I live in a classic Blue Labour constituency and can confidently say it's never really about immigration. It's scarcity of resources, people struggling, and a zero sum mentality. This rhetoric and mythmaking about immigrants getting favourable treatment is the foundation of it. - ThreadSky

samwhyte.bsky.social • 2 days ago

I live in a classic Blue Labour constituency and can confidently say it's never really about immigration. It's scarcity of resources, people struggling, and a zero sum mentality. This rhetoric and mythmaking about immigrants getting favourable treatment is the foundation of it.

Reposted from Stefan Boscia

EXCL Keir Starmer has told his cabinet Labour must stop looking down on working class voters and their immigration concerns.

In a letter to the cabinet, the PM wrote “good faith paternalism has too readily become looking down at people.”

More in London Playbook

www.politico.eu/newsletter/l...

Comments

itskristenpaul.bsky.social•2 days ago

I campaigned for in what is now a reformy area, and was then about 5 percent BNP. It is often as you say about jobs, homes, hospitals, and bs...

I remember people thinking polish people all got a council house as soon as they arrived :0

aprilciate.bsky.social•1 day ago

It will move people a bit, but it will also put a bunch of people off and not vote at all. It’s a political choice to act so stupidly, they truly believe they are acting intelligently in good faith when they are pushing the Overton window out the fash door…

aprilciate.bsky.social•1 day ago

And that’s because they believe acting fash is a cheat code. That myth is easier to activate than it is actual leadership. They keep electing people terrible at leadership.

samwhyte.bsky.social•1 day ago

Yep. Batting their eyelashes at people who will always hate them.

aprilciate.bsky.social•1 day ago

And for that backfires, the vast problems with inauthenticity, all on show. Reform just need to rock up and say nothing. It’s callous and dangerous. I’ve often said the fash scare me, yeah, but people who aren’t fash but do it anyway, they are as dangerous. No principles at all

samwhyte.bsky.social•1 day ago

Absolutely. It doesn't matter a bit how superficial it is. Reform came second in Middleton South last time despite no presence on the ground to speak of.

gillybee66.bsky.social•2 days ago

Shouldn't they be asking who put it into their head that immigrants are the problem? And for what purpose? The working classes problem has always been the rich but they have allowed themselves to be manipulated by rich people into believing otherwise.

samwhyte.bsky.social•1 day ago

Absolutely. I say as much in the thread.

samwhyte.bsky.social•2 days ago

Looking down on the working classes is valourising shitty, badly paid work and telling us that it is possible to hard work our way out of systemic disadvantage. Stop pissing on people and telling them it's raining.

jaseheeley.bsky.social•1 day ago

I work part-time as an operating theatre cleaner in my local NHS hospital. Every single day, I interact with dedicated, wonderful people from at least four or five different nations. I can't count the number of times I've wished that those in power would change the fucking record on immigration.

samwhyte.bsky.social•2 days ago

It's fine to look down on racists. And also on those who claim social superiority whilst endorsing and stoking that racism while using "working class concerns" as a shield.

almostconverge.kozterulethasznalatienge.day•2 days ago

basically labour has never recovered from gordon brown correctly calling that racist woman a racist woman

therealdaftbear.bsky.social•2 days ago

He’s pathetically playing into the hands of the far right when he could reform press and media laws. He could clamp down on these stories of blaming others but instead he’s trying to hold onto power, but he’s just getting the place ready for a far right Conservative + Reform party government.

davesaul.bsky.social•2 days ago

A very succinct thread. Thank you Sam.

13411fahad.bsky.social•1 day ago

Thanks 🙏
And yes 100% that. ✊

samwhyte.bsky.social•1 day ago

The notion we should "have respect" for racists. No, fuck off. We don't have to have any respect for them.

likesohushhush.bsky.social•1 day ago

YES

13411fahad.bsky.social•1 day ago

Minorities are the first and easiest to throw under the bus, when centrists politicians need to sound tough.

Guess no downside for them; they are cocooned in the middle class bubble; protected from their Faustian triangulations with the far right.

samwhyte.bsky.social•1 day ago

Becoming less faustian and more of a social obligation seemingly.

northernheckler.bsky.social•2 days ago

I always look down on racists. I’m from the Heavy Woollen District- Kim Leadbeater’s constituency.

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