One child policy

[rov1200]

Chinas one child policy has kept the countrys population to 1.3 billion. On a smaller scale the UK is going to reach 70 million in a decade if left unchecked which some say is unsustainable.

With a shortage of housing, food production and living density what would the effect be if the UK implemented a one child policy for a set number of years?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/ 7832440.stm

[LeMarchand]

I can't see that anyone would ever have the cojones to implement and enforce such a scheme in this country. Personally speaking, I'd be all for it - in fact I can think of quite a few people who shouldn't have even been allowed the one child.

[Ethel]

China has seen baby girls abandoned at the roadside because the parents want a boy, and forced abortions when contraception has failed.

"There are over 15 million orphans in China. Most are healthy young girls, abandoned due to China�s one child per family law. Although there are some missionary ran orphanages in China which are very good, most orphans end up in an institution with the mentally insane or in a state ran orphanage. Evidence shows that doctors systematically mis-diagnose mental illness in order to move children into mental institutions where they are literally neglected to death"


http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/te xts/c-wnhol.html

The authorities have no idea how many babies are murdered at birth and disposed of.

[ummmm]

China....The next question. Who's going to marry all the extra boys?

[jake-the-peg]

The UK is not overcrowded.

Parts of London and some of the other cities might be but overall it is not.

The issue is one of managing expansion into other areas and not one of controlling the population.

We already have an aging population, reducing the number of young people in the country would cause an economic collapse in 10 - 20 years that would make this look like a blip.

Hard getting a plumber now ? - try it when every 3rd person is retired

[Booldawg]

I was under the impression that the overall UK birthrate has been on the slide for a few years now. So the problem is with people living longer and immigration.

Maybe the goverment could make it more attractive for pensioners to have the option to retire in other EC countries less crowded where they will get more for their pensions etc. This could be coordinated with other EC countries to make sure the flow to and forth isnt biased one way.

[Ethel]

Booldawg - pensioners can retire to other EU countries, get their full pensions and increments, and benefits such as the Winter Fuel Allowance already

The problem is ageing is hugely expensive and many other countries don't have the facilities in place that the UK has, such as health visitors, home helps and so on that enables the frail aged to live at home. In most other European countries the families are expected to look after the AP.

Also many families in the UK rely on grandparents to childmind so mum can work, or look after the children for an hour or so after school.

[VHG]

jake the peg mentions an aging population. This is probably the biggest problem facing the UK today (and many other western countries).

If you look at this picture it shows the population pyramid for 3 countries:

http://www.uni.edu/gai/India/India_Lesson_Plan s/India_Population_Pyramids_files/image002.gif

Kenya on the left has a HUGE young population (wide at the base), with the population narrowing the older they get.

This means there are plenty of young people to look after (and pay for) the few old people.

The USA in the middle has a reasonalble number of young people, but has many middle aged and older people, and could have a problem in a few years time.

Germany on the right (probably like the UK) has a real problem because the birthrate is low, and has a huge number of people born in the 1950s and 1960s who will be "old" people in 20 years time, but just not enough young people to look after them (and pay for them).

Immigration has been encourage to try to reverse the situation (birthrate higher amongst immigrants) but has brought with it huge other problems such as issues of race, religion, crime, inner city slums and so on.

I am afraid overall it does not look good for our future and I would encourage you to get out now while you can.

[Quinlad]

Or cheer up a bit.

[jno]

or die.... shame when older people are seen as a 'problem'. Perhaps the answer is to introduce the Logan's Run system of population control (not retrospectively, of course).

[Hotlardlife]

If its just down to reducing the younger population then stop immigration. Immigrant's currentl birthrate is higher than the indinginous population (including unmarried mothers) but that is not the problem Jake has pointed out exactly our problem.

However the new stupid proposals from Bruxelles may well mean our abilty to feed ourselves is drastically reduced.

[nedflanders]

The planets population as a whole has an effect which needs controlled. There are too many of us and it is causing problems such as global warming, shortages of raw materials and power. Although Europe is not the primary cause of this, Africa, Asia and Latin America have created the burden. I wonder if we would have the same problems in the world if there were only 1 or 2 billion of us.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_explos ion

[jake-the-peg]

Our ability to feed ourselves is absolutely fine!

It's just that agriculture in the UK is having a lot of difficulty competing with imports.

That's entirely a problem with free market economics and nothing at all to do with immigration or population.

[rov1200]

Some say the rise of 20% in the UK population will be solely down to immigration as to keep a stable figure just needs an average family of 2.2 people. But this government as with others before it refuse to say immigration is a problem for the future. Whatever Jake says about not being an overcrowded island we have one of the highest densities of populations in the world. If they insist on choosing towns and urban areas to live there is nothing we can do to move them elsewhere.

Therefore if immigration is not to be tackled a blanket view of those already resident here should be put forward without racial bias to solve a crisis for future generations.

[Booldawg]

To quote JTG 'The UK is not overcrowded' This may be true if you are fully prepared to tarmac over the countryside to accomodate even more people.

We're the second most over-populated country in Europe after the Netherlands. The list of Top 20 over-populated countries is deceiving as ridiculous principalities like Vatican City and various small land masses which are their own entity like Monaco will always fudge the figures.

I'd say we're overcrowded.

[Ethel]

A direct result of China's 'one child' policy

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/arti cle-1119402/Chinese-woman-hired-man-strangle-s on-9-second-child-sentenced-death.html

[jno]

you wouldn't think so if you drove around the Highlands, Booldawg. Trouble is, everyone wants to live in or within reach of the big cities these days. It'd be interesting to know where those people live who've said on this thread we're overcrowded.

The UK is 49th in the world for population density. Many of the places above it on the list are smaller - some are islands - but why would that make them feel less crowded?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries _by_population_density

[rov1200]

When a country like Pakistan has a lower population density than ours I know there's a problem. Germany may also have a problem but being a land locked country and many of its workers are only on temporary permits they should be discounted. Also to compare with small islands which are non industrial hides the true extent of population and industrial environment that blights our country.

[New Judge]

How did the German navy take to the sea during the various onflicts in which they have been involved, rov, "being a landlocked country"?

[rov1200]

Alright I meant surrounded by other countries smart-?rse