@Dodge said in European Politics:
Immigration is definitely causing issues in the public psyche - I’m not entirely sure what the solution is
Yes, but this is such a vague, wide-ranging term that it is entirely unclear what it is about "immigration" that causes people concern and what parts of its people want to be stopped.
For example, @MajorRage and @Victor-Meldrew are both immigrants to the UK. I am now and have been previously an immigrant to two non-UK countries. I don't think anyone in the UK or Ireland would really have an issue with "people like us" immigrating to their countries.
On the other hand, my wife and her family were immigrants (stateless refugees in fact) to the UK from just the sort of place where people would likely say "absolutely not" to anyone wanting to come in now. They are all doctors and lawyers etc and are so are all their immigrant friends from the same place. They are collectively some of the most successful people I've ever met in my life and are a real credit to themselves, where they come from and all to the UK who took them in and where they were able to achieve those things - and they have clearly contributed to UK society in that regard.
Now, I appreciated that me, my wife, her friends and family, @MajorRage and @Victor-Meldrew are not like every immigrant everywhere in the world - hell, we may even be the exceptions. While I have real sympathy for indigenous people everywhere - including in Europe - to want to have autonomy over their homelands, "immigration" to some extent is normal and necessary at every time and everywhere.
I guess the point is that using blanket terms like "immigration" is totally unhelpful - from politicians, media, pro- and anti-immigration types. It's like expressing concerns about "illness" or "disease", knowing that there are myriad types of illness and disease each presenting their own issues and solutions.