Honesty, integrity and straight talking is what we want from politicians. These days conviction politics are more likely to involve MPs being locked up than saying what they mean and meaning what they say.

Trouble is, when they do have an attack of honesty, the result is likely to be trial by tabloid and a guilty verdict in the court of public opinion. So, we tend to get what we deserve, with politicians being evasive in interviews because they know how much headlines can hurt.

There are a few exceptions to the rule – Boris Johnson appears to be Teflon coated. He recently declared that he is probably the only politician in Britain willing to stand up and say that they are pro-immigration.

He was sitting down when he said it, but he is still not that far wrong.

His honesty is so much better than the dismal spectacle of legislation being rushed through by PM David Cameron to allegedly prevent “benefit tourism”. This is supposedly to stop Bulgarians and Romanians racing to this country to claim on our welfare system from January 1.

This piece of fiction flies in the face of the reality that Eastern Europeans who do come over – with a tiny number of exceptions – are here to work. So, the three-month ban on claiming benefits – introduced with a great song and dance – is designed to solve a problem that does not really exist.

The problem it is really attempting to resolve is how to look tough in immigration without actually doing anything. All of which is intended to win back support that the Tories fear is going to Nigel Farage and UKIP. Instead, the strategy is in danger of backfiring, by stoking the very fears on which Mr Farage and his friends thrive.

One of my best friends, Stefan, a Ukrainian, worked hard in this country for decades. He died too young a few years ago.

Visiting him and his family – his wife, Olive, was English – was always a lesson in hospitality. He would give you the shirt off his back if he thought you needed it. Vodka-laced cherry juice flow freely and empty glasses were instantly filled.

When you left, he insisted you took the bottle, and anything else that came to hand.

Migrants arriving more recently– often among the brightest, best and most ambitious – have made a net contribution of £25bn to our public finances. Vegetables and fruit would rot in the fields, hospitality sectors fall apart and the health service would go into cardiac arrest.

There are our Indian/Chinese/Italian takeaways – and two million Britons who have gone to live in other European countries using the same freedoms that allow people to come here.

Strict controls exist on non-EU migration and there is a debate to be had about future controls and problems. That debate should at least be honest. Some hope.

Happy New Year.