(for fiesty old pro-choice Celia)
Our haggarded, old, `protected` generation
Fail to see our present need for immigration:
That all the foreign tongues and foreign faces
Supply all the left-empty contracepted spaces.
How can we meet our manufactory needing
Without the fruits of foreign female breeding?
(Of course proud Albion used to breed it`s own
In bygone days when kids were all home grown)
Harry - it's not so much that I wish for the automaton
world, more like I witness it so often - especially in the
manufacture of motor vehicles, with alarmingly life-like
machines doing work that lines of humanity used to do
in other days. It is, depending on one's POV, a mixed
blessing but a logical descendant of the industrial age
this country endured and exported to be adapted by
and enjoyed by emergent economies. Our genius for
invention and creativity across the board, in peace and
in war, has been hugely important to our survival and
prosperity - long may it continue.
All good wishes.
M.C.
I delayed this one `cause I heard of some conference that is actually about this perfect universal automated world that you wish for, but can`t trace it (can anyone help?)
However, having experienced the automation surge of the seventies (1200 jobs reduced to 250 in my own factory, and then complete closure I know summit about it.
I worked in the tobacco industry and all the British factories progressively closed and their production is now
transferred to factories overseas. They are still very profitable.
As they tell us, the Car industry survives in Britain only because we are in the E.U... Industry thrives best where
affordable labour (and consumers) exist...usually within a geographical location handy enough not to add excessive
transportation costs...(Ideally the E.U.) A large consumer base means a lower unit charge cost - which supports the viability of exporting (which is why the five times more populous E.C. will lick us (and any other country our size) hollow when it comes to exporting competition)
The poem was about a shortage of `fleshed`people (also known as consumers, producers and tax-payers) And we should be aware that - even with half of our children now being born to mothers who themselves were born overseas-we have not yet reached the stage of keeping
up the numbers of the above.
E.C. I respect you and your poetry very much. But I think that our beloved and proudly historical Britain will be slowly and inevitably lessened by what you advocate. (We
forget that they too have proud histories)
Harry - as the technical expertise of humanity progresses
in leaps and bounds, the need for human labour is bound
to decrease. Indeed, one wonders how many human hands
are kept employed until robotic devices of whatever type
can be cheap enough and advanced enough to achieve just about anything. We are already a long way down that road. Immigration to a small island nation needs careful
supervision for various wholly realistic reasons.
elPinto,
Thanks for your interest.
I was just trying to point something obvious out again.
The key word in what you say is `abundance`...when there is abundance families enjoy it by a `fatter` life style and having less children (who they can feed and educate better)
The increased abundance has to be more and more serviced so therefore service industry increases . The fewer children translate into less native workers so the shortfall needs to be filled by E.U. immigrants, or immigrants from outside the E.U. (at the moment they are half and half) but wherever they are from they are needed.
`Pregnancy` seems not to be a very popular word in the modern women`s movements today (nor among most of the modern women generally) so our replacement rate
for new children means that we must have immigration (in or out of the E.U.) for the foreseeable future. (half of our
present immigrants are from outside the E.U. now)
This is why I dedicated the piece to an old pro-choice colleague of mine.
All this is apart from the argument about the actual rates of immigration. But my own opinion is that any change in this is better decided within the E.U.
Sorry to go on so much, but the `aging` problem in the
developed Europe, and in Japan, and China is going to be something of a future `time bomb`. We have developed an amazingly efficient contraceptive system which will be adopted by more and more women, but we have not yet really considered the demographic consequences of it....As they say: `Nature abhors a vacuum`
Thanks for the chance of getting it off my chest.
elPintor
Wed 22nd Jun 2016 01:51
Hi, Harry,
This brings to mind a sequence in a movie called, "Lucy". I didn't much care for the ultimate direction the story took, however, there was a narration of a theory of the way humans view procreation and longevity--presenting the two ideas as almost exclusive of one another. Stated simply from memory, the theory holds that we are likely to choose quantity of life when quality of life is harsh and hard to bear; and more likely to choose longevity over quantity of procreated when basic needs may be fulfilled abundantly. It is to me, somewhat reminiscent of our proverbial existence in Eden and our subsequent expulsion.
In regards to a pro-choice stance, I'm not sure what that says; however, I thought it an interesting idea that may relate, albeit indirectly, to your post.
elPintor
If you wish to post a comment you must login.
This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
Harry O'Neill
Sat 16th Jul 2016 15:33
I`m sorry for dragging this haggard old thing out again, but I still haven`t found out about this conference.
I believe it was about the economic and political power prospects of handling this perfect automated world to which we all assume we are heading.
The problem is already apparent in the remarks which Mrs May is making about prosperous London and the rest of us.
it seems to me that this can only be solved in the long term by compulsory re-direction of business and industry (which will probably go down like a lead balloon in the south)
The solution of the problem on an international scale would be mind-boggling...But I like the idea that someone is thinking about it.
Can anyone help?