Divide and Rule...

Some 1,800,000 EU migrants currently live and work across all four nations of the UK - a country of 64.1 million. Britain's recorded 579,000 Polish residents from a 2011 census have become almost symbolic of the country's EU influx.

"UKIP can talk and talk with no end, but there is no law that can be used to deport Polish people who buy houses or cars and have got strong work contracts in the UK," Adam Andrzejko, editor-in-chief of Polish-language newspaper Nasze Strony in eastern England, told Al Jazeera. "We are part of this country now."

Nor is the USA going to deport millions upon millions of non-documented Latino immigrants and their families to satisfy Tea Party prejudices, even if that were possible. Attempting to do so would be an unwelcome burden on thousands of major employers and an inhumane disgrace with international consequences. It might or might not be “legal,” but it would surely be very stupid.

There are nationalists in the UK who fear that their country is being taken over by a different culture. Some hold the fear that in the job-market they're being undercut by immigrants - though that's probably less the case than it appears. A recent University College London study stated European migrants contributed more than £20bn ($31.3bn) to UK public finances between 2001 and 2011 appears to be irrelevant to many. Immigration has helped fuel economic growth in London and it's probably partially responsible for the huge improvement in London schools over the last decade, making London one of the most successful educational capitals in the world. Over 60% of CBI members say that immigration has benefited their company. Only 3% believe it has hurt their company. Immigration is a tremendous boon to the British economy. Without it we would be deep in recession. 

Nor are immigrants the least responsible for the growing wealth gap. It is one of the old con-tricks. “Don’t blame Britain’s 100 billionaires, multi-millionaire bankers or grasping landlords for your poverty – look! blame that foreigner over there. He is taking food from the mouths of your children!” And amazingly many still fall for that old lie.

The Labour Party proposes to tighten border controls even further. A Labour government would recruit an extra 1,000 border staff by imposing a visa charge on millions of tourists visiting Britain, Yvette Cooper, the Shadow Home Secretary, vows. 

Yvette Cooper declares “It isn’t racist to be worried about immigration.” This should be challenged.  Above all, it is very racist for politicians to go around saying “It isn’t racist to be worried about immigration” when they are using it nakedly and cynically to bid for the votes of racists. The Labour Party is responding to the rise of UKIP by pandering to xenophobia. The Labour Party’s deliberate linking the exploitation of the workforce with immigration and not with the capitalists is shameful but to be expected as Labour tries to out-do UKIP and the Tories as who are the most nationalist. When Labour are stoking the fears of ordinary people instead of explaining a few facts and reality, they become demagogues cynically manipulating those fears for low political ends.