Britain | Bagehot

British voters want more immigrants but less immigration

The government’s immigration policy is incoherent because voters are incoherent 

The biggest lie in British politics is that voters want honest debate. Whenever a policy problem emerges, sensible types call for the trade-offs to be laid out before an informed voting public who will carefully weigh the options. Anyone who has sat through a focus group or gone canvassing with a politician knows this is nonsense. When faced with an either/or question, British voters usually give a decisive answer: “yes”.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “More immigrants, less immigration”

From the May 27th 2023 edition

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