Balls goes for the Duffy vote

But is a tough line on immigration enough to revive the Labour Party’s fortunes?

By James Macintyre Published 06 June 2010 15:12

Almost all of the candidates for Labour's leadership have emphasised immigration -- wrongly, in the view of people like my colleague Mehdi Hasan and myself -- as an issue on which Labour lost out at the election and must do better. Evidence -- from the BNP's trouncing, that the Tories had the same "cap" policy and lost in 2005, and that even Gillian Duffy's seat was retained by Labour -- suggests this is a bit of an easy myth.

Despite all that, Ed Balls seems to be echoing Mrs Duffy's particular concerns about immigrants from eastern Europe today in a BBC interview, following up his Observer article on which I touched earlier.

He claims to have warned Gordon Brown against "brushing immigration under the carpet", despite the tough rhetorical stance and points system introduced by the former prime minister.

To be fair, at least focusing on eastern European immigrants is less racially toxic than focusing on non-European immigrants. And of course, it is entirely understandable that Balls, who received unlikely words of praise from Alastair Campbell today, should want to position himself as a traditionalist on some of these issues. But he must also know that merely a tough stance on immigration is not enough to win over some lost Labour voters, let alone the many Lib Dems who voted for the Lib Dems, not the Tories.

Tags: Labour leadership Ed Balls

More from James Macintyre

11 comments

Sun, 2010-06-06 16:57 — ISC

All the ex-Labour voters that I am personally aware of grew disenchanted with the party due to it's stance on immigration. They couldn't see why they should support a party that wishes to import economic migrants to compete with them?

Sun, 2010-06-06 18:13 — iainburnshill

Ed Balls gets it wrong on this one. Sad that Labour, who found it impossible to listen to "their" people, now choose to tune in to the wrong message.

History [not of ocurse a compulsory subject for NL] shows again and again that when people feel helpless and ignored they blame the stranger for their plight. Hitler exploited this phenomenon successfully, and Balls should be very wary.

Labour needs to tackle the problems for which people blaim immigrants, shortage of housing and jobs etc, but it must also tackle the unwillingness of many to work in the jobs available instead of living long term on benefits. Does Balls have the political courage for that?

Sun, 2010-06-06 18:27 — Jimbo3

@ISC - Yeah; no one was disenchanted about the Iraq war, civil liberties, the police state, foot-dragging on climate change or Tory policies on policing and finance.

This pitch from Balls is extraordinary. You've hit the nail on the head with your headline.

Sun, 2010-06-06 19:17 — Daniele1

That does it for me.Balls is out of my wish list. If he is prepared to play the immigration card to win for Labour, I am not sure I want another Labour government.What is the point?
Yes attacking East European is quite clever. Since they are white, he can't be accused of racism. But since when xenophobia against other white groups or nationalities has become OK?Since it is not OK to attack people from another colour that's when.
To express racism has now become taboo and frown upon which is a good thing.So now politicians can no longer play "the race card" BUT it still seems perfectly all right to attack other Europeans with impunity.There is now this licence to be xenophobic which is pretty sickening.Other white people are fair game.
In the last few weeks, I have heard commentators call the Greek people names which simply would not be acceptable if they were used to describe Africans or Asians.
The BBC on the Andrew Marr show for example has indulged in some pretty awful comments such as "why do we have to bail out those "siesta nations" who are lazy and fickle?".(can't remember the name of the journalist who said that) Andrew Marr's reaction and his other guests' was to have a good giggle!Imagine saying that about an African or Asian country? Unthinkable. It is OK to go for the French, the Germans, the Greeks now and of course the East Europeans.
Ed Balls is just doing the same, as he feels safe in the knowledge that people can't say he is racist. It is pathetic!

Sun, 2010-06-06 20:32 — beppe74

The statement made by Ed Balls about immigration proves that the British National Party has never been so powerful.
Anyone keeps saying they have been defeated but the fact that many leftwingers are calling for Labour to be tough on immigration demonstrates they are gaining power.

Sun, 2010-06-06 22:38 — Per (not verified)

"Labour needs to tackle the problems for which people blame immigrants, shortage of housing and jobs etc, but it must also tackle the unwillingness of many to work in the jobs available instead of living long term on benefits."

What is the point of building more housing and creating more jobs if, as has been shown, most of them are filled by migrants prepared to work short term for relatively low wages which are nevertheless a significant boost when they return home. I am fed up hearing the inverse racism against 'the lazy English' why don't we talk about paying them a wage they can live on rather than grinding them down to benefit or foreign low wage economy levels. It is very different taking a low wage job for 6 months in a foreign country, to living on that low wage forever as a permanent marginal income worker. Still I don' suppose journalists, political assistants, and policy workers have ever experienced that.

Mon, 2010-06-07 00:34 — Nobby Notts (not verified)

If ever there was a prize for selling-out, the Labour Party would win it. The further they go down this populist right-wing anti-immigration road the more I regret my party membership.
Someone stand up and have some Balls. Thank you.

Mon, 2010-06-07 10:27 — swatantra nandanwar

The accesion 8 have a choice in 2011. And they'll probably choose to go to Germany and other countries where they will recieve better treatment from the natives than from we Brits who castigated them all their hard work and their ability to adapt and cope under difficult conditions. So this Duffycomplex will no longer be relevant. Hopefully Duffygate will be binned for good. It spolit rather a good election unnecessarily.

Mon, 2010-06-07 08:54 — DK (not verified)

If Labour would simply pledge to significant increases in the minimum wage, the problem would be solved. A measure that actually helps poor workers would be implemented, and it would be impossible for the presence of immigrants to drive down wages. Can't Labour remember that the kind of "problems" represented by immigrants can be solved by progressive measures, rather than reactionary ones?

Mon, 2010-06-07 11:18 — Daniele (not verified)

DK:
Absolutely right! It is up to the government and the unions to ensure a decent wage for everybody.

Mon, 2010-06-07 23:29 — ISC

Perhaps the huge number of ex-Labour voters have managed to work out that there is some connection between supply(housing, jobs) and demand (immigration).