Tagged with xenophobia

Pandering to xenophobia is rooted in an acceptance of austerity and recession

32501888_sMany on the left will be dismayed by the furore surrounding Emily Thornberry’s recent tweet. Whatever the thinking behind the posting of the image, the reality is that the Labour leadership’s subsequent actions have come to symbolise the latest shameful stage in the race to the bottom over immigration.

How the Labour leadership has allowed the immigration debate to be so utterly framed by UKIP is beyond comprehension. Rather than taking a principled fact-based stance on the issue, it has capitulated and conceded at every turn to UKIP’s racist agenda. Continue reading →

Migrants pay in £20bn more than they take out

solidarity with the migrantsMigrants from the EU have a lower rate of unemployment than the UK-born population, according to an analysis of 2011 census data just published by ONS. They also make a net contribution to the British economy whilst the UK-born population involve a net cost to the economy. This is a stunning conclusion when the prevailing ideology, persistently promulgated by the Tories and the right-wing tabloids, is that EU migrants are largely ‘benefit tourists’. Continue reading →

Why is the extreme right on the rise in Europe?

Far right logosThe European Parliament is preparing to welcome the most powerful extreme right that the Old Continent has seen since the 1930s. Ignacio Ramonet discusses the factors behind this disturbing political development in a translation by Tom Gill from the French original.

One thing is certain: the European elections in late May will result in an overall rise of the far-right vote. And the arrival in the European Parliament of a wave of new ultra-right members. Currently they are gathered in two groups: the European Alliance for Freedom (EAF) and the Alliance of European National Movements (AENM). In all 47 MEPs, barely 6% of 766 euroseats. And after May 25? Double? Sufficient to block the decisions of the European Parliament and therefore the functioning of the European Union? Continue reading →

Break with this Tory rhetoric on immigration

Passport controlRecent weeks have seen a poisoning of the political discourse about immigration. Much of the ludicrous fear mongering about an imminent invasion of Romanians and Bulgarians was whipped up by Tory tabloid newspapers. Their agenda is transparent: maximum publicity and support for UKIP ahead of the European Parliamentary elections this spring, primarily as a means of pushing Cameron to the right. Then, no doubt, they will suddenly discover that the UKIP website mocked the death of Nelson Mandela and that its leader Nigel Farage allegedly sang Hitler Youth songs at school. The same tabloids will then quietly fall in behind the Tories before the 2015 general election.

Nor does the Government believe half the rubbish it talks about the dangers of migration. It has suppressed its own report which shows that the benefits of EU immigration into Britain significantly outweigh the drawbacks. But the Conservatives know from their darkest days in Opposition that immigration is the one issue on which they always lead Labour in the polls. So as their unpopular service cuts and cost of living crisis bite deeper, the issue of foreigners becomes a convenient distraction for a beleaguered Government. Continue reading →

Why French anti-fascists took to the streets last weekend

Thousands marched in Paris and other cities in France last weekend to protest against  violence by far right groups which claimed the life of Clément Méric, a student union and anti-fascist activist. Below is a joint statement by the organisers and supporters of the demonstrations:

Fascism kills. Together, we can fight it!

On 5 June, right-wing militants killed Clément Méric, the student union and anti-fascist activist. This outrageous murder angers and horrifies us: it follows numerous assaults in recent months by far-right groups. The situation calls for a strong response, to put a halt to the spread of these ideas and foul practices. Continue reading →