Keith, check how many migrants walk across the borders of the US. I have a friend who walked or drove into the USA as he pleased for many years, and was running a haulage business there after being deported 7 (I think it was) times before one of the US agencies said "We are now deporting you again. If we find you here again illegally you are going to jail for a long time". He than married a native American woman and ran his haulage business for a number more years before a row with her led him to park one of his Kenwoods that was registered in her name in a parking lot at JFK and fly out for good, of his own free will.

Turning now to Australia:

You already ought to be able to figure out how the manipulation of number requirements in a points system can affect the number of those entitled to entry. It is immaterially different from a hard cap as used by Australia.

Try figuring out how (as Australia threatens) sinking ships can apply to trucks coming in on short-haul ro-ro ferries and to the Eurotunnel.

Is that what you want: to threaten to murder people before finding out whether they have legitimate claims to entry?


You want, it seems, no more immigrants.

We already have immigration control at all airports and ports. How many ships and planes do you want scouring the seas and skies for small boats and aircraft aircraft? Will you search every truck coming into the UK, and how will that affect international trade?

Now suppose those you find claim asylum. What will you do? Tag them all so they can be tracked? How much equipment will you need? Who will operate it? How will you stop the tags being cut off? How will you tag everyone already here?

What will you do about visa overstayers? Tag every tourist so that you can be sure they go home?

You are wrong to want a bar on immigration - but if you could impose one, how would you police it?

The present government has already got the period for determination of asylum claims down and the number of refusals up. Asylum is not an easy option, and the existing laws permit a bare and unpleasant subsistence to those who wait for a decision. By and large, visas if refused cannot be re-applied for while still in the UK.

You say the government should "actually try". Well, come on, what should they try? A perimeter fence and patrols with dogs and sub-machine guns?

The government knows perfectly well that jerks are going on about immigration. Don't you think they'd like to shut them all up?