Paul Embery has railed against uncontrolled immigration into the UK, citing Japan’s radically different approach.
His comments come as immigration divides Britain. Long-simmering resentments sparked riots across the UK in the summer and thousands of migrants continue to cross the channel despite successive governments vowing to “stop the boats”.
As a long-standing trade union activist, Paul Embery has written extensively about the twin impact of deindustrialisation and rapid demographic change on working-class communities.
During a debate on multiculturalism and immigration at the Battle of Ideas on Sunday, Mr Embery called the current approach to immigration unsustainable, adding that the British people have had enough.
Paul Embery called the current approach to immigration as unsustainable
PA
He is a passionate defender of the values that underpin a free and tolerant society, such as the right to respect all religions.
However, without a shared national identity to get behind, these values are morally bankrupt, Mr Embery says.
“Top-down state-sanctioned multiculturalism that emphasises the difference between cultures while telling all forms of culture are equally valid is pernicious,” he told the audience.
As Mr Embery sees it, we have become a fragmented nation experiencing “social disintegration on a rapid scale”, adding: “We have strict monocultures living together cheek by jowl outbreaks of communal sectarianism.”
The “church of progressives” preaches the lie that “diversity is our greatest strength” but “it’s our greatest weakness”.
The vote for Brexit, largely an expression of anger against uncontrolled immigration, was the first sign of this popular revolt, Mr Embery said.
“If you enable the numbers to get out of control, people will have no incentive to integrate, and this causes a breakdown in social cohesion,” he told the Battle of Ideas crowd.
He cites Japan as an example of what happens when you take a harder line on immigration.
Japan is an example of a ‘high-trust and harmonious society’, says Paul Embery
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“Japan is culturally homogenous – it doesn’t emphasise separateness – and it is a safe and well-rounded society,” Mr Embery said, adding: “High-trust and harmonious societies are rooted in a shared identity.”
Japan is frequently noted for its low crime rate, which is among the lowest in the developed world. Despite a small increase in immigration, the country’s overall crime rate has not shown a proportional increase that could be directly attributed to immigration.
However, there have been discussions and concerns, especially in social media and some reports, about the impact of immigration on specific types of crime, though these are often anecdotal or based on selective data.
The UK experiences a higher crime rate than Japan, but this comparison is influenced by numerous factors beyond immigration, including cultural, societal, and economic differences.
Conversely, a strong argument can be made for more not less immigration into the country. Japan has the highest proportion of elderly citizens of any country in the world, with about 38 per cent of its population above the age of 60.
This trend is projected to continue, with the over-65s potentially making up 40 per cent of the population by 2060. This ageing demographic shift places significant stress on the economy, particularly on the healthcare and pension systems.
For Paul, all this is beside the point.
Speaking to a packed crowd on Sunday afternoon, he said: “The more a country emphasises diversity, the more it is divided” – and in this respect, Britain has something to learn from the Land of the Rising Sun.