The immigration "problem" solved

Of course immigration is not really a problem at all. It is just a word meaning people coming to your country. The real problems are bigotry, racism and perhaps some potential over-crowding.

My solution is a kind of reverse points system (a bit like that used by Australia but also crucially different). It has four parts to it:

1. Get rid of the notion that people have more right to live in this country just because they were born here. Why should this be so anyway?

2. Give everyone ten points. By everyone I mean people who are hoping to live here AND people who already live here. Ten points means you can stay.

3. People lose points for repeated acts or expressions of violence, racism, intolerance etc.

4. When someone arrives on our shores (no matter where from) you assume they are a decent person unless they give you reason to suppose otherwise. They join a queue and on reaching the front you give them their ten points and say "Welcome. Here is your house and/or job". The house or job you give them is that of the current national who has the fewest points. That person is automatically exiled to wherever the incoming person has just come from.

In this way, over time, the bigots would steadily be evicted to the world's most troubled areas (which would be an excellent lesson for them) and this country would become ever more multi-cultural and tolerant but no more crowded than it is now.
Perhaps people who do lose a point could try to win it back before they hit the bottom of the list by doing something good for their community. Maybe even the exiled people could attempt to come back again after they have served their time away and hopefully mended their ways. The only time you'd conceivably have to close the borders would be if ever absolutely everyone here had their full ten points. That would probably never quite happen though, so there would always be room for one more.

There are obvious administrative difficulties, but ethically I think it's quite a sound plan. Any thoughts?

ever hopeful wrote:Of course immigration is not really a problem at all. It is just a word meaning people coming to your country. The real problems are bigotry, racism and perhaps some potential over-crowding.

My solution is a kind of reverse points system (a bit like that used by Australia but also crucially different). It has four parts to it:

1. Get rid of the notion that people have more right to live in this country just because they were born here. Why should this be so anyway?

2. Give everyone ten points. By everyone I mean people who are hoping to live here AND people who already live here. Ten points means you can stay.

3. People lose points for repeated acts or expressions of violence, racism, intolerance etc.

4. When someone arrives on our shores (no matter where from) you assume they are a decent person unless they give you reason to suppose otherwise. They join a queue and on reaching the front you give them their ten points and say "Welcome. Here is your house and/or job". The house or job you give them is that of the current national who has the fewest points. That person is automatically exiled to wherever the incoming person has just come from.

In this way, over time, the bigots would steadily be evicted to the world's most troubled areas (which would be an excellent lesson for them) and this country would become ever more multi-cultural and tolerant but no more crowded than it is now.
Perhaps people who do lose a point could try to win it back before they hit the bottom of the list by doing something good for their community. Maybe even the exiled people could attempt to come back again after they have served their time away and hopefully mended their ways. The only time you'd conceivably have to close the borders would be if ever absolutely everyone here had their full ten points. That would probably never quite happen though, so there would always be room for one more.

There are obvious administrative difficulties, but ethically I think it's quite a sound plan. Any thoughts?

Surely, if Garry Glitter tried this, we couldn't just let him waltz back in?

I think the words, "unless they give you reason to suppose otherwise" would stop Mr Glitter being eligible wouldn't they?

Good call. You should be in power EH.

Thanks. Maybe I'll take over tomorrow, but I'm off to bed now.

Get rid of the notion that people have more right to live in this country just because they were born here.

Say what?

Transport the felons to the Colonies ....sounds like a plan

embee wrote:Transport the felons to the Colonies ....sounds like a plan

Wouldn't that lead to a massive increase in crime in England?

so we didn't acquire torpedoes?

ever hopeful wrote:Of course immigration is not really a problem at all. It is just a word meaning people coming to your country. The real problems are bigotry, racism and perhaps some potential over-crowding.

My solution is a kind of reverse points system (a bit like that used by Australia but also crucially different). It has four parts to it:

1. Get rid of the notion that people have more right to live in this country just because they were born here. Why should this be so anyway?

2. Give everyone ten points. By everyone I mean people who are hoping to live here AND people who already live here. Ten points means you can stay.

3. People lose points for repeated acts or expressions of violence, racism, intolerance etc.

4. When someone arrives on our shores (no matter where from) you assume they are a decent person unless they give you reason to suppose otherwise. They join a queue and on reaching the front you give them their ten points and say "Welcome. Here is your house and/or job". The house or job you give them is that of the current national who has the fewest points. That person is automatically exiled to wherever the incoming person has just come from.

In this way, over time, the bigots would steadily be evicted to the world's most troubled areas (which would be an excellent lesson for them) and this country would become ever more multi-cultural and tolerant but no more crowded than it is now.
Perhaps people who do lose a point could try to win it back before they hit the bottom of the list by doing something good for their community. Maybe even the exiled people could attempt to come back again after they have served their time away and hopefully mended their ways. The only time you'd conceivably have to close the borders would be if ever absolutely everyone here had their full ten points. That would probably never quite happen though, so there would always be room for one more.

There are obvious administrative difficulties, but ethically I think it's quite a sound plan. Any thoughts?

Typical sanctimonious, self righteous, bleeding heart twaddle.

how to solve Australia's immigration 'problem' ... stick Dennis Ferguson on Christmas island

Hehehe, noice. Two birds with one stone.

Get stupid countries having wars with other stupid countries to stop having wars. Realise you're fifty years behind in nuclear technology and you don't have a political system to handle such power, and just be nice to each other.

Spend your defence budget on schools and hospitals and be happy.

ever hopeful wrote:Of course immigration is not really a problem at all. It is just a word meaning people coming to your country. The real problems are bigotry, racism and perhaps some potential over-crowding.

My solution is a kind of reverse points system (a bit like that used by Australia but also crucially different). It has four parts to it:

1. Get rid of the notion that people have more right to live in this country just because they were born here. Why should this be so anyway?

Because it is their home. Dorothy wasn't lying when she said "There's no place like home." I might be a sentimental bastard but there truly isn't.

4. When someone arrives on our shores (no matter where from) you assume they are a decent person unless they give you reason to suppose otherwise. They join a queue and on reaching the front you give them their ten points and say "Welcome. Here is your house and/or job". The house or job you give them is that of the current national who has the fewest points. That person is automatically exiled to wherever the incoming person has just come from.

What if the country the incoming person has come from refuses to take them? What do you do? Put them on a boat, send them off on a mystery voyage, and use force to stop them coming back in?

There are obvious administrative difficulties, but ethically I think it's quite a sound plan. Any thoughts?

I think the intentions behind the plan are good, however ethically it is anything but a sound plan. It gives the state extreme rights over the individual. In fact, it concentrates excessive power in the state full stop. If such a system were ever put in place I can only see it descending into tyranny.