Sorry I didn’t mean to imply you said that but it was more a comment that it’s from that segment of the electorate that most noise about immigration and integration seems to emanate, which is actually hypocritical as integration is the last thing they want.
I do agree that other parties need a more coherent strategy. I actually think we have that from Labour (although personally I think they are playing far too much into the Reform arena) but they need to be better at articulating the wins they are achieving - small boat numbers decreasing; asylum applications being processed much faster than previously; migrant hotels being closed down (but no one really cares as the migrants are just moved elsewhere); foreign prisoners being deported. Labour have also done a huge amount of work under Kier Starmer to repair relations with France (decimated by the Tories) which, despite everything we hear, is helping. The problem is as always we have a right of centre mainstream media who will not give coverage to these “wins”. No one wants to talk about 14 years under the Tories yet Labour are supposed to have this fixed in 2 years. (And I do not like some of what is being proposed by Labour eg retrospectively shortening the right to remain for long standing approved immigrants).
Then there is the language being used across the political spectrum of labelling asylum seekers as “illegals” when they are absolutely not. If there were designated “safe routes” through which these people could apply for asylum from abroad would it make any difference to how they are perceived? For a certain section of the population I very much doubt it. We are losing all our humanity and empathy in a race to the bottom.
It’s impossible to have a serious discussion about the topic (I mean at a national level, not here) when no one wants to hear the facts and also when the likes of the Tories and also Labour feel they need to imitate Reform.
Add to that that there is a conflation of asylum seekers (valid or otherwise) with immigrants who are here on working visas but people are just too caught up in the racist rhetoric to see the difference.
I don’t know what the solution is but pandering to the Reformists is not the right way to go.
Edited to add that on the broader topic of visa-led immigration, there also needs to be clearer communication as to why this is needed and also a conversation about what it would take to replace migrant workers with “indigenous” (whatever that means) workers.
Are we all prepared to pay more because businesses won’t be able to get away with paying minimum wage and will need to pay a fair wage which will put costs up? Personally I would prefer that immigrant labour wasn’t used as a way to suppress wages but wait till costs go up and then hear the complaints.
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