I was just musing about Corbyn's point, when asked about limits to immigration, who said that free movement contradicts that. This seems obvious - as soon as you set a limit, you do not have free movement.
But historically, this is fascinating, since the right have traditionally advocated market economics, (which includes movement of capital, people, goods and services), and the left have criticized it. But now in the EU debate you seem to have the reverse, the right-wing are recommending state control of immigration, and the left arguing against it, (even though it may lower wages).
For most intelligent politicians, migration is a non issue except insofar as their electorate gets agitated about it. The real reason that the government has never really grasped the nettle of immigration is that it is beneficial to everybody except the British losers who find themselves unemployed as a result.
Migrants from the EU tend to be economically active, thus paying taxes and not to be a drain on resources because they are usually young and fit and if they can't get a job, they go elsewhere in the EU. If you're a in government trying to balance the books, what's not to like about that? I listened to the More or Less programme on immigration yesterday. They had an expert on who said that, if Leavers win, the government will reduce immigration for a bit just to prove they can and then just let it creep up again because it's good for them.
By the way, studies of immigration, particularly in the USA show that it doesn't affect wages as much as you might think.
Of course, there are other arguments against free movement, for example, Farage's idea that I would not like to live next to Romanians, or whoever. And this argument seems to be heard on the campaign trail - there are too many of 'them' here.
Farage is a racist shit.
But I think that in classical economics, migration is a response to labour shortages.
Yes it is and British workers have benefitted in the past. In the dark days of the 80's many workers found they could go to places like Germany and get good work.