Down the sewer!

The last couple of days have seen the Labour government sink into the sewer on immigration and racism in an attempt to “triangulate” on reform. Here my recent notes and links including a call to action …

First, the reform coloured meme, reported by the Guardian, paid for by the Yorkshire and Humberside party; a crude boast of numbers in Reform UK’s colours. What do they think they were doing?

Also reported and commented on at Labour List by Luke O’Reilly, Daniel Green & Tom Belger.

Then the Labour Together memo “A fair migration system that works for our economy”, from Labour Together, signed by Jonathan Ashworth who you’d have thought would be more circumspect since the election. He says,

“A government that designs a migration system so that it serves the country’s economic interests should be ruthless in identifying areas of migration which do not pass that test.”

Also on Labour List, ‘The border bill and immigration raids show Labour is taking back control’ by Olivia Bailey MP. The problem with sort of nonsense is that it legitimises the Reform UK position and ignores the hostile environment and the fact that there are no safe routes.

This article from the Guardian documents the Home Office boasting, Home Office says record number of refused asylum seekers deported since July

James Wilson, the director of the NGO Detention Action, said: “It’s deeply concerning to see the government use such dehumanising language about people seeking asylum and other migrants.

And on the videoing of deportation flights, these three articles,

• The British public was wise to Labour’s deportation videos from the New Statesman
• Deportation footage ‘enables mainstreaming of racism’, Clive Lewis says, from the Guardian, subtitled, “Labour MP and others on left of party speak out after ‘cruel’ video shown” and joined by Nadia Whittome MP, on instagram.

Finally the ‘leak’ from the home office that citizenship will be denied to any people who arrived in the country by “dangerous” routes. UK to refuse citizenship to refugees who have ‘made a dangerous journey’, subtitled, Home Office accused of shutting out thousands, as new guidance says those applicants will ‘normally be refused’. This is almost certainly contrary to international law.

Why do Labour pander and seek support from a supposed majority in favour of cruelty, but ignore the majority that want to rejoin the EU? Matt Green explains the “strategy”, and the alternatives …

A call to action

LCFM have produced a statement/petition, which can be signed.

Other links