@Mika,
I understand the comparisons, however, the big difference in this day and age is that we are aware of migration to a much larger degree. There was always a constant influx of new blood to the Roman Empires, and yes, that carried problems with it, some countries heaved with rebellion, Gaul, Britain etc, but regardless of that fact, for hundreds of years the Empire flourished until it collapsed from internal corruption more than anything else.
Now, the UN or the EU are hardly the squeaky-clean organisations they could be, but it is a lot harder for corruption to take place these days, and even in the case of food for oil scandal etc, now that the 'trick' has been identified, it will be dealt with, it's like building a dam in a way, sometimes you don't know where the holes are until you fill the reservoir. Governments evolve to respond to outside pressures in a very Darwinian manner, they will exploit niches until they are forced to find their requirements elsewhere.
As for public counter-reaction, I'll agree that there is a growing unrest in a lot of European countries regarding, not so much the influx of immigrants, but the fact that many nationals are feeling ignored by their government in favour of the immigrants. Is there truth to that claim? I have no idea to be honest, I have so many sources of information that contradict each other that I'm completely at a loss to describe my own feelings on the matter, and that worries me more than simply being 'narrow minded' sometimes. In some ways, it's that very indecisiveness that has led to the paranoia that seems to inhabit every facet of UK life these days.
