Tuesday 22 March 2011

A mind-numbingly stupid move

I don't have much to say about the recent announcement that the UK is going to slash visas for students from outside the EEC other than to say that it is utterly stupid. Britain owes a great deal of its remaining influence in the world to its status as a centre for culture and education. Both benefit greatly form the influx of foreign students.

David Cameron's has pointed out on more than one occasion that Britain exports more to the Republic of Ireland than it does to the BRIC countries, and that this represents a missed opportunity for British business. Just how does he ever expect to tackle this if he is turning away hundreds of thousands of prospective customers from those very same BRIC countries with this idiotic policy?

Even the poor excuse of reducing immigration does not appear to be valid in this case, since the immigration that people truly object to is illegal immigration. Indeed, it is easy to see how this policy will increase illegal immigration by barring the legal kind.

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