Tim - Some migration is positive I would say, but what about the unsustainable population growth which is my biggest concern, not the economic argument.
Unsustainable population growth is indeed a problem, and not just for the UK but for the entire world: the biggest impact is of course going to be on the availability of water, and we are seeing the effects already in the middle east.
But the inability of people to restrain themselves from breeding can hardly be blamed on the EU, and in this regard the EU is actually being pretty protectionist.
The fundamental challenge that the UK faces (along with similar countries like Italy) is that the birth rate of the indigenous population is actually falling, and this in the short/medium term is a big problem.
Why? Because our entire economy and way of life is based around economic growth - constantly increasing economic activity, which cannot be sustained with a static population. As we're not breeding enough of our own people, neither are we equipping them with skills that are needed by business and industry, we have to import people.
The EU's response to this is to say 'Look, getting the right people to the right place to work is a European-wide problem, so let's address it by allowing our citizens to travel freely to find work' - which seems eminently sensible to me.
If the UK exits the EU and closes its borders to immigration, then the way I see it a few things might happen:
1. With a population that is no longer growing, economic growth stagnates and we go into permanent recession (i.e. no growth)
2. With a lack of economic growth, treasury receipts will fall, leading to less money to spend on schools and education
3. With no ability to educate what children we do have, they won't be able to be educated to the level we need.
4. With an economy based very heavily on service industries, people will be spending less on services, leading to increased unemployment in those areas.
The UK will end up a stagnant unrespected backwater, with loads of people unable to find work in the jobs that are available, and with reduced benefits to survive on. They won't be able to travel to Europe to find work because we'll have left the EU
And we'll still have to bring in loads of people from abroad to do the jobs that we are unable to do.
