Post by Teddy Bear on Feb 12, 2015 16:34:13 GMT
This report shows clearly the negative effect the BBC has had on this country in regard to immigration.
BBC 'bias' hinders immigration crackdown, says report
MigrationWatch UK says the BBC's 'strong bias' in favour of immigration has limited the Government's options in strengthening Britain's borders, along with other bias in the civil service
By David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent
The BBC’s bias in favour of immigration has been a key block on the Government’s ability to tighten control on Britain’s borders, a report has claimed.
MigrationWatch UK, which campaigns for tougher migration rules, said the Corporation was guilty of a “strong bias” and even a reluctance to address issues raised by immigration.
A report also warned there was pro-immigration in parts of the Civil Service including the Treasury, “irrespective of the impact of immigration on population growth and on the lower paid”.
The study, which analysed the Conservatives’ performance in the area since 2010, said the Government was spending just 0.25 per cent of its total budget on immigration control this year.
A lack of funding was one of the main reasons why the Home Office had been unable to seriously tackle the backlog of more than 368,000 immigration cases
“The total budget for immigration control in 2014/15 was £1.8 billion. This is around 0.25 per cent of the total government expenditure of £700 billion,” it said.
“This is clearly inadequate given the scale of the problem and the depth of public concern.
“Underfunding is one of the primary reasons why the Home Office has been unable to address the very large backlog of cases that it inherited from the previous government.”
It added: “There are also some wider matters which will continue to pose difficulties for an effective immigration policy.
“They include … a strong bias in the BBC in favour of immigration, combined with a reluctance even to address the case for reducing immigration.”
A coalition government since 2010 had been a “brake on effective action” and “might well arise again”, it added.
Another problem had been “pro-immigration bias of parts of the civil service (notably the Treasury), perhaps linked to a reluctance tackle a sensitive subject”.
The views of “economic liberals, reinforced by pressure from some companies” had also led to pressure for more migrant labour “without always having a proper appreciation of the pressures placed on social services”.
But it added that the Government had made important progress, despite the target to reduce net migration to “tens of thousands” being blown off course by growing numbers arriving from within the European Union.
Lord Green of Deddington, MigrationWatch chairman, said: “The battle for public opinion has been decisively won in the face of a powerful immigration lobby.
“This is the first time that a government has made a serious effort to get numbers down.
“They have undeniably made valuable progress but continued strong efforts, led from the top, are essential.
“These efforts must succeed if the public are not to lose faith in our political system.”
A BBC spokesman insisted there were no problems with its coverage.
"We believe our coverage of immigration is in the right place and we cover this complex issue in depth," he said.
MigrationWatch UK says the BBC's 'strong bias' in favour of immigration has limited the Government's options in strengthening Britain's borders, along with other bias in the civil service
By David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent
The BBC’s bias in favour of immigration has been a key block on the Government’s ability to tighten control on Britain’s borders, a report has claimed.
MigrationWatch UK, which campaigns for tougher migration rules, said the Corporation was guilty of a “strong bias” and even a reluctance to address issues raised by immigration.
A report also warned there was pro-immigration in parts of the Civil Service including the Treasury, “irrespective of the impact of immigration on population growth and on the lower paid”.
The study, which analysed the Conservatives’ performance in the area since 2010, said the Government was spending just 0.25 per cent of its total budget on immigration control this year.
A lack of funding was one of the main reasons why the Home Office had been unable to seriously tackle the backlog of more than 368,000 immigration cases
“The total budget for immigration control in 2014/15 was £1.8 billion. This is around 0.25 per cent of the total government expenditure of £700 billion,” it said.
“This is clearly inadequate given the scale of the problem and the depth of public concern.
“Underfunding is one of the primary reasons why the Home Office has been unable to address the very large backlog of cases that it inherited from the previous government.”
It added: “There are also some wider matters which will continue to pose difficulties for an effective immigration policy.
“They include … a strong bias in the BBC in favour of immigration, combined with a reluctance even to address the case for reducing immigration.”
A coalition government since 2010 had been a “brake on effective action” and “might well arise again”, it added.
Another problem had been “pro-immigration bias of parts of the civil service (notably the Treasury), perhaps linked to a reluctance tackle a sensitive subject”.
The views of “economic liberals, reinforced by pressure from some companies” had also led to pressure for more migrant labour “without always having a proper appreciation of the pressures placed on social services”.
But it added that the Government had made important progress, despite the target to reduce net migration to “tens of thousands” being blown off course by growing numbers arriving from within the European Union.
Lord Green of Deddington, MigrationWatch chairman, said: “The battle for public opinion has been decisively won in the face of a powerful immigration lobby.
“This is the first time that a government has made a serious effort to get numbers down.
“They have undeniably made valuable progress but continued strong efforts, led from the top, are essential.
“These efforts must succeed if the public are not to lose faith in our political system.”
A BBC spokesman insisted there were no problems with its coverage.
"We believe our coverage of immigration is in the right place and we cover this complex issue in depth," he said.