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We are experiencing the human cost of the unfettered free market, with a constant flux of people chasing the best paid jobs and the corporations chasing the cheapest and best trained labour.

The priorities of people, animals and the planet are subsumed to profits and growth.

Immigration is a symptom of what the most powerful humans in the 21st century have assumed to be unalterably correct: the free market is by far the most efficient and imperious of political and economic systems.

an act that will haunt europe for years to come is the hasty decision to recognise Kosovo and to ditch the Serbs, clearly the lessons of 1914 still haven't been learnt, Russia and China are right to withold recognition as are some 'honest' european countries not tied to the running dog American lackeys

an act that will haunt europe for years to come is the hasty decision to recognise Kosovo and to ditch the Serbs, clearly the lessons of 1914 still haven't been learnt, Russia and China are right to withold recognition as are some 'honest' european countries not tied to the running dog American lackeys

I think it is fairly obvious that what is important to politicians about immigration is looking tough. What they do doesn't really matter, and they no that. Immigration isn't as much as a problem as it is SEEN to be, but the politicians are now trying to making it look even more significant. Afterall, it gets them votes, and tough rhetoric is easy.

Oscar Wilde said it before Woody Allen was born

Perhaps Ms Flanders can help us by explain just why Gordon Brown is so uniquely and utterly trusting of SWFs. Common sense would suggest that Governments will inevitably use whatever levers they have at their disposal, including SWFs, to exert influence and control events in accord with their ideological goals. We need not look far in time or place to see how the Saudi Gov. in the form of one Prince Bandar went to some lengths to influence events in the UK that were not to his liking. He was quite happy to threaten the safety of our people by withdrawing intelligence, in order to blackmail Blair into dropping the BAE corruption case. Are we to now pretend that the Saudis and no doubt others, would not use SWF investments just as ruthlessly. For Brown to be sanguine about such investments is either a sign of abject stupidity or something altogether more sinister.

Brown is in a bind. One the one hand he knows that most of the native born UK citizens don't want any more immigrants. On the other hand, he knows his party thrives on the votes of dependents. Brochures are printed up in a multitude of languages giving advice on how to obtain housing benefits and other goodies. At the end of the day, despite all Brown's blabbering, another immigrant is another X on the ballot slip.

Immigration: Too little, too late, as usual. No doubt any records now set up will be something else for hem to lose.

The challenges of immigration will remain a mystery as long as the treaty of EU remains a BIND on the signatories. Unguided influx of humans into the UK without a commensurate contribution to the economy, especially with the generosity of BENEFITS is like an irresistible force moving towards an immovable object. The cost of integrating people coming in on this platform has become so intimidating. The problem now is not even that of illegal immigrants but that of solidarity immigrants. Ask me and I will give you the key to tackling illegal immigrants' problem but for solidarity immigrants, I do not know.

Without any prejudice, I believe there is a better way to assist EU member nations than to allow unhindered influx of EU citizens into an economy with limited resources, geographical area, time and men. UK is a great and wonderful country where everybody wants to live (let us compare the movement of EU member citizens to other EU countries and we will understand what I am trying to bring out). With the policy of EU, the UK has become like "one rich man in a family of 200 poor men". It is only a matter of time, the pressure of those 200 poor men will soon take toll on the one rich man (this is a proverb and not in any way to slight any nation).

The question we should ask is 'why is it now that immigration suddenly become a frightening issue to have assume such a political weapon.

Let the leaders of all the political parties come together and profer the way forward instead of politicizing the issue. Get to the root of the problem and think as "parents" will do when the family is faced with a challenging situation. Reality and sincerity is the key. Not even the multi-faceted policies and rules that keep changing everyday will solve the problem.

May God grant the our leaders the courage to address the issue rightly and stop trading blames on one party or the Prime Minister.

isn't it ironic that the U.S. and U.K. governments started a costly conflict in the middle east, despite of the rest of the world's protests, thereby destabilising their domestic economies and increasing the price of oil to over USD 100 per barrel?

This leads directly to the ballooning of the SWF's in the GCC who are now in turn buying up prime western corporations effected by the economic downturn at bargain basement prices.

At the moment Bush and Brown are in no position to protest about how SWF's may be used for political purposes as they can consider themselves lucky to be receiving money from them in the first place.

Mr. Gordon Neil, are you saying that Prince Bandar had an obligation to share intelligence with the UK government?? Is he somehow more obliged to save British lives than Muslim ones?

I hear the quiz master of University Challenge gets an award for 'jurno of the year...for what??? reading an autocue!... i would have given it to Kirsty meself. Well done Jeremy; drinks all around then!

I was gonna throw my pennysworth in on the immigration debate with a quick history lesson on the Balkans and other world conflicts but as June said "to little to late" and Barrie's animalistic view of mans nature.. i will just say that the powder is well mixed and just needs a spark (recession). Okey, i've given you a one-tenth-of-a-pennysworth; you can guess the rest.

P:S hows the economy?

If Paxo didn't win he'd have fired off another letter of complaint I suppose :-)

When it comes to discuss Iraq, too often Project opinion from Project
for a New American Century is seen represented. However an important survey of 3400 current and retired US officers released by the centre for a New American Security has not been adequately covered. One among its many important findings says that nine in ten officers that the Iraq war had streched the miliatry "dangerously thin".

General George Casey, former US Commander in Iraq has warned that the military was deployed at unsustainable rates, and was in danger of crossing a "red line" beyond which it would take a generation to build.

One wonders why such important matters are not picked by the news editors to be covered adequately.