Getting the balance right

It’s about tolerance and respect for cultures other than our own; it’s about understanding that immigrants are here to start new lives away from whatever hardships or dangers they’ve managed to escape in their own countries, and it’s about extending a helping hand to those who aren’t as fortunate as most.

Getting the balance right is obviously easier said than done, and given the number of illegal immigrants currently in the UK, the task is made even harder still. It’s very important that the subject concerning illegal immigrants is mentioned because rightly or wrongly, it plays a major part in how the UK population see immigrants and immigration as a whole. It is a bit like judging a book by its cover which unfortunately is a typical human failing often leading to incorrect assumptions and conclusions.

Exact figures of immigrants currently living in the UK tend to be a bit vague, but it’s estimated that by 2010, there will be around 1.2 million immigrants from Europe alone, a figure which will significantly increase as other nationalities arrive.