Does History Repeat Itself?

Photo credit Challenger2-Bergen-Hohne-Training-Area-2 by Fiorellino

By William Mills

Immigration is so out of control that we may face historical parallels like Danegeld and the Elizabethan poor laws.

Last week a source told me that the Border Force had stopped a lorry in Kent and 43 immigrants found inside and it is believed the authorities were routinely covering up such incidents.

I rang both Kent Police and the Home Office’s press office. Both said they hadn’t heard of anything, and could I prove they had these particular individuals?

My source said the Border Agency is catching on average 190 a day with many fold more slipping by.

The images from Calais of thousands of immigrants prepared to use any amount of force to get to England fills me with worry.

Am I expected to believe that once here they will suddenly revert to being hardworking, law abiding citizens who all speak English fluently and will conscientiously fill in their UK tax returns?

Sadly I have fears of huge gangs roaming the countryside demanding food, money and clothing from any who are unlucky enough to cross their path.

This indeed occurred in the late middle ages when bands of beggars and outlaws several hundred strong cut a swathe of destruction across the countryside. Good citizens were sent running for the shelter of their town walls with all gates firmly locked at dusk and lookouts posted during daylight.

In Elizabeth I’s time (1558-1603) the situation was so bad Parliament rushed through a range of laws making the beggar’s parish of birth responsible for providing poor relief which in later years led to the workhouse.

Perhaps Labour under Jeremy Corbyn will advocate a policy of Danegeld?

Back in the times of the 11th century Norman Conquest Viking raiders from across the northern seas coming to our shores for rape and plunder were simply met on the beaches as guests, and given everything they wanted in the hope they would go away again.

So will Government policy be give every illegal immigrant who reaches Nelson’s Column a cash sum and a plane ticket to a destination of  their choice on condition they don’t come back for twelve months?

The alternative is to round up all the immigrants by force. If we reach the point of being swamped, that is huge bands roaming the countryside looking for food, then the Government will be faced with trying to detain millions, many of whom might be very hostile to the idea.

At the end of WWII the British Army was confronted with interning the bulk of the Axis military whose numbers ran into millions. So it has been done within living memory. But it needs to be realised that the Police and Army are English speaking so if they attempt a mass roundup of all non English speaking people it will may well cause some community tensions.

Therefore it is vital that all immigrants here legally learn to speak English as soon as possible. Then when confronted by a doubtful squaddie they can pull out their telephone bill showing their name and address and offer to help catch the bad guys. That’s called being English.

The illegal immigrants will only be stopped when upon capture they are taken to a bleak island where conditions are so meagre that they will wish to go home. And it should be made clear their only way of gaining release is in an Army truck to the airport.