The controversy over immigration has been a positive benefit to the political debate. With the government unable to provide accurate figures, further enhancing their lack of competence over our borders, attention shifted to what the immigrants were doing. Most were working, whereas the British were not, due to the comfortable existence of the welfare state.
For the first time, debates on immigration include the biggest problem of all, welfarism. Britain on benefits has postponed reform of the welfare state by shipping in workers to continue paying stamp for those who don't. As the ponzi scheme is now clear, New Labour have brought this area of the state, like all others, to the verge of reform.
Cameron's rhetorical wedding to Wisconsin welfare reform is welcome. Despite the nonsensical notion of a cap on immigration, reducing welfare benefits will ease the debate, since it is framed in terms of public sector demand. Then situations like this will end:
Tax credits alone have cost the UK more than £1 billion in fraud this year, it says, while an advertising campaign designed to encourage people to stop benefit fraud actually raised the numbers of fraudulent claims as people realised how easy it was.