Europeans, aliens, and the Commonwealth

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33083, 25 November 1972, Page 14

Europeans, aliens, and the Commonwealth

The defeat of the Conservative Government in Britain on the controversial Immigration Act is evidence of the strong feelings which can still be aroused in Britain on the issues of membership of the European Economic Community, the white Commonwealth countries, and coloured immigrants. The sections of the act which led to the rebellion among Conservative back-benchers and the defection of the Liberals were described by Government spokesmen as machinery clauses necessitated by legislation passed in 1971 with almost unanimous support from the Conservative Party. The legislation does, however, make it easier for some Europeans to seek work in the United Kingdom, and this “ slight ” to Commonwealth citizens—particularly those from the “old” Commonwealth countries—has been seized on by opponents of the legislation. It is evident that many members of Parliament who voted for Britain’s entry to Europe did not appreciate at the time all the implications of this act But they do now; and their revolt may not be confined to the minutiae of the Immigration Act

Britain ceased to grant unrestricted entry to all “British subjects”—including New Zealand citizens —lO years ago, when the Commonwealth Immigrants Act was passed. In practice, New Zealand businessmen, visitors, students, working holidaymakers, newspaper correspondents, and persons wishing to retire to the United Kingdom have continued to be admitted freely to Britain. The New Zealand Government has been assured that no change is contemplated in the regulations covering visitors in these categories. Furthermore, there is no significant change in the requirement that New Zealanders wishing to enter Britain for an indefinite period to take up employment must now have a work permit; they have had to do so for 10 years. The only new requirement is that they must, after January 1 next year, have a specific employment offer before they are admitted to Britain.

Almost any conceivable liberalisation of the act to enable more Australians and New Zealanders to enter Britain in search of work will also enable more West Indians, Asians, or Africans to slip through the net. Only nine New Zealanders seeking work in Britain last year were refused admission—but more than 25,000 New Zealanders arrived in Britain. The New Zealand Government has rightly refused to debate in public the merits of the Immigration Act, just as it refused to take a public stand on the issue of Britain’s entry into the E.E.C.; these are matters of internal politics for Britain, not New Zealand, to decide. There need be no doubt, however, that even in private New Zealand Cabinet Ministers will not be too critical of laws which, however restrictive in theory, are unlikely to affect in practice more than a handful of this country’s citizens.