Brown's fingerprints all over Labour's 'disgusting' campaign in Crewe & Nantwich

Labour MP Steve McCabe is the one being vilified in The Guardian today for Labour's controversial "dogwhistle" campaign in Crewe and Nantwich, focusing on ID Cards for foreign nationals. The controversial leaflet was first featured by Guido Fawkes and here on CentreRight by Simon Chapman.

I am surprised that the national media hasn't picked up on this before, as Gordon Brown has regularly been trying to taunt David Cameron at PMQs, asking him why he won't support ID cards which are only for foreign nationals. See PMQs on 19th January, 19th March, and yesterday.

In fact, the "ID cards for foreign nationals" slogan is as much the PM's as the "British jobs for British workers" mantra. McCabe is merely echoing his master's voice.

Meanwhile, there might be more trouble for the Government with the Guardian and others over their new plan announced by Brown yesterday for a "Migrant Impact Fund" tax on foreigners. This was a little covered part of his Draft Queen's Speech: "And newcomers will be required to pay into a migration impact fund to help local communities deal with changes in population." (Hansard, 14.05.2008, column 1388). I and others have been campaigning for some time for local communities to be given financial help where large numbers of migrants are arriving, but that's not the same as a direct tax levied on foreign migrants. An MP friend next to me called it "A Poll Tax on Poles", although he (probably rightly) concluded it would be against EU law to levy it on EU nationals.

Nonetheless, the Government needs to be clear what this new tax will be, and how it will be levied. Will there be a toll booth at Heathrow Airport, or will would-be migrants pay at the British consulate before setting off, or will it apply when someone is here for more than a few months, or what?  The tax will, says Brown, "help local communities", but will it be raised by local Councils? If so, it does start to sound like the Poll Tax of 1990, but in Brown's case only for foreigners?

Whatever the details turn out to be, I smell trouble for Brown on this one.

2:10pm update: The Government has provided some detail on the "Migrant Tax". They will increase the cost of visas and give the money to communities hit by problems with large-scale immigration, is what they say, but it seems this will only provide around £20m, so it will have little or no effect, other than to increase resentment over steep visa fees.

Comments

[Tony Makara]

There is something inherently vindictive about the way the Labour party operates. Whether its via TV commercials threatening to crush people's cars or undermining the democratic process in Crewe, it all carries an air of arrogance. I never thought I could ever feel oppressed or threatened by a British government but I feel that this Labour government government is swaggering over me, over everyone, making laws to empower itself, making us as citizens feel smaller and smaller. The disgusting attacks on Mr Timpson in Crewe tell us much about the mentality of this pernicious government. When the Conservative victory comes at the next election it is going to feel like a liberation.

[englandism.com]

Methinks 'liberation' is going a bit far. It will be more El Alamein. The end of the beginning with still a long way to go.

[Sue Doughty]

Giving foreign nationals an entry-all-areas ID card is a stupid idea. It
would be the first thing El Quaida would issue for their operatives in this
country and it would give them access to other countries whose immigration
officials might mean the holder had been vetted. But they would not have
been vetted. They do not have the right of access to our health service and
education unless their own government pays into our coffers for them - as
Chinese and Commonwealth students do.
And what is it with this saying anyone from the (non cricketing) EU can have
access but people from the Commonwealth (cricketing) do not? Anyone who
doesn't know cricket and the ethic of fair play it gives will find it very
hard to fit in here. So why invite them in as if they would?
ID cards stand for nothing - people do. We are not numbers, we are human
beings!

[Yogi]

All left centre parties have exactly the same aims, ie.
* to control the population through fear;
* big state; (tax high and then give handouts to foster the dependency cuilture)
* interventioism; and
* class warfare, sometimes the middle classes are targeted, at othertimes the so called gentry and on ocassions the foreigners.

With the growing unpopularity, Brown and his fellow stalists are resorting to all three. A whiff of Mugabe here.

On the subject of increased Visa fee, it is one of those headline chasing initiatives because neither Greg Hands nor Tony Makara nor Sue Doughty will actually know how it is implemented in those faraway countries.
If I were the chancellor, I would impose one signle tax on football clubs - employing overseas players and make it so punitive that the natives will get a better chance to play in the Premier League and may be one day our National team can win a major trophy.

[John Moss]

Is it only me or isn't it always the committed, active socialists who personalise campaigns and attack the person, not the policy?

OK, we were a but close to the knuckle with the old demon eyes thing, but that was supposed to be about who was behind Blair, namely the unions and that it would be their policy agenda which came to the fore.

With very few exceptions, I am sure all politicians want, broadly, the same outcomes for people, safety, health, wealth, good education etc. We just disagree about how to get there. I have a number of left wing friends who find it amazing that a Tory - a bloody Tory! - can say anything so magnanimous. However, all of them believe it is the case and that we should keep saying so.

[John F Aberdeen]

Thanks to Bottler and his Nulab party, they have gained the title of the NuNasty party.

Once again the hypocrasy of the liberal left comes into play when they are threatened with going out of power and/or losing elections.

The example above of ID cards for foreigners would happily sit in a BNP manifesto,, as for the liberal left media like the BBC, can you imagine the controversy if the Tories said this.

Over in the US another liberal left person, Hillary Clinton has stated that only she can get the votes of working class white voters. She leaves the reasons why silent but by implication means they wont vote for Obama because he is black.
She claimed on FOX news yesterday that she regrets using the race card, however the damage to Obama has been done, although thankfully he will win.

Personally I,ve detested the liberal left ever since 1968, when the people demonstrated in Pargue for liberty and freedom, only to be crushed by Russian troops and tanks,, and what did Wilsons Labour government do,, nothing,, indeed he, Tony Benn, Scargill etc continued to boast about how great the Soviet Union was.
Not so long ago the likes of Harman and Blears were congratulating Castro for his 70 years in charge of Cuba.

Socialists and their liberal left allies have always been the thieves of a man s honour, decency, and liberty,, they will however, NEVER crush a mans spirit

[Alan Carcas]

Oh dear! Some of us, especially those who have seen every Labour government since 1945 have been warning that this is what Labour government's and Labour politicians are about. And it was no different under Blair. He was just a bit more subtle in the way he vilified anybody who had the temerity to be a Conservative. This type of rough house is meat and drink to Gordon Brown.

The whole emphasis since May 1st 1997 has been to destroy the Conservative party. What do you think the sustained attack on rural communities has been about? What do think wholesale changes to every element of our Constitution have been about?

Now they are in deep do-do on the economic front, again something that always happens to Labour government's, they are really reverting to type. A cursory listen to Gordon Brown on PMQ's should easily convince anybody of that.

What should the Tories do? React just as hard. We don't have to be as personal and bitter as they are, but there is a story to tell about Labour, and we should tell it. Don't be afraid of "punch & judy" politics. They aren't! If we are soft, they will only get harder. Don't read the runes, read the record. It's all happened before. We won then, and we can, and will, win again.

[MadCobbler]

I was genuiely unspurprised to see that Steve McCabe was a City-based MP, and that he plastered "Tory Boy Timpson's Mansion" onto the Dunwody website.

I can quite honestly say now that house isn't approaching Mansion size. Not even closely. It's a medium sized farmhouse at best with an extension to it, which seems to be a converted stable bloc. I know two or threee families in my semi-rural constituency who have homes bigger and work on less wages than the average MP!

Really is sad when all they have left in their sails is pathetic attacks like this, they could easily run a proper campaign which could potentially derail the Tories. The only problem is they no longer have any kind of vision with nobody at the helm, thus no policies which just resorts to stealing Lib Dem and Tory policies.

[Ross]

Only a few months ago the Labour Party were still supporting a local councillor by the name of Miranda Grell who won her seat by spreading rumours that her opponent was a child molester.

This is a party that is utterly devoid of ethics.

[Matt Wright]

You always know you're winning when your opponent behaves in this way. The answer is to campaign harder and more positively for where you want to lead our country. Labour will make themselves irrelevant.

[David Sergeant]

The difference is that Brown is running it, not Blair anymore. Blair was just as dishonest, just as personal and just as vindictive but was more subtle and shameless. This has always been Labour, they kept their "working class" on board by quite outrageous anti-Tory attacks and NewLab was an artificial dishonest construct from the start. They got away with it because Tories would not fight their corner, they just go through the proceedural motions, do we all remember the self satisfied yells of support for two MPs who refused to deliver a tough leaflet at Cheadle. Most Tories have no idea how people think and are quite unaware of the effect of dishonest remarks, e.g. Brown scores points at PMQs with his nonsense because most peoiple do not know the facts.

The Tory leadership lives in the Westminster vilage world unaware that what is obvious to them is not obvious to anyone else.

Put bluntly, we have to break the habit of the last 15 years and fight. If you are too gentlemanly to do it get out of the way.

[Ben S]

America suffers around the world for hiking up the prices of its Visas. In South America alone, Brasil, Bolivia and Chile all charge Americans $100 for a visa and add other restrictions, while these aren't placed on British or other first world country citizens. This could easily change with a foolish policy like this and hit British citizens traveling.

[TrevorH]

'visa fees' ... 'only raise £20 million'

Its just another 'stealth' tax. Just another quietly tucked away indirect tax or charge

[Buckinghamshire Tory]

I can only agree with Alan Carcas.

Labour has to be crushed. Preferably put out of business for a generation.
With Gordon Brown we might just achieve that.
I have every confidence that David Cameron is the right man to lead the party in this effort.

[Alex Swanson]

Labour has to be crushed. Preferably put out of business for a generation.

Absolutely, and it's well past time the Conservative Party realised that.

I have every confidence that David Cameron is the right man to lead the party in this effort.

I cannot imagine why you might think this. To destroy Labour you have to win the intellectual and moral battle against the ideas it represents, and be prepared to reverse years of failure and bad legislation. Cameron has shown no signs whatever of even understanding the need, let alone being willing to actually try it.

[John Pickworth]

Let me tell you, from personal experience Visa costs are extortionate... £395 for one bit of paper, £750 for another and rising. Maybe not a lot of money for some (it is for me) but its a cost far above the service being provided. A symptom of the times; not only are we already paying for a huge State but we're being charged again for the services too.

As for Crewe and Nantwich, your readers might be interested to know that Timpson's 'mansion' is probably smaller than Dunwoody's welsh farm. But I'm pleased the local Conservatives haven't hit back, but instead are fighting a decent and honorable campaign. Meanwhile Dunwoody's Labour have offered nothing for the local people... except for increasing 'hoodies' on the streets of Crewe, dressing up in their comedy toff outfits and bravely putting their lies into print. Oh and wheeling Frank Dobson (Capt. Birdseye) out of retirement to run the Labour balloon stand.

I'm sure if times were better some might actually vote for the Joke Party... but somehow I don't think people feel like laughing at the moment, even if there is a clown in Number 10.

[Travis Bickle]

Has the small print on the Migrant Tax been analysed in detail yet? Knowing this lot (and following on from car tax deception) they'll backdate it for anyone arriving in past 50 years (alive or deceased).

[The Ghost of Tony Makara's Sanity]

Out of sheer curiousity, how would an Anglophone immigrant (say, an Aussie or a Kiwi) have a higher 'impact' on a local community than a non-Anglophonic one?

EU nationals will be exempt from any charges, Brown will have another tax to plug his financial hole with, the knuckle-scrapers will be mildly happy at the prospect of 'punishing' foreigners and another innocent set of bystanders will have been set upon by the Government. Again.