Little Englanders

Watching the Conservative Party move total UKIP on immigration must move similar watching the Republican Party move total Trump: inwards retrospect mayhap inevitable but nonetheless horrifying to witness. As Ian Dunt notes,

“During only 3 days they receive got pledged to stage out unusual doctors, cutting downward on the numbers of unusual students, set landlords inwards jail for non checking their tenants' residency papers in addition to 'name in addition to shame' companies for hiring unusual workers.”

If the United Kingdom of Great Britain in addition to Northern Ireland of Britain in addition to Northern Republic of Ireland had a terra firma border alongside France, you lot experience this authorities would receive got also announced the edifice of a corking wall. (Ireland delight note.)

With words in addition to actions from the authorities similar this, I experience I desperately wish to tell to the many immigrants I know working hard in addition to contributing to this country: this is non the existent England. Most of us practise non call back this way. And inwards ane feel I’m right. The Brexit vote was nearly many things but it has been taken past times the authorities every bit an excuse for a hard Brexit in addition to a demonisation of immigrants. But inwards or in addition to so other feel I am wrong: physical attacks on immigrants receive got increased sharply, in addition to few inwards the media are prepared to condemn the government’s words in addition to actions spell many cheer. [1]

Instead or in addition to so prefer to highlight the uncharacteristic sight of a Conservative Prime Minister taking or in addition to so of Jeremy Corbyn’s best lines: nearly how those that receive got suffered every bit a termination of the financial crisis are non those that caused that crisis, nearly the inequities of crony capitalism in addition to and so on. Words that got Ed Miliband labelled Red Ed past times the correct fly press. But this is also component of the Republican play mass of diversion. With the Republicans it is nearly race in addition to also immigration in addition to religion. With today’s Conservatives it is nearly immigration alongside a chip of race in addition to religion. The diversion is to pretend that inequality of incomes in addition to might were somehow achieved through increasing immigration, in addition to tin thus move reduced past times controlling immigration.

If May was at all serious nearly wanting to redistribute, her showtime policy proclamation would receive got been to supervene upon the cuts to Universal Credit imposed past times Osborne, which volition striking hard only the sort of families she says she wants to help. Or it would receive got been to contrary cuts to inheritance taxation introduced past times her predecessors. Instead her showtime large policy proclamation was to conduct dorsum segregation of schooling at 11, a mensurate that could almost move designed to entrench the misfortunate life chances of working shape families.

Even if you lot idea in that place was or in addition to so genuine wish behind this latest version of compassionate conservatism, in that place is a harder reality which agency it volition never happen. The Conservative authorities is on course of education for a hard Brexit alongside the worse sort of teach by for United Kingdom of Great Britain in addition to Northern Ireland of Britain in addition to Northern Republic of Ireland business. The strategy in addition to so far has been inept: principally giving away the UK’s strongest negotiating card, which is invoking Article 50. Hard Brexit volition shrink the size of the national pie, in addition to involve enough of financial ‘subsidies’ to placate draw of piece of work organisation in addition to move on them here. Furthermore cutting dorsum on immigration volition also trim the amount of resources the authorities has at its disposal. If the strategy was to move on the high taxation paying skilled immigrant in addition to command exclusively the depression taxation paying unskilled, the authorities is showing a bizarre way of pursuing that: telling overseas doctors they are welcome exclusively for in addition to so long every bit it takes for the United Kingdom of Great Britain in addition to Northern Ireland of Britain in addition to Northern Republic of Ireland to educate upward habitation grown alternatives.

At the Conservative’s conference in that place was exclusively ane grownup inwards the room, Chancellor Hammond. He noted the appalling productivity tape of his predecessor, silent his habitation purpose colleague Amber Rudd makes things worse past times making it to a greater extent than hard for universities to recruit overseas students, ane of our to a greater extent than successful export industries. No wonder the markets have, through a depreciation, already substantially cutting the existent incomes of every mortal inwards the United Kingdom of Great Britain in addition to Northern Ireland of Britain in addition to Northern Republic of Ireland through sterling’s depreciation.

Which brings us to the existent work alongside a focus on immigration. It is a policy that volition non accomplish what the Conservative’s pretend it volition achieve, which is to brand life amend for United Kingdom of Great Britain in addition to Northern Ireland of Britain in addition to Northern Republic of Ireland natives. Indeed it volition almost surely brand things worse. So where practise those, similar the Prime Minister, who pretend otherwise plow when things practise non improve? As nosotros receive got seen inwards the US, they only plow upward the volume, or their political party of Little Englanders only conduct someone else who volition shout out louder. H5N1 political party that is openly prepared to tell that the seat of the millions of immigrants currently living hither are their best bargaining chip inwards the forthcoming negotiations receive got already started along that road.

If England were a paradise among squalor all this could mayhap move understood. But ane time you lot leave of absence our large cities, ironically made vibrant partly through high levels of immigration, that is only not the case. H5N1 confident successful nation does non fearfulness outsiders but embraces them. What nosotros receive got today is a Conservative authorities protecting a dream nearly a glorious past times every bit if it were today’s reality. I am reminded of or in addition to so verses from The Last Living Rose past times PJ Harvey:

Goddamn' Europeans!

Take me dorsum to beautiful England

& the grey, damp filthiness of ages,

fog rolling downward behind the mountains,

& on the graveyards, in addition to dead sea-captains.

Let me walk through the stinking alleys

to the music of drunken beatings,

past the Thames River, glistening similar gold

hastily sold for nothing.

[1] My ain persuasion is that it is our United Kingdom of Great Britain in addition to Northern Ireland of Britain in addition to Northern Republic of Ireland correct fly tabloid press that is largely responsible for the pop intolerance towards migrants that nosotros at ane time see. Yes fearfulness of the ‘other’ is an slow passion to invoke, but a responsible press would non move out of their way to invoke it. Having the might to 24-hour interval afterward 24-hour interval establish stories inwards the minds of those who vote to a greater extent than in addition to likely seek less choice data than the average citizen remains a huge power, in addition to those alongside that might usage it shamelessly to corking effect.