You don't have to answer them all. I'm just wondering. Looking at statistics and articles all day can only go so far.

1.) Simple question: Do you think that more restrictions should be put on immigration? Or do you think there are too many restrictions?

2.) How do you feel about your government's response to and policies toward immigration?

3.) Do you think that there's a lot of anti-immigrant sentiment in your area? Is it directed at some groups more than others?

4.) Have you observed any discrimination against immigrants?

5.) Where do the majority of your immigrants come from?

6.) On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is the issue of immigration to you? How important do you think it is to the average European?

Seriously, I know it's like midnight over there but come on. I know you're all night owls.

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And while the seagulls are crying,
We fall but our souls are flying.

2) We're an island nation, it should be far easier to protect our borders and calculate the true immigration levels.

3) Not so much in my area- we're a city of immigrants, but the EU elections proved there is a pro-BNP, and therefore an Anti-immigration feeling.

4) I've seen BNP and EDF marches, but at the same time seen effective countermarches.

5) I'm not sure, I'd say Middle eastern countries.

6) Not very. We have enough problems with 'natives'. As a whole, immigration helps our country, rather than hinders it.

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I drink too much, I smoke too much, I gamble too much. I am too much.

The honest answer is, I'm not really sure. It's an issue I'm torn on. I don't like the idea of restricting immigration into my country but at the same time, I'm not sure how the UK will cope if our population goes over 65 million. I don't think there's anything wrong with the level of immigration as it is now, but I am concerned about the future if the population continues to grow.

2.) How do you feel about your government's response to and policies toward immigration?

I was happy that they allowed free immigration from new EU states, although they really cocked it up in terms of how they dealt with that particular influx of people. Ideologically, I generally support their attitude towards immigration but in practise how they deal with immigrants is pretty inept.

3.) Do you think that there's a lot of anti-immigrant sentiment in your area? Is it directed at some groups more than others?

Hmm, not especially, but I live in a city. I think places like Manchester absorb immigrant communities a lot more easily than the smaller, old industrial towns.

4.) Have you observed any discrimination against immigrants?

Not personally, no. There was a massive EDL and UAF protest here recently though.

5.) Where do the majority of your immigrants come from?

"My" immigrants? Well, where I live in Manchester there are a lot of immigrants from South Asian countries like India and Pakistan. There is a big Asian community in Manchester but it's quite well established so I don't think you could call it an "immigrant" community. I live in a student area as well, and there are a lot of Chinese and Korean students living here, as well. There are also quite a lot of Eastern European people.

Manchester is very multi-cultural.

6.) On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is the issue of immigration to you? How important do you think it is to the average European?

Living in a city with so many people from lots of different parts of the world means that immigration is pretty much a fact of life for me, it's not really important because it's just something I'm used to.

I think it is quite important to the average European though. It's certainly a 'hot button' issue in Europe. I think it's being talked about quite a bit in the UK at the moment, because of Nick Griffin's [leader of the BNP] appearance on Question Time. That would probably be very useful for you to watch if you could track it down.

Hope I helped.

Post edited at 3:38 pm on Nov. 5, 2009 by Fauna

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- لورين

Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime,
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.