement on December 10 concerning the free entry of East European workers to Britain when
additional states join the EU, MigrationwatchUK issued the following:

'The announcement of immediate Free Movement for workers from EU candidate countries on accession is a decision with potentially massive consequences. With other major economies delaying opening their labour markets, there could be a very substantial flow of East European labour into Britain. This, added to the very large inflow from the Third World, will place still further strain on our public services and make the South East even more over-crowded. Furthermore, the so called safeguards will be of little or no value since citizens of the candidate countries will not be counted in or out once they are members of the EU.'

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Social costs of mass immigration outweigh small economic gain.

In response to a Home Office report on December 10, 2002 claiming that current levels of immigration provide economic advantage to the UK, MigrationwatchUK issued the following statement:

'The Home Office statement that "Migrants Boost the Labour Market" misses the point entirely. Of course migrants add to the labour market. But all authoritative studies (the American NRC, the Economist Magazine, and the European Commission) show that immigration adds very little indeed to wealth per head (Gross National Product per capita). This island is already heavily overcrowded (with a population density four times that of France), especially in the South East where most migrants settle. The real question, therefore, is whether this very small economic benefit is worth the social cost of what is developing into mass immigration. Most people think not.'

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In a response to a Foreign Office announcement on December 10 concerning the free entry of East European workers to Britain when additional states join the EU, MigrationwatchUK issued the following:

'The announcement of immediate Free Movement for workers from EU candidate countries on accession is a decision with potentially massive consequences. With other major economies delaying opening their labour markets, there could be a very substantial flow of East European labour into Britain. This, added to the very large inflow from the Third World, will place still further strain on our public services and make the South East even more over-crowded. Furthermore, the so called safeguards will be of little or no value since citizens of the candidate countries will not be counted in or out once they are members of the EU.'

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'MigrationwatchUK wants proper analysis and debate….' John Humphrys, Sunday Times

Writing in his weekly column in the Sunday Times on December 1, 2002 broadcaster and journalist John Humphrys said: 'MigrationwatchUK wants emotion to be taken out of this whole issue and proper analysis and debate put back. It is right. It is not 'racist' to be worried about immigration. It is irresponsible not to be.'

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