There is no easy solution to the challenges posed by immigration, but fearmongering is not helping, argues Herald columnist Calum Steele

Whether you refer to the subject (and its subjects) as migration, refugees, asylum seekers, migrants or immigrants largely tilts at where your political sympathies on the issue lie. But whether left, right, or centre, or whatever name you give it, there is no denying that migration is a topic that increasingly dominates the news cycle and shows no sign of dissipating any time soon.

Thousands of mostly young men of fighting age (although quite why there is such a hunger to see young men fight – and presumably die – is something that genuinely perplexes me) being housed in (far from – but let’s not let that detail detract from the febrility) luxury hotels has led to concern in communities across the country; and on more ugly occasions seen some pretty nasty, vitriolic protests and demonstrations in response.

But the problem with the problem is that whilst political decision-making, nuance, context, and history are all relevant, they offer precisely nothing when it comes to addressing the not-insignificant challenges migration poses in the here and now. The outsourcing of the obligation to provide housing for migrants to private providers has been an unmitigated disaster.

Read more by Calum Steele

Not only has it created an environment in which much of the local authority provision for housing those seeking asylum is now no longer available, it has led to huge profits being made from the taxpayer by warehousing economically inactive young men (denied the right to work) into communities which are increasingly perturbed at being seen as a dumping ground........

© Herald Scotland