Samizdata have done it again (thanks Dave). They’ve gone and confused liberty generally, with liberty within a nation state.
There is plenty of immigration which is excellent. In fact I would go as far as to say that England would not have such high average wages if it weren’t for the talent and alternative views that immgrants have brought with them. Also, a true libertarian cannot but support untremelled immigration. But there are some buts.
Truely free and just immigration has to be two-way. Comparisons with fair trade, as Scott implies, are perfectly acceptable. No-one in their right mind would accept free-trade in only one direction. A free Britain (which we do not currently have) would allow anyone who wishes to, to settle here. But in today’s Britain we must take account of the way things actually are.
First, the non-libertarian social security system does not intend to act as if a honey pot for bees, but it does. I would wager that any Mexican trying to access the US would, if given the choice, enter a meritocratic country with a social security system more European in design. It is just common sense. If we are to open our borders in the ultimate show of human liberty then we must not provide artificial incentives for people to chose our country over others — they should want to come here because there are good prospects for work, not for not working.
Second, as I suggested above, countries that are not willing to negotiate over free-trade would not be offered free-trade with us. It is either two-way or no way! The same would go for untremelled immigration. In fact that is largely what the EU started out as being (when it wasn’t a mega-country). Free-trade and free movement of people make absolute sense together. I advocate the intentions of the EU in that respect. The cultural differences between France and Britain at the moment are artificially created because of the relative isolation of societies historically. If the EU survives its current attempts to run our lives, it will eventually bring about one of: a mono-culture; or a separatist movement in a country that was not previously home to that nationality. I’ll come back to that though, as I am getting way off track!
Third, immigrants must accept the current democratic and libertarian society that they are moving into. It matters not a jot whether the country is libertarian if, after massive immigration, the populace move to introduce illiberal laws. To protect a country opening its borders, a country must have a robust and unchangeable constitution.
Fourth, English culture is not yet ready for massive changes in its make up (Simon Cranshaw touches on this in his comments on Samizdata’s posting). Libertarians (and I would count myself among them mostly) must accept in the short-term, that immigration brings about cultural change. There are two schools of thought among those who accept immigration. Either immigration should only be allowed gradually for all-time, or it should be allowed in bursts with periods in between to ensure harmony. Both these alternatives, however, assume that the immigrants should (or will) assimilate with the cultural identity of the country they are entering.
I have a disproportionate number of friends (and acquaintances) who are not from England (or, indeed, the UK) and I believe that has given me some insights that others do not have. It is very easy for people to become convinced of the superiority of their own way of life and not to consider other people, other cultures or the environment. My contact with people not from Britain has shaped my opinions — and I am glad for that.
And I think that should be the result of immigration — not just amendments to the immigrant’s views so that they assimilate — the people already here should learn things from immigrants too. The trouble with immigration from the second-half of the 20th century to date is that British society has tended to ignore its new guests and assume that they will become Britons and that they should love our Queen. I don’t want to get too far away from my point here (again) but immigration should be a give and take transfer of people and ideas and it hasn’t been since we started our current policies.
What Britain (and mostly England) needs to do is stop immigration (not by marriage etc) for a period of time and come to have harmony again. When that and my other points, come together, immigration can restart for the benefit of all and in a libertarian spirit.
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