The Independent and voodoo economics

The Independent spreading it’s voodoo economics again in response to Migrations Watch’s article on the link between immigration and (youth) unemployment. It’s stance that immigration does not cause unemployment is so bizarrely counter intuitive that it’s hard to believe they lead with the story. Even the case studies they used were unsupportive of their thesis (a Latvian who now employs four staff – on a paper for the ‘Latvian community’ for example.) They just had to know that would get shot down in flames.

OK: so a Polish bloke doing a job as a plumber and one young British bloke (or lass) is on the dole. Work it out for yourselves.

Fortunately a hundred people got there before me and have reacted with perfect sence. Just a couple of the reactions:

Pperrin: Does the independent have anyone on its staff who actually read an understood the report?

Its a rhetorical question really, I know you don't, because having read it myself I can see that you have presented bogus conclusions.

Simple example... Imagine a new factory opens and needs 1000 new staff. These jobs could be from the existing 'unemployed', so reducing unemployment. But this brain-dead report would allow the jobs to go to 1000 new migrants, and leave 1000 UK citizens on the dole queue. And having deprived these 1000 UK citizens of the new jobs, the report would declare that the 1000 new immigrants did not *increase* unemployment...

Shame on you.

Paul Scott: What utter nonsense. All the Polish, and increasingly Spanish, young people who are working in shops, restaurants & bars here in Brighton are quite obviously taking jobs that would otherwise be done by British young people. I don't need to write an academic report to work it out, it's blindingly obvious to anyone with a brain and an ounce of common sense!