Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit
That is going to be explosive because there isn't a developed economy anywhere that can avoid major crises without maintaining or increasing immigration levels over the coming decades as the effects of fertility rates really start to bite.

In the UK we saw the Tories try to play the ball in two places at once: Enable lots of immigration while simultaneously pretending the country was under siege to appeal to the anti-immigrant crowd. It blew up in their faces in a spectacular way.

While I'd like that to be an accurate description of why the Tory party lost, my understanding is that the migration topic was basically the only thing the Tories did that continued to resonate with voters, and what actually lost them was a continuing series of incompetent leaders, starting with Cameron (who didn't realise the mic was still hot immediately after resigning). Nobody (of any party) liked May, Johnson got away with pleasing lies until Partygate, Truss was a forgettable joke, and Sunak was basically Jim Hacker.

IMO the only reason the Tories didn't lose sooner was that the Labour party was also stuck with Corbyn.

loading story #42061149
How about door 3: only allow immigration for skilled individuals capable of adding outsized value to our economy?
As a person who can be described that way: why would I want to migrate to any country whose leaders were elected on a platform of hating migrants?

"Oh but not like you, you're one of the good ones!" - imagine yourself being described that way, and ask if that's a crowd you care to spend your time living with.

loading story #42065059
{"deleted":true,"id":42060958,"parent":42060691,"time":1730895247,"type":"comment"}
loading story #42064223
loading story #42060824
loading story #42061880
loading story #42060716
Japan is way ahead of the west in falling birthrates, but in spite of very little immigration there hasn't been any major crisis, just gradually declining standards of living.
> coming decades as the effects of fertility rates really start to bite.

I mean one solution is to promote policies that encourage people to have more children, but we "can't afford it", expecting we'll be able to afford the incoming social care crisis.

What are those major crises? Decrease in housing prices?
loading story #42061300