Cooking the Books: Capital Needs Labour

Some may read in this article that Blair was soft on immigration. Of course, his approach differed from the current government but only in a matter of degree. “Over the coming months, we will do two things at once: make the argument for controlled migration as good and beneficial for Britain; act to root out the abuses that disfigure the debate and bring the system into disrepute.”…Tony Blair 2004He told business leaders in his speech to the CBI conference in London, Mr Blair insisted that migrants from eastern Europe who do not work will not have access to council houses and will be prevented from "benefit-shopping." With 10 new states joining the EU on 1 May – increasing its numbers to 25 – Mr Blair said the UK would be neither "fortress" nor "open door". He told business leaders: "Migrants will not be able to access social housing unless they are here legally and are working. "No-one will be able to come to the UK from anywhere in the enlarged European Union simply to claim benefits or housing. "There won't be support for the economically inactive. The same goes for migrants from elsewhere in the world… they must be self-sufficient." Blair said quotas for low-skilled workers getting work permits to enter the agricultural, hospitality or food processing sectors would be reduced.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3661261.stm