Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Emigration and Economic Woes in Britain

Fjordman sent the following news:

Britain is experiencing the greatest exodus of its own nationals in recent history while immigration is at unprecedented levels, new figures show.

In 2007, 207,000 British citizens — one every three minutes — left the country and currency specialist Foreign Currency Direct has revealed that one in four working Brits are now looking to leave the country for sunnier climes and better job opportunities.

More British live abroad than any other nationality and the levels of emigration are now the same as those seen in the late-1950s when the £10 Poms left for Australia.

An increase in tax levelled at high wage earners coupled with rising UK unemployment is thought to be partly behind the mass exodus.

Actually, the reasons for leaving are far more complex and dire than this site suggests. One motivation is the flood of immigrants combined with the level of crime and the lack of response by the police and government to the breakdown in civil order.

In addition, Britain is now officially suffering from deflation, which means the economy is going off the rails:

Inflation on the Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure, which includes housing costs, dropped sharply to -1.2pc in the year to April, from -0.4pc in March, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Tuesday.

It was the lowest RPI figure since records began in 1948, and weaker than economists had expected.

The main driver of the fall was lower mortgage interest payments following the Bank of England’s decision to cut interest rates by half a percentage point to 0.5pc in March, the ONS said.

Other contributing factors were falling house prices and rental costs, lower council tax costs, lower gas and electricity bills and falling food prices.

Housing-related costs fell by a total of 12.1pc in the year to April.

Sounds like good news doesn’t it? Cheaper housing, food, and cost of living expenses, what could be better? Unfortunately, deflation means that the economy is slowing down so job losses are going up:

Although in the short term falling prices will appeal to consumers, RPI is used to calculate wage increases so the sharp fall in April is likely to add to downward pressure on salaries already caused by higher unemployment and falling corporate profits.

“As a result, many workers are likely to wage freezes or even pay cuts,” said Howard Archer, chief UK economist at IHS Global Insight.

Deflation poses a further threat to the economy if people expect prices to fall further and put purchasing plans on hold which can, if the trend persists, lead to lower output and even more job losses.

If inflation “heats up” an economy, deflation puts it in the freezer. Here’s an explanation of sorts, and a question for both sides of the Atlantic: will we become Japan or Zimbabwe?


Both extremes are destructive and leave people feeling that they do not control their lives anymore. Or perhaps what becomes apparent is that “control” was an illusion after all. Meanwhile…
- - - - - - - - -
with the mass exodus from the UK comes the realization that a “geographical cure” can bring its own misfortunes. Even if the British choose to remain within the Anglosphere, for each immigrant there are the stresses of homesickness, of higher prices combined with finding or keeping a job, and the inevitable sense of being a stranger, of not quite “fitting in”.

On the other hand, the geographical cure, with the stated side effects, may still be worth the risk. A new life in a new place when the old life in the old place has ceased being satisfying can restore the sense of being the master of one’s fate.

If your destination is the US, be sure to bring your own Marmite, Weetabix, and barley water. They’re in short supply here.

7 comments:

Ron Russell said...

This seems like a familiar story. A great influx of immigrates the economy tanking, the government catering to the newly arrived group in order to obtain their votes. Massive amounts of money being pumped into the economy to prop things up and the result inflation that will have to follow. Run-a-way inflation the worst of all worlds.

X said...

The thing these statistics never seem to reveal is how many of these "citizens" are natives, and how many are new.

Euro Referendum 2009 said...

I think that a lot of those 'Brits' who are leaving the UK are ethnic minorities with UK citizenship.

Richard

Snouck said...

OT: Geert Wilders will definitely be prosecuted for Hate Crimes by a Amsterdam Court.

X said...

I suspect this prosecution will backfire rather spectacularly.

Charles Martel said...

Deflation bad? I don't think so. Deflation is the only way an economy can get back on its feet and avoid the catastrophic effect of hyper-inflation. It is the CURE for the economic maladies introduced by an uncontrolled fed printing money like there's no tomorrow and the craziness on Wall Street.

Inflation is, and always will be, the killer of national economies. Deflation is simply the painful yet necessary cure.

I agree, many of the so called "Brits" leaving Britain are simply Muzzies moving on to spread their disease elsewhere. They know Britain is lost and they wish their contagion to infect every man woman and child in the world.

Will we fight while fighting still has a chance of achieving victory? I don't think so. We won't fight when we could easily win, why then will the same addled brain Eloi's fight with their backs against the wall. They will simply goosestep to the pits with their vacuous beautific smiles on their faces smug in the knowledge of their moral superiority.

Multiculturalism is the single most destructive forced ever unleashed against a civilization.

costin said...

There was a story from last year, if I remember right, in which an old man owning a Pub in the UK was arrested because he sticked on one of his walls 2 Daily News paper clips, one showing that 200.000 a year leave the country and 500.000 immigrants get inside. He was arrested for rasism, hatred or the like. Does anyone remember it? Do you have a link? Thanks!