It's more complicated than that. European politicians (outside of the UK) actually tend to be better than US ones on immigration. The US has been dealing with shit immigration policy (including many backstabbers who run on changing and then don't) for decades on in.
You're the most well-informed person here, as usual - though in Europe we have also dealt with politicians who run on decreasing immigration and then either do nothing or increase it.
Relying on a politician's moral compass to not backstab you is generally a loser's game. You have to be able to punish and force (legally, and all that) a politician for breaking his promises in that way, and because anti-immigration is a populist position (that of ordinary people, the 'poorly educated', who have disproportionately little political influence), that does not happen.
The Dutch government just collapsed because the 'center-right' PM, who has let in more immigrants than any other despite always promising to reduce them, had to make a show of pretending to oppose immigration, and his coalition partners wouldn't even agree to that. Gotta say, I didn't expect that to happen in Europe.
The American right talks so much shit about Europe, but I wish we could disrupt government coalitions like that or mobilize on the street like the French.
It's more complicated than that. European politicians (outside of the UK) actually tend to be better than US ones on immigration. The US has been dealing with shit immigration policy (including many backstabbers who run on changing and then don't) for decades on in.
You're the most well-informed person here, as usual - though in Europe we have also dealt with politicians who run on decreasing immigration and then either do nothing or increase it.
Relying on a politician's moral compass to not backstab you is generally a loser's game. You have to be able to punish and force (legally, and all that) a politician for breaking his promises in that way, and because anti-immigration is a populist position (that of ordinary people, the 'poorly educated', who have disproportionately little political influence), that does not happen.
Yep, and in general, Europe is better at doing that (again, aside from the UK).
The Dutch government just collapsed because the 'center-right' PM, who has let in more immigrants than any other despite always promising to reduce them, had to make a show of pretending to oppose immigration, and his coalition partners wouldn't even agree to that. Gotta say, I didn't expect that to happen in Europe.
The American right talks so much shit about Europe, but I wish we could disrupt government coalitions like that or mobilize on the street like the French.