Allister enters Immigration Debate
26 September 2007
In a speech in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Jim Allister MEP tackled the thorny issue of immigration. Dealing with the huge influx from Eastern Europe since EU Enlargement in 2004 the Ulster Euro MP said the inability of the UK to "rectify the grave miscalculation" it made with its "open door" policy, was itself an indication of how much power we had foolishly ceded to Brussels.
In the course of his remarks Mr Allister said:-
"The ability of a nation state to control its own borders and change its immigration policy, as required, is a tangible demonstration of sovereignty. The fact that the UK cannot now rectify the grave miscalculation, which it made in 2004 with its open door policy to eastern Europe, is a telling indication of just how much sovereignty we concede to belong to this club.
I say grave miscalculation, because instead of the 13,000 predicted immigrant workers, we've had 750,000, with a related massive drain on our welfare system of millions per annum in child benefit and tax credits for children who don't live in the UK but qualify because their fathers work there. Yet, because of the rules of the EU we are powerless to do anything about it. And yet some would have us concede even more powers to Brussels. What fools!"
ENDS
