In response to Smaz

First off, smaz, shit's fucked up. 

Honestly, the immigration debate gets off on thinking that immigrants, however they come are not actually people, who have children and jobs and lives. Like what I said on Friday night. everyone would be up in arms about sending children into a war zone, but sending immigrants back to their own country, well that's different. In fact since 50% of immigrants are children and most are fleeing persecution in their own countries, it's really pretty similar. 

Basically the news media has painted immigrants as people who "sponge" off the system, and are just coming here because they need jobs. Beyond the fact that the news is pretty racist cause it's run by rich old white people. The reality of refugee immigrants is far worse. To face that reality, for a lot of people and a lot of governments, would involve trying to fix regimes that persecute people by the thousands and ones at that, where western governments fucked things over in the first place. It's far easier to see people as unwanted cattle who are grazing on land than as fleeing from shitty lives in places that we had a hand in fucking up. 

It would also involve admitting they were racist when there is literally no financial reason for immigration to be stopped (I will fight someone over the studies that proved immigration actually improve economies and GDP)

Not to mention, there is literally a photo of immigrants to Spain climbing an 8 metre barbed wire fence to get into the country, beyond which is a really luxurious golf course. 

Actually, here it is:

Immigration is way less of an issue than you'd think, particularly boat-based immigration. Something like 90% of immigration to Australia is approved, comes by plane and is very authentically let through passport control by the government. 

The reason we don't hear about it, is because it's not scary or groundbreaking so it's not something to win an election on. 

All governments like something they can take a hard line on, which will keep their approval rating up. The government cares way less about immigration than you'd think, I bet you, they care about staying ahead in the polls and using the fear that people have is pretty easy. Other governments use renewable energy or gay marriage or getting rid of the carbon tax or cutting tax. It's about using people's beliefs and strong feelings. Being apathetic is the enemy of a number 1 vote.