The immigration issue is taking centre stage in British politics and looks sure to be an important debate in next year's election.
But listening to the debate, and hearing Nigel Farage and Russell Brand on this week's Question Time, it is clear that there is a lot of emotion but very few facts around the issue.
Most arguments against immigration at current levels are, it seems to me, emotional rather than factual - so it's harder to change people's views.
There are a few points that need to be made.
Nobody is in favour of 'welfare tourists' coming to this country purely to take advantage of our benefits system.
Nobody has offered any real evidence that there are welfare tourists - and if there are what the scale of the issue is. Most people are agreed that the majority of people coming here make a positive economic contribution to our country and its cuture.
We should be proud that we live in a country that takes care of its weaker members. The disadvantaged, the disabled and the sick. This is what makes us better than most other countries and we shouldn't
Nigel Farage claims that the population of the UK has risen from 57 million in 1990 to 63 million today and that the main reason is immigration.
But there are other reasons for population growth.
In 1990 average life expectancy in the UK was 75.88. By 2012 it had risen to 81.50. So an additional 4.2 million people are alive in the UK due to this factor alone.
And these older people don't work - so we need more workers to service their needs and pay tax to contribute to their pensions and care provisions.
Nigel Farage is also worried that "Without immigration control Government cannot plan because they don't know how large the population will be." This is complete nonsense. We are not communist China. We we have an open emmigration policy and not knowning how many people will leave the coutry isn't a problem either. Neither do we control the right to have babies - unless UKIP has plans in that direction - so cannot control population size that way either.
UKIP is worried that there are no controls on immigration. But, in effect, there are. EU citizens come here because we have work for them. If the jobs run out they won't come any more. At the moment we have jobs - so we need them to come and they want to come. It is not rocket science.
The bigger problem is with the countries they leave because we are taking their youngest, brightest most ambitious citizens. It was called a brain drain in the 70s when the right warned that taxing high earners would make them leave this country.
In retrospect we should have bought the air tickets for Fred Goodwin and his cronies - it wouldn't have cost the £38 billion the bail-out of RBS cost.
UKIP claims to be changing the face of British politics. This is laughable - a bunch of ex-Tories who want to take us back in time instead of embracing the future is the last thing we need.
We need politicians who will offer people hope and appeal to their aspirations - not exploit their fears.
Our politicians are failing us and it is time for change - but UKIP isn't the answer.
