National identity at risk from immigration, warns women's group
Britain's national identity is under threat because of the scale of immigration, one of Britain's largest women's organisations has warned.
By Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor
Teleghraph.co.uk
Published: 7:00AM GMT 03 Feb 2010
Eight in 10 members of the Townswomen's Guild (TG) also want net immigration slashed, with more than a quarter wanting no inflows in to the country at all.
The survey, in the Guild's magazine, Townswoman, received five times the average responses in what officials said reflected “such a hot topic”.
The group, which has 34,000 members aged 18 to over 80, is the second largest women's organisation and was launched when all women got the vote in 1928 and now lobbies on national and regional issues.
In the poll, 95 per cent agreed that the current levels of immigration will cause the country to lose its identity while nine in ten were concerned about the population potentially reaching 70 million.
A similar proportion said they were concerned about the pressure on public services and 94 per cent said current levels were putting a strain on community relations.
Some 50 per cent wanted no net migration, the balance between numbers coming in to the UK and those leaving, while 29 per cent wanted no immigration at all.
Sue Smith, the national chairman of TG, said: TG has never been afraid to tackle thorny issues and receiving five times the normal response to this questionnaire was to be expected on such a hot topic.
For Townswomen the issue isnt race, its numbers and they clearly feel immigration policy needs to protect our way of life and environment and recognise the increasing pressure on already overstretched public services.
Frank Field, co-chairman of the Cross-Party Group on Balanced Migration said: This questionnaire provides crystal clear evidence that ordinary women up and down the land are hugely concerned about the impact of immigration.
“The political parties would be foolish not to heed this groundswell of concern as they write their manifestos.
A total of 1,427 people responded to the magazine survey.
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