A rare breed, I must say. Philippe Legrain of the LSE gave a public lecture entitled Europe Should Open its Doors to Immigrants. Shedding every shred of xenophobic bias, Legrain set out to give economic evidence for the benefits to European states. He talked about goods moving freely through national borders, but not people. About diversity leading to innovation. About multiculturalism and the global apartheid. Compelling enough for serious consideration. But will the politicians buy it? Doubtful.
I want to believe him. Migration is, after all, a human right. The choice to leave for whatever reason (most likely economic) is up to the individual. Then the arguments becomes deadly serious when situated within the Philippine context. If you opened the door to Filipino migrants, hala, lagot. Many young Filipino graduates will just pack up and go. Maybe I am just pessimistic here, but can you deny that our culture has bred this thinking? We need more jobs and incentives to stay in the country. If neither the government nor the private sector can provide these, we're doomed. No basic services, no research, nothing to return to. Not even sun, smiles and beautiful beaches are enough.
I would have wanted to know what Legrain's notion of the nation-state is. Will borders then serve any purpose? Or will citizens become so cosmopolitan that there will be no need for immigration control? Legrain should team up with academics who can formulate policies consistent with his line of thinking so that there is something concrete for the Home Office to think about.
No comments:
Post a Comment