The More the Scarier? Reflections on the Immigration Debate

The online news channel WORLDbytes’ reflects on the explosive Immigration: the more the scarier debate at the Battle of Ideas festival. Speakers Frank Field, Labour MP for Birkenhead and co-chair of the Cross Party Group on Balanced Migration and Professor Bob Rowthorn, emeritus professor of Economics, University of Cambridge both argue for clamping down on immigration. In opposition, Nathalie Rothschild, commissioning editor of the online magazine spiked and organiser of the Open the Borders Campaign, along with Ceri Dingle, Director at WORLDwrite present an inspiring case for freedom of movement for all. Young attendees at the debate add their views for this show stopping section of the programme.

Highlights of this fiery debate include Ceri Dingle arguing that the Labour Party has always been anti immigrant since it supports immigration controls and Frank Field’s admission that “of course immigration controls are anti-immigrant what would be the point of having them otherwise.” The programme questions Field’s claim to be simply reflecting the wishes of his core “working class voters.”