The following is the transcript from a televised interview with guest Peter Brimelow, hosted by Michael Coren, on The Sun (Canada) in 2012, where Brimelow offered perspective and analysis at the time on surrounding politics of the American immigration situation. Coren: The immigration issue—the one you're not meant to discuss. But there's a US election and there are candidates that will discuss it, but do they discuss it properly, are they really being genuine about it? Brimelow: Now the various candidates—I can't imagine many Democrats would discuss this—but Republicans for example, are they being open and honest about immigration policy? Coren: No, of course not... But they're faced with an insurrection from the grassroots, from their own people, and as long as they have to attend town hall meetings and take questions from the electorate then they have to face the issue. And that's particularly true for illegal immigration. Brimelow: Everybody on the campaign trail for the Republicans now say they're against “amnesty”. They're lying of course, and particularly speaker Gingrich has a plan which it will be de facto amnesty, but they know that they have to disguise it. Unfortunately there is very little discussion of legal immigration which is proceeding at a million a year despite the terribly high unemployment here. I'm afraid that's because basically the American people essentially don't understand legal immigration—they see the effects but they think it's all due to illegal immigration. Coren: Now let's talk about the illegal aspect first. The fear of discussion... There's always been this dichotomy between ordinary people and the elite, on various issues I think, but is this because of the influence of the Hispanic-Latino vote? Brimelow: No, you know the Hispanic vote is extremely small in the U.S. They cast about 7% of the last... the vote in 2008... it actually fell in the 2010 election. There are a lot of very vocal hispanic consultants that want to tell politicians what to do, and they are the media's ears so that's why we hear so much about it. I think the essential reason people are afraid to talk about it—well I should say, there are very powerful interests that benefit from this situation, and they don't want it discussed. But I think the essential reason is what I call Hitler's Revenge, you know. The effects–the trauma–of struggling against nazism in World War II left the whole Western world so terrified and paranoid about racism... that they've gone overboard the other way. And so now you have a situation where every Western country is faced with its whole population going into a minority within the lifetime of people watching this show–and we're not allowed to discuss it... (quite resignation) Coren: Yeah, it's certainly true in Europe, I wasn't aware it has happening in the U.S. You have unemployment in the States higher than you've had for two, three generations. Surely people realise that, as much as immigration–at a certain extent–has to be acceptable, when you don't have the jobs for people who already live there, surely you don't bring new people in! Brimelow: Yeah, it's proceeding at over a million a year, and governor Romney has said he wants to give a green card—that is to say the equivalent of a legal alien status—to everyvbody that graduates with a technical degree in the U.S. Or foreigners graduating with a technical degree. So that's going to further bust down wages and increase unemployment among the 'skilled' Americans. It's an incredible situation. It drives me crazy. I have this website, V-dare.com, and we've looked at this question and what we've found is that the reason Americans don't go into these high tech degrees is because the wages, when you get out, are so terrible. They'e stagnant. And that's because, largely because, the immigrant influx. Coren: Now some people say it's a right-left issue, however, there are many powerful, quite conservative minded people who want open immigration because their employees will earn less, and their profits will be higher. Brimelow: You know the Canadian-American journalist Dave Frub, who you know, came up with a brilliant line; he said that immigration is the only issue where you can do what K-street—that is the lobbyists—want you to do. And you can be congratulated on being moral and virtuous. And I'm afraid that's true. There are really powerful interests. If you look at the economics of immigration, it's basically an attack by the owners of capital on the living standards of the working class—that's essentially what it is. I say this as a long time Conservative Republican. But I have to say is susceptible to very crude Marxist analysis. Of course, on the other hand the Democrats just want to elect new people. They think the more hispanics and minorities they get in there the stronger their hand is going to be. And in the short run that's true... Coren: Let's talk about this... because I don't think any other TV station would go into these areas. The working class, it's not about race or color. You see this in the U.K., you see it in the U.S.—Black and White working class people, long term americans or english people, military record often, good people—they are the ones being ignored in all this, and if they ever say “Well, hold on, immigration—people coming into the country with few language skills, taking jobs, which I can't get”, they're then—even if they're Black—they're accused of being dum or racist. Brimelow: You know, on V-dare.com we get letters all the time from people who are immigrants, and say they're fed up with the current situation—I mean I'm an immigrant myself but I mean specifically hispanic immigrant—because they see their neighborhoods being flooded with illegals, and they see their wages being beaten down and their jobs being taken from them. So you're right, in some sense it's not a race issue at all—it's just, it's a class issue. People who benefit from it are the people in the country clubs. Coren: Now, the class aspect of politics... Like me, you came from the UK; I've been here half my life; but I've never quite understood how in North America people are so reluctant to talk about class; it's as though they think it's Marxism—it's not; but class is an issue, and working class people are frequently disenfranchised when it comes to these great political debates that affect them more than anyone. Brimelow: Yeah, there are ways of getting around it, you know, they talk about rednecks and so on, and that's basically the white working class. One of the real interesting things about this election is that it's becoming clear—and there's been a started discussion about it—that the Obama administration has basically given up on the white working class; they just want to appeal... they're going to try to win with minorities on the one hand, and the very wealthy on the other. You know Wall Street substantially backed Obama in this last time around. Coren: How about African Americans, Black Americans, because, I've spoken to some community leaders, they get very angry about two issues in particular; they think that white liberal opinion has put all of its energy into the gay issue, and now ignore Black inner city people; but also they think immigration, and those who advocate it, they never listen to the Black community. Brimelow: You know, the first thing of course is completely true; I think by and large white liberals have largely given up on African Americans, is pretty clear. The second point is a little complex; if you poll Blacks, if you poll any other group, you're going to find a majority of people against immigration, but the Black leadership is very bad on it; and I think, I'm afraid the reason for that is the Black leadership substantially depends on white liberal money. I'm not saying that's a particular accusation against them—I think the Republican Party itself is in the service interests of big business here, or at least it thinks it is—so it's basically a rather disgusting situation, and it makes me happy that we're journalists, Michael, 'cause we can say nasty things about it. Coren: Well you can here; I don't know how many other stations would even allow this sort of debate to take place, but it'll be encouraging because it's true for goodness sake. Thank you so much as always. Brimelow: Thank you Michael, and have a good trip.
How old is that interview? It looks like it's several years old and doesn't at all reflect the current immigration debate.
