Britain's successful economy in the past decade has been in no small part due to globalism, and the migration of skilled workers to the UK in search of work. And the UK has been a success story in integration, especially in London, as anyone who has seen the ethnic divisions in cities such as Paris will testify. The UK's building and catering industries, of course, now rely heavily on east European workers. But, recently, concerns about the social impact of immigration on the UK's existing communities has surfaced. These are a response to what has been an enormous social change in Britain in the past decade, or in particular, England, and especially English cities. In the past months, we have seen Barking MP Margaret Hodge's comments on housing waiting lists, John Hutton's concerns that the impact of migration and globalism has not been fully appreciated by the Government, and councils including Slough calling for proper recognition through the grant system of the impact of immigration on local services. In particular, there is worry that ‘two nations' will evolve, with extremists on both sides creating polarised communities. The proposals from Ruth Kelly, and immigration minister, Liam Byrne, in a Fabian pamphlet for a ‘national' day, together with tougher demands on understanding what living in Britain entails, are aimed at preventing such divisions. Their suggestions are, of course, difficult to pin down. The very diversity of British culture is what makes it attractive to both the indigenous population and new arrivals. Any attempt to promote a mythical 1950s-style Britain of boiled beef and carrots and warm beer is doomed to failure. But there are also practical ideas such as advising councils to spend more on English teaching and less on translation services and a recognition that migrants should integrate, not be encouraged to feel apart from the society they have joined. The challenge for the Government and councils is to ensure that indigenous communities do not feel displaced and hence become hostile to the social changes around them. This will be highlighted in the report next week from Darra Singh's cohesion commission and is the start, not the end of the debate. Michael Burton Editor, The MJ
