Chris

I highly doubt he was relying on Eastern European labour in 1983. The Cold War was a little fraught around then.

Regardless, one of the many dodgy consequences of free movement has been the ready availability of cheap, mobile, flexible labour from unaligned, less advanced economies that workers whose livelihoods are rooted in the UK simply cannot compete with. Some British businesses have become hooked on it, and frankly Mr Clarke’s complaints ought to be viewed in a similar way to those of a smackhead moaning that he can’t get his next fix. The solution for our economy is a combination of economic methodone or cold turkey, as befits each case. But he and others need to understand that the exploitable labour tap has been turned off.

Those who survive will be those who find ways to mechanise, or to create sustainable work patterns for primarily British workers, with seasonal migrants plugging gaps, not undercutting locals.