What a shame it has been to see the Labour leadership candidates — especially Andy Burnham — pander to the myth that all the world’s problems are down to a weak stance on immigration.
Will Straw at Left Foot Forward outlines the evidence for why it would be wrong for Labour to go rightwards on this issue.
In fact, Labour’s points system appears to have taken the wind out of the sails of the British National Party, which performed badly by its own standards in this election. And crucially, the Tories’ cap on immigration did not win them the election, either.
Instead, there are plenty of liberal voters to be scooped up by Labour, now that the Lib Dems have sold out not only on their plan for an amnesty, but also on opposition to the Tories’ cap.
How refreshing it would be to see a Labour leadership candidate — or any Labour figure, for that matter — set themselves apart and risk the wrath of the right-wing press by making the positive case for immigrants to this country.
It is not the press who should not determine the result of this contest. And many immigrants do jobs that most of us either won’t do, or can’t do.
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