In 1968 Paul Erlich published a best-seller Population Bombwaking up the world for the first time on the threat posed by uncontrolled growth of world population. Those were the years when the concept of limit of growth and sustainable development started emerging. I was not there so I won’t tell you a story I don’t know in detail.
Population has always been a critical factor for every community, State and Empire. Today is not different but population is an opportunity and a threat at the same time. It depends on the perspective.
1.6 billion Chinese make the largest market in the world for a booming economy but young people are the nightmare for Arab governmetns and nest of islamic terrorism in countries where the is no employment.
After century of demographic domination Europe is an ageing society. The new blood comes from immigration. Are we ready to let the Barbarians in?
This week Eurostat announced that the European Union has crossed 500 millions inhabitants this year. 1.4 million more people. 900’000 are immigrants. Italy and the UK are at the top of the list of recipient countries.
By 2030 one out four citizens will be over 65 years old. The future is in the hands of immigrants. They are called not only to work and pay for our pensions but make children.
In Europe 2030 the group of wise people chaired by the former Spanish PM Gonzales stated that the EU needs 100 million immigrant in the next 40 years to support the pace of economic pace and pay for the welfare state.
We can witness already a change in society: young immigrants take care of our elderly. The Italian government has even made a special law for badanti – normally women from Ukraine and Moldova who move to Italy to take care of an old person 100%. It’s a sort of family surrogate. We might see a new political party soon: elderly-immigrants united based on a trade off job for citizenship!
The fear for Islam is spreading at the same time the main immigrant groups are from Turkey and Marocco. Instead of getting taken by hysteria wouldn’t be more rational to come out with a big plan for integration starting with Turkish accession and a better Union for the Mediterranean?
The European Union spends on cultural exchanges and citizenship programmes. Shouldn’t be the focus on diaspora and countries of origins? Today Neighbour policies are tomorrow domestic affairs.
I’m not anything else to add rather than the future will be tough if you don’t like a multicultural society. Get ready. Naturally, you might always call for a new Hitler to surge and protect you together with the other Europeans from the invasion.
