Hazel Blears has Missed the Point
In research commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government it has been found that white working-class people in the UK “fear” the impact of immigration on their lives. As if by magic there appears Secretary of State Hazel Blears ready with a response to show that New Labour is listening to the white working-class. This is a bit spurious given New Labour’s recent difficulties with helping the working-class of any colour.
But it is Ms Blears’ comments that politicians must do more to challenge myths on immigration produced by the far right that I find most grating. The far right may be proficient in blaming immigrants for problems as diverse as housing shortages, health scares and swan-eating but it is politicians from mainstream parties that have legitimised the hard-line on immigration that has become the standard in this country. And it is the New Labour government to which Ms Blears belongs that long ago chose to fight the far right on their own turf rather than changing the way we think about immigration. For the past decade all we have seen is law upon law designed to make us think that we are being overrun by immigrants and that the only way to stop the flood is to enforce stricter rules to stay in the country. In fact it has been incredibly difficult to get leave to remain in this country since the 1970s. And since the breaking up of the Commonwealth into “new” and “old” (read: white and non-white) it has been particularly difficult for non-white immigrants to get residency here. Every fortnight I meet with constituents who are desperate to stay in this country but are yet to secure legal residency. They have no legal right to healthcare, to housing or to benefits. It is clear to me that the problem with immigration in this country is not that our laws are lax but that the Home Office is an inefficient machine for dealing with immigration requests.
Yes, New Labour has not done enough to help the white working-class; but they have also left behind the black and Asian working poor. And continuing a tough-line on immigration will do nothing to help either.
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