Promises and Policy Targets

Quote:

“We promise according to our hopes, and perform according to our fears.”  Francois duc de la Rochefoucauld (1613-1680)

News: 

London Metropolitan University (LMU) had its visa license revoked this week by the UK Border Agency, requiring all non-EU students there to find another university or face deportation.  The announcement came on the same day the official migration statistics revealed persistently high immigration levels to UK.

Cutting foreign student visas (which account for 40% of all immigration) may appear to be a quick way to reduce the number of migrants, which is how the present government frames its immigration policy – to reduce net migration to under 100,000 per year by 2015.   

However, students are short-term migrants, and most will leave again in a few years when their courses finish.  So this week’s decision will scarcely dent long-term net migration, but will do considerable harm to the reputation of the university sector in the UK, which depends on the higher fees paid by overseas students.

Any system is open to abuse, whether that is welfare, insurance, taxation or immigration.  A government is right to root out bogus claims on its resources, but must ensure all the genuine cases are supported.  Blunt instruments often create more problems than they solve, and it remains to be seen what collateral damage the UKBA’s response to the problems at LMU will have.

Britain needs skilled foreign workers, and its universities need the income brought by overseas students.  But more than workers or finance, Britain needs good relationships internationally, with individuals, organisations and governments of other nations.  These are built, in part, by keeping promises – such as being trustworthy in delivering the higher education courses offered to overseas students. 

The country will be better off when the government puts the long term relational impact of policy decisions ahead of being seen to do something when adverse statistics are published.

Read on…

The Jubilee Centre recently published a report on a Christian response to immigration, with a particular focus on the British context.  You can access the report here.  

Walk the talk:

When a situation starts to get out of hand, it is tempting to resort to severe measures to get it back in control, at the expense of addressing the underlying relational issues which contribute to it.  Is there any situation facing you which would benefit from this insight?

The last word:

From the Bible, Ecclesiastes chapter 12, verse 12: “Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.”

Three cheers for London 2012!

Quote

“We play best when we’re together. Maybe that’s what we really want from all public art – not insight or knowledge but an excuse to get together in a state of pleasant perplexity, to be part of each other’s lives. Because, in the end, what matters most to us is each other.”  Frank Cottrell Boyce, from the Opening Ceremony Programme of London 2012.

News

Once the glow of fireworks died out from the closing ceremony, and the party music faded, the legacy of the London Olympics has been debated in Britain this week.  What will be the lasting impact to the nation of winning 29 gold medals and spending £9 billion of public money on the event? 

Most discussions focus on the twin issues of economic and sporting benefits to Britain, but for many visitors to the Games, whether or not their team won a medal, the most memorable part was the atmosphere.  Smiling volunteers, polite policemen, strangers chatting freely, public transport running on time… even the weather was fine.

So three cheers for London 2012; the first cheer is for the many displays of courage and sportsmanship by the athletes; the second for the organisation of the Games, which despite the fiasco around security just days beforehand ran remarkably smoothly.  The third cheer is for the spirit of goodwill which permeated the venues and spilled out into the city.

It was not only Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony that cast light on our national identity as Brits.  Despite ourselves – especially our default mode of expecting things to go wrong, then wagging the finger in blame, and being stoical in defeat – we have discovered that we can still pull off a highly complex event on a national scale with quiet confidence, a pleasant attitude, and good humour all round. 

These are the values which helped create the unique experience of London 2012.  Perhaps the most valuable legacy, therefore, might not be measured in tourist pounds or increased fitness, but in the relational capacity for kindness, for cooperation, and for celebrating the best in others – even when times are challenging. 

Read on...

David Cameron attributes Olympic success to two things, competitive spirit and volunteering; the latter is what lies behind his stalled ‘Big Society’ initiative.  To read the Jubilee Centre’s thoughts on what will make the Big Society work, click here. 

Walk the talk

The intention to volunteer for a local project or cause can easily be forgotten if we only consider it as individuals; why not ask a couple of friends if they would like to join you in some initiative and start helping out together?

The last word

From the Bible, Proverbs 15:30 “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.”