Changing the Face of Britain

...For many in some of those countries waiting in the wings, what Britain has to offer is likely to be magnetic...

...More than 6,000 were stopped in France last year before they could set foot on British shores...

...To counter scare stories, the government has commissioned a wide-ranging study of the actual effects of the immigration surge on the country's welfare services, environment and quality of life...

...Hoping for the best, many have abided by the legal proce dures for securing permanent residence...

...Intelligence gathering has also been improved to head off gangs of people-traffickers that have made fortunes smuggling refugees into the country...

...A feeling of being overwhelmed by foreigners with strange ways has been expressed in some communites...

...A reverse flow of Britons who decamp topped 90,000 last year...

...It may not be that simple, says London Times columnist Magnus Linklater: "The truth is that the British are so fuzzy about the meaning of the term 'British' that to teach it to foreigners is well-nigh impossible...

...Instead of notifying successful applicants through the mail that they have been elevated to the status of British subjects, as it does now, the government would hold ceremonies at which new citizens would pledge allegiance to Queen and country—a notion that has no significance for most who have settled here in recent times...

...The organization believes that if an exclusionary immigration policy were swiftly introduced, the British native fertility rate of 1.64 would in due course achieve appropriate population levels...

...Blair knows that unless he confronts the issue, the newly reinvigorated Conservative opposition and Right-wing fringe elements will exploit immigration in the days leading up to the next general election...

...The antidote, to hear the OPT tell it, is reducing Britain's present population by half...

...The consequences of these trends for Germany, Italy, Spain, and other Western European countries could prove dire...

...Similarly, a recent United Nations study finds that even the enlarged EU will have 20 million less inhabitants than the U.S...

...At the same time, efforts are under way to fully integrate those permitted to stay by requiring them to become British, just as previous waves of immigrants became British: French Huguenots fleeing religious persecution in the 17th century, Irish fleeing famine in the 19th century, Jews fleeing European persecution, long resident Asians expelled from Uganda by dictator Idi Amin, and blacks fleeing poverty in the Caribbean...

...In Britain the situation is different...

...Nevertheless, the government is not without ideas about ways to accomplish its ends...

...Furthermore, large numbers of Roma (gypsies) are among their citizens, and a UN study last year reported that 80 per cent of them are jobless...

...Thus instead of distress about the population declining, the government and the people are today confronting questions about its rising...

...A national identity register containing everyone's record will also be established...

...For example, it cautions that if immigration continues unabated, the southeast corner of England—the nation's most densely populated region—will before long be entirely concreted over and turned into an unbroken megalopolis of urban sprawl and gridlock, a nightmare landscape out of science fiction...

...During the past six years immigration to Britain has more than doubled, reaching a rate of nearly a quarter of a million of people a year...

...Tackling immigration and abuse of the asylum system," the Home Office admits, "is fundamental to establishing public confidence...

...Failure to move in that direction, it warns, can only exacerbate present nagging problems related to welfare services, the National Health Service, climate change, energy requirements, and housing pressures until they mushroom into full-blown crises...

...Blunkett says he sees "no obvious limit" to the number of foreigners who should be permitted to settle in Britain...

...Now the appeal process is being made tougher and more efficient...

...Small wonder, then, that the Optimum Population Trust (OPT), a pressure group led by academics and environmentalists, has challenged the government's handling of immigration...

...The way things stood, appeals against expulsion from the country, funded by aid from the government, could foil efforts to eject unwanted illegals from the country, sometimes for several years...

...The country is the prime European sanctuary for countless individuals leaving their native lands in search of political refuge, as well as for others simply seeking a better life...

...by 2050, though it had 100 million more in 1995...

...and pressures on immigrants to return to their native lands or to move elsewhere have been easier to resist in Britain than in the rest of the EU...

...Though visitors to England's "green and pleasant land" may not notice, a corresponding concern is the transformation of what was formerly a largely homogeneous society, brought about by the people pouring in from lands of starkly different cultures—India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, Somalia, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the like...

...rather, it appears to be inspired by its own vision of where Britain is headed and what needs to be done to change the direction...

...The same study suggests the percentage of people in the EU over 65 will balloon by a factor of six within that time frame...

...Today, because of the large, concentrated numbers involved and stirring social pressures, the issue of how these immigrants will be helped to fit in raises questions about the nature of British identity and how it can be instilled in newcomers...

...Blunkert hopes to promote an atmosphere similar to that in the United States, where attaining citizenship is seen as a matter of achievement and pride...

...America's productive capabilities can be expected to expand, he says, mostly because of its continuing absorption of great numbers of immigrants, tens of millions of them...

...For those officially granted asylum status, circumstances are particularly favorable...

...Still, overall most Britons live up to their reputation for tolerance, and Prime Minister Blair's government has resisted the more extreme demands of anti-immigration campaigners...

...The independent think tank asserts that the cost to the taxpayers of accommodating immigrants who took up residence in Britain last year alone was enough to provide eight new hospitals for the overstretched National Health Service...

...Currently 20 per cent bigger than that of Europe, the U.S...

...Not-in-mybackyard complaints are frequent when the central government or local authorities site temporary immigrant housing in residential areas...

...While expediting procedures for assisting immigrants of value to Britain and those deemed to be justifiably seeking refuge, the Home Office has initiated procedures to stem the larger tide...

...economy will swell to a staggering two-and-a-half times its size by the year 2050...

...A shortage of taxpayers wouldendangerthe highly regarded social services of these welfare states.They are already beingtrimmed in many places—a reality that has provoked popular fury and despair, especially where cuts are planned in the generous state pensions enjoyed by Europe's senior citizens...

...Indeed, 30 million is said to be about the largest number of inhabitants the country can support without undermining the quality of life...

...Local authorities, funded by the central government, run programs to help them build their new lives withbasic education, job training and employment services...

...Home Secretary Blunkett is not content with prevailing stereotypes...

...the rest have furtively sought to blend in under the cover of Britain's multicultural cityscapes...

...In many places, too, members of Parliament and elected local councilors have reluctantly grown sensitive to the interests of newly enfranchised and politically aware ethnic groups of foreign origin, notably Muslims in the Midlands and North Country...

...Meanwhile London— the throbbing heart of the country and the home of its national legends and historical splendor—will become a choked, swarming dystopia...

...In other words, it would profoundly affect the British quality of life...

...The possibility that some European economies may stagnate in the coming years has aroused further alarm...

...Several incentives have attracted them: The fact that various immigrant communities are well established in Britain eases the process of adjustment...

...Applicants would have to pass a basic English language test and attend classes on British history in order to understand what it means to be British...

...The British have gained permission to post agents at potential departure points in France and the Czech Republic to screen would-be asylum seekers headed in this direction...

...In the EU, the average stands at 1.5 per woman of child-bearing age, well short of what is required to retain present population levels...

...Had they landed here, a simple request for asylum would have won them at least temporary, logistically supported residence and the opportunity to pursue legal efforts to remain permanently...

...He wants to encourage "a greater pride from British people about their own culture—English, Welsh, Scottish and [Northern] Irish—so that people can celebrate their own sense of identity more clearly and have confidence to welcome other people...

...The welcome mat of course remains rolled out for skilled professionals and investors...

...Recently, though, it has responded vigorously to growing public concern about the waves of asylum seekers coming this way...

...Not so long ago the late Conservative politician Enoch Powell sparked controversy and outrage with predictions that racial tensions springing from unbridled immigration would send "rivers of blood" flowing through the streets of Britain...

...economy will actually widen its edge over the 15-nation European Union (EU), despite the forthcoming accession of 10 more countries to the increasingly integrated confederation...

...But Britishizing foreignershasneverbeen an exact science...

...His position is bolstered by Home Office research showing that legal immigrants— in contrast to illegal asylum seekers—already contribute substantially more in taxes to the British Exchequer than they consume in services...

...In one London borough, more than 150 languages are spoken by new arrivals, many of whom have not yet received permission to stay but all of whom are entitled to treatment from the Health Service...

...But even after the departures are factored into the equation, numerically newcomers add the equivalent of a major city the size of Liverpool to Britain every year, and it is already one of the most crowded nations in Europe...

...Norman Gelb reports regularly for The New Leader on British affairs...

...The International Organization for Migration lists Britain among only six countries in the world that encourage immigration (the others are the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel...

...The changes in store will have far-reaching consequences for the character of British society and the image Britain projects to the world in the future...

...Benefits to the national economy notwithstanding, if that projection proves accurate it is bound to have a negative impact on urban development, unemployment levels, and virtually all public services...

...Questions of Crowd Control Changing the Face of Britain By Norman Gelb London Contrary to the hopes and expectations of European governments, a prominent British economist has forecast that America's economic might will remain substantially greater than Europe's for the next half century...

...Most are middle class, with cash savings, pursuing a new start in France, Italy, the UnitedStates, or Australia...

...Simultaneously, much of Europe—where immigrants are often viewed as an intrusive burden rather than a possible long-term asset—will be forced to cope with the effects of dramatically reduced birth rates...

...That argument is lent some credence by Migrationwatch UK...

...Administrations here, regardless of their political leanings, have long been keenly attuned to such dangers...

...Over the next few years, in this land where defiance of authority has been reckoned a virtue and few were ever required to possess identification papers, British subjects and foreigners resident in Britain will for the first time be issued ID documents with biometrie (iris and fingerprint) details...

...Prime Minister Tony Blair's government, however, has of late been worrying about being swamped by newcomers who would create problems for the society while offering little of value...

...It also notes that the situation will worsen when countless more migrants converge on the UK from Poland, the Czech Republic and other Eastern European nations after they join the EU next May and their citizens acquire border crossing privileges...

...According to projections by former British Cabinet economics adviser Christopher Smallwood, the U.S...

...The group argues that a radical reduction of Britain's population would benefit both the society and the environment...

...In addition, relatively generous humanitarian support (housing, counseling, money) is available to immigrants in Britain, although the government is underpressure to curb its generosity...

...The population is forecast to increase almost 20 per cent over the next five decades, from 60 million now to 71 million in 2050...

...Neither bigotry nor xenophobia seem to motivate the OPT...

...A government study also found that while immigrants account for only 8 per cent of the population, they furnish 10 per cent of GDP...

...According to Home Secretary David Blunkett, this means workers who would be an asset to the economy, notably in the manufacturing and "hospitality" sectors where Britons have become unresponsive to recruitment...

...A sustained influx of immigrants from many parts of the world has given Britain the distinction of having the fastest growing population this side of the Atlantic...

...That has not happened, but there has been grumbling about both asylum seekers and already established communities of not quite integrated foreigners...

...Steps are therefore being taken to design a strategy to appeal to immigrants Britain needs...

...Smallwood's numbers are based primarily on demographics...

...He insists that if the country is to "achieve flexibility and sustainable growth, legal migration must be the way forward...

...Britons' conception of themselves is a starting point...

...newcomers have had a better chance of finding a job here than in most other European nations...

...In Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and other new member states, unemployment is high while living standards are relatively low...