The immigration issue is determining election results all over the Western world. Joe Biden’s woeful record on failing to stem illegal immigration to the US, along with inflation, was the greatest cause of Donald Trump’s remarkable comeback election victory.It’s the dominant issue in the
German election on February 23. The Alternative for Germany party, which other parties describe as far right, could come second, perhaps winning all the states of the former East Germany. It takes the strongest position favouring control of Germany’s borders. The Christian Democrats have moved in the same direction.
In
Britain, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has promised “net zero” immigration. Both Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer have moved to much tougher immigration stances. All week British television was showing footage of British officials arresting and deporting illegal immigrants.
Across the West, one of the biggest fights is between governments on one side, with an overwhelming desire by the electorate to take control of borders, and liberal judges on the other side, who have effectively come to the view that almost any deportation is a human rights breach.Thus
Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, the strongest national leader in Western Europe today, is continually prevented by Italian courts, interpreting European law, from deporting illegal arrivals, and those picked up at sea as they approach Italy, to assessment centres in Albania.
British courts stopped the previous Conservative government from sending illegal boat arrivals to Rwanda for assessment. These schemes and others emulate the Australian policies pioneered by John Howard and Tony Abbott.
Former Conservative security minister Tom Tugendhat, who was a leadership contender after the election and is now a backbench MP, tells me in his Westminster office: “Australia is the only major Western nation to establish the legitimacy of its immigration program.” Abbott’s action in stopping illegal immigration by boat after it had once before been stopped under Howard, then come roaring back under Labor, was an epic achievement of historic significance, for which he enjoys the highest reputation among Western policymakers.
All the societies mentioned – the US, Britain, Australia, Germany, Italy – have welcomed immigrants in the past. Almost all Western societies are now multiracial and ethnically and religiously diverse. Britain has an Opposition Leader, Badenoch, of African origin, immediately after having a prime minister, Rishi Sunak, of Indian origin. The US had an African-American president, Barack Obama, and later an African-American vice-president, Kamala Harris. And so on.
The almost insane academic and political left presents Western societies as inherently, distinctively and wickedly racist, so much so that half of young Brits believe their society to be racist.
In fact Western nations are the most anti-racist nations on earth and in human history. No nation outside the Western tradition regularly sees members of ethnic minorities become national government leaders.