Blog
May 16, 2012
Comments: 3
Ahead of an All-Party Parliamentary meeting 10 leading charities signed a letter to the Editor of the Times calling on the Home Secretary to abandon proposed rule changes on family migration.
The letter was printed in today's Times. As we couldn't find an online copy to share the link here's the original text: Dear Sir, Current Home Office proposals to introduce new restrictions on British citizens and settled persons who wish to sponsor their non-EU family members to join them in the UK are a blunt and disproportionate policy instrument. These proposed changes would keep families apart and would further marginalise those who already face disadvantages in society.
The letter was printed in today's Times. As we couldn't find an online copy to share the link here's the original text: Dear Sir, Current Home Office proposals to introduce new restrictions on British citizens and settled persons who wish to sponsor their non-EU family members to join them in the UK are a blunt and disproportionate policy instrument. These proposed changes would keep families apart and would further marginalise those who already face disadvantages in society.
May 14, 2012
Election junkies in the UK and Europe have had a satisfying fix over the last couple of weeks. From the historical win of Francois Hollande in France to the local elections gains in the UK mid-term elections for the Labour Party and Greece’s new political turmoil and looming elections – a further stage has been set for Barack Obama and Mitt Romney for a showdown on the debate over global economics and in particular, the direction of the USA.
France Let’s begin in France where the electorate for the second time in France’s history elected a Socialist president, Francois Hollande, by ousting Nicolas Sarkozy after only one term in office. Hollande’s key policies were huge tax-rises on the rich and wealthy (75 percent marginal rate on those earning €1,000,000), housing, and reduction in corporation tax to boost business output and tackle unemployment.
France Let’s begin in France where the electorate for the second time in France’s history elected a Socialist president, Francois Hollande, by ousting Nicolas Sarkozy after only one term in office. Hollande’s key policies were huge tax-rises on the rich and wealthy (75 percent marginal rate on those earning €1,000,000), housing, and reduction in corporation tax to boost business output and tackle unemployment.
May 13, 2012
Comments: 4
Parties of the centre left should get a firmer grip on immigration and withhold rights from all those who fail to integrate argue contributors to an important new book on the future of social democracy. Isn’t that exactly what social democratic parties have been doing when in government in recent past decades?
The publication last month of After the Third Way – The Future of Social Democracy in Europe by the Policy Network has been the occasion for deep thought on whether the centre left is capable of pulling itself out of the ditch it has been stuck for since the onset of the still developing economic crisis.
The publication last month of After the Third Way – The Future of Social Democracy in Europe by the Policy Network has been the occasion for deep thought on whether the centre left is capable of pulling itself out of the ditch it has been stuck for since the onset of the still developing economic crisis.
May 7, 2012
Comments: 1
MRN Director Don Flynn responds on the Guardian's 'Comment is Free' to the London Mayor's Telegraph article on what immigration means for the capital city.
Click here to go to the Guadian CiF webpage http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/may/07/boris-johnson-right-track-immigration
Click here to go to the Guadian CiF webpage http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/may/07/boris-johnson-right-track-immigration
May 6, 2012
Comments: 1
It is time we stopped kidding ourselves – the mess at our borders is a fantastic own goal scored by a government which has made too big a promise to ‘regain control over borders.’ If we want order to come back into the way we admit visitors to our country we should be aiming for lighter, rather than tougher, checks.
The much-hyped battle to ‘secure the borders of the UK’ against all the threats which foreigners are capable of posing is producing ample evidence of collateral damage to innocent bystanders.
The much-hyped battle to ‘secure the borders of the UK’ against all the threats which foreigners are capable of posing is producing ample evidence of collateral damage to innocent bystanders.
May 3, 2012
Comments: 6
Poverty and disability are bad enough, but add ethnicity and immigration status into the mix and it all gets worse. A new report signposts some of the issues we should be concerned about, but we need even more evidence if we are to produce better policies.
A new report by the disabilities charity, Scope, draws attention to the greater difficulties which people from BME communities experience in living with disability as a consequence of inadequate public policies and services.
A new report by the disabilities charity, Scope, draws attention to the greater difficulties which people from BME communities experience in living with disability as a consequence of inadequate public policies and services.
May 1, 2012
MRN greets all visitors to its website on the occasion of May Day 2012
There are over 200 million people across the world living as migrants – one in every 33 people globally. Just over 15 million are refugees who have been forced to flee their home countries. The vast majority of the rest are either wage workers or members of their families.
There are over 200 million people across the world living as migrants – one in every 33 people globally. Just over 15 million are refugees who have been forced to flee their home countries. The vast majority of the rest are either wage workers or members of their families.
Apr 30, 2012
So what are the main candidates for Mayor of London proposing and committing to with regards to migrants and their communities a couple of days before the election? This is what they have told MRN.
This Thursday Londoners will go to the polls to elect who will be their Mayor for the next four years. In early April MRN launched a Manifesto on Integration and Migration produced in collaboration with several of our members and followers. We invited the four leading campaigns to a public meeting with migrant and refugee community organisations and asked the candidates to respond to the manifesto. Three of them, Boris Johnson (PDF), Ken Livingstone (PDF) and Jenny Jones (PDF), sent us a response.
This Thursday Londoners will go to the polls to elect who will be their Mayor for the next four years. In early April MRN launched a Manifesto on Integration and Migration produced in collaboration with several of our members and followers. We invited the four leading campaigns to a public meeting with migrant and refugee community organisations and asked the candidates to respond to the manifesto. Three of them, Boris Johnson (PDF), Ken Livingstone (PDF) and Jenny Jones (PDF), sent us a response.
Apr 27, 2012
Comments: 2
Nicolas Sarkozy earlier this week lost the first round of elections to the Socialist candidate Francois Hollande in France’s two-round system to elect the President of the Republic. The National Front, with Marine Le Pen at the helm, polled a strong 18 percent, absorbing disaffected voters from both mainstream parties on key policy battlegrounds such as the economy, society and the role of immigration in France.
Le Pen’s key pledge is to reduce immigration to ‘5 per cent of current levels’. This cap has been a long term goal for the NF, but had not resonated with the electorate as greatly as her 18 percent poll would suggest, until French-Algerian gunman Mohamed Merah launched deadly attacks on civilians in March 2012, a month before the elections. This could explain why her poll catapulted. The surge in her popularity, from 13.5 percent on 19 March (before the shootings) to 17 percent on 26 March, would suggest that the strong anti-immigration message has less of an impact than Le Pen’s Islamaphobic mantra - something Sarkozy used during his presidency implementing a ban on burka and public prayer, which at the time helped boost his opinion poll.
Le Pen’s key pledge is to reduce immigration to ‘5 per cent of current levels’. This cap has been a long term goal for the NF, but had not resonated with the electorate as greatly as her 18 percent poll would suggest, until French-Algerian gunman Mohamed Merah launched deadly attacks on civilians in March 2012, a month before the elections. This could explain why her poll catapulted. The surge in her popularity, from 13.5 percent on 19 March (before the shootings) to 17 percent on 26 March, would suggest that the strong anti-immigration message has less of an impact than Le Pen’s Islamaphobic mantra - something Sarkozy used during his presidency implementing a ban on burka and public prayer, which at the time helped boost his opinion poll.
Apr 19, 2012
Comments: 7
David Cameron recently sent one of his top political advisers, Stephen Gilbert, to Canada on an evidence gathering mission that aims to strengthen his campaign strategy in wooing the migrant vote. So what should we expect?
Jason Kenney, Canada's current Minister of Citizenship, is often referred to in the media as the “smiling buddha” or the “minister for curry in a hurry” for his relentless charm offensive towards migrant and ethnic communities. More importantly, he is recognised as a key player in delivering a majority government for the Conservatives in Canada and securing the future of right wing politics by fiercely targeting the increasingly diverse migrant communities and making the Conservative brand a congenial option for emerging electorates.
Jason Kenney, Canada's current Minister of Citizenship, is often referred to in the media as the “smiling buddha” or the “minister for curry in a hurry” for his relentless charm offensive towards migrant and ethnic communities. More importantly, he is recognised as a key player in delivering a majority government for the Conservatives in Canada and securing the future of right wing politics by fiercely targeting the increasingly diverse migrant communities and making the Conservative brand a congenial option for emerging electorates.
Apr 19, 2012
Comments: 40
The MRN campaign on family migration releases a new briefing paper showing that a higher income threshold for family migration could shut out 50% of the UK working population from bringing a spouse or partner here – with ethnic minorities, women and children particularly hit.
Since last summer's public consultation we have been waiting for the government to announce its final decision on changes to toughen up family migration policy – during which MRN has been producing regular analysis of the proposals.
Since last summer's public consultation we have been waiting for the government to announce its final decision on changes to toughen up family migration policy – during which MRN has been producing regular analysis of the proposals.
Apr 16, 2012
Comments: 1
On Wednesday 11 April we hosted a meeting with representatives from the main campaigns fighting the election for Mayor of London and London Assembly.
Not surprisingly, all candidates (Ken Livingstone’s senior adviser Jude Woodward representing the Labour party and Assembly candidates for other parties: Suella Fernandes for the Conservatives; Merlene Emerson for the Liberal Democrats and Natalie Bennett for the Green Party) extolled the contribution that migrants and their communities have made to London.
Not surprisingly, all candidates (Ken Livingstone’s senior adviser Jude Woodward representing the Labour party and Assembly candidates for other parties: Suella Fernandes for the Conservatives; Merlene Emerson for the Liberal Democrats and Natalie Bennett for the Green Party) extolled the contribution that migrants and their communities have made to London.
Apr 15, 2012
Comments: 5
There’s a lot to be said about the way the UKBA spends its £1.7 billion budget and deploys its 23,400 staff in the business of controlling immigration. But when the same problems reoccur over and over again, you have wonder what the real story behind all the anecdotes of constant failure actually is.
The Home Affairs Select Committee published a report on the work of the UK Border Agency, available on its website on 11 April, which set out what it regarded as the chronic failings of the official immigration management body to get to grips with chronically reoccurring problems. Committee chairman Keith Vaz MP delivered his judgment on the report’s central message to the BBC’s ‘Today’ programme in terms which didn’t mince words. “The UK Border Agency has to do much better,” he said: “The public and Parliament expect it to fulfil the obligations that ministers have had as far as its objectives are concerned over the last few years.”
The Home Affairs Select Committee published a report on the work of the UK Border Agency, available on its website on 11 April, which set out what it regarded as the chronic failings of the official immigration management body to get to grips with chronically reoccurring problems. Committee chairman Keith Vaz MP delivered his judgment on the report’s central message to the BBC’s ‘Today’ programme in terms which didn’t mince words. “The UK Border Agency has to do much better,” he said: “The public and Parliament expect it to fulfil the obligations that ministers have had as far as its objectives are concerned over the last few years.”
Apr 12, 2012
Comments: 2
MRN and leading health charities speak out against suggestions in the media that migrants are 'health tourists'.
Following a news article reporting that Mayor of London was accused of encouraging "health tourism" for producing an easy-to-access information leaflet on how to access medical help in London for migrants, MRN along with 5 leading healthcare charities put together a letter to the editor clarifying some of the facts about migrants and healthcare and calling on the GLA to keep information about access to healthcare available online. MRN, alongside other groups, was involved in the development of the booklet, which was produced by the Greater London Authority and has been endorsed by the Royal College of GPs.
Following a news article reporting that Mayor of London was accused of encouraging "health tourism" for producing an easy-to-access information leaflet on how to access medical help in London for migrants, MRN along with 5 leading healthcare charities put together a letter to the editor clarifying some of the facts about migrants and healthcare and calling on the GLA to keep information about access to healthcare available online. MRN, alongside other groups, was involved in the development of the booklet, which was produced by the Greater London Authority and has been endorsed by the Royal College of GPs.
Apr 10, 2012
Comments: 1
A rare moment of stability in the immigration system has arrived – apparently the government’s annual cap on migrant workers will not be changing for the next two years. But we will continue to need a wide coalition of voices if we are to influence the wider government agenda.
Last week’s statement from Damian Green was, for once, met with cautious relief from UK employers - after all, they can be confident that they had a clear hand in influencing policy on this occasion. Green announced that the annual cap on non-EU migrant workers coming to the UK will remain fixed at its current level until 2014 – offering up a rare dose of predictability within the immigration system for business and public sector employers.
Last week’s statement from Damian Green was, for once, met with cautious relief from UK employers - after all, they can be confident that they had a clear hand in influencing policy on this occasion. Green announced that the annual cap on non-EU migrant workers coming to the UK will remain fixed at its current level until 2014 – offering up a rare dose of predictability within the immigration system for business and public sector employers.
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