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Population prophecy can’t be relied upon for beseeching votes
20th January 2010: The politics of racism, statistics and predictions is on! As the general elections are drawing near, some of the political parties have started playing the race and immigration card. They are throwing the population scare, with all the talks about a cap on immigration.
But the projections on population, apparently made to throw a scare, may not be a bit too reliable. Historically speaking, the population in the UK has never grown as predicted.
Way back in 1955, demographic experts, and even politicians, forecasted that in less than 40 years the population of Britain would touch 53 million-mark.
But the baby boom in the 60s saw the projections being proven wrong. The population, in fact, turned out to be higher by approximately five million, following the failure of the experts to predict the baby boom.
Interestingly, the now projected figure of 70-million would have been crossed a decade back, if the population had surged the way it was anticipated, rather apprehended.
Available information suggests during the baby boom in 1965 the statisticians had predicted that the population would hit 75 million-mark by 2000. But the new millennium only saw the population touching 59 million-level, 16 million lower than the projected figure.
So to place reliance on the prediction that the population will hit 70 million by 2029 may not be in the right place.
David Cameron has already aired his views on the need for cutting down the immigration levels and for placing a cap on immigration, with poll predicting the Tories could pick up support in key marginal seats on the issue.
The Tory leader’s assertion to cut the number of immigrants coming to the UK by as much as 75 per cent under a Conservative government, has been followed by the British National Party’s reaction.
It has stated “the Tories were now identical to all the other parties”. Comparing the Tories with the Labour party, the BNP said Cameron’s plans meant there was ultimately no difference “between the end result of his party’s policies and those of the Labour Party. Both will end in the overrunning of Britain”.
The BNP said the Tories have a policy which will permit at least half a million new Third World immigrants to enter Britain each year.
So far, home secretary Alan Johnson has refused to put a ceiling on the number of immigrants coming to Britain.
By Monika
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