Labour plays the race card

Guido is carrying a copy of an official Labour leaflet from the Crewe & Nantwich by-election. It's a crass series of questions attempting to portray the Conservative candidate as a (yawn) toff.

But squirreled away in the list is this beauty:  "Do you oppose making foreign nationals carry an ID card?"

So that's the latest excuse for wasting billions on ID cards. At one stage they were a welfare entitlements card. Then it was all about anti-terrorism. Now it's "let's put the boot into foreigners."

This reeks. Not just because Labour would have raised blue murder if a Conservative had pulled a similar stunt. But because it's offensive, inflammatory and simply wrong. Apparently it's being distributed in the "poorer socio-economic areas" of Crewe - traditional Labour areas we can assume. It's a revealing illustration of what Labour really thinks about its core voters and what motivates them.

Every member of the cabinet, starting with Gordon Brown, should be asked to condemn this leaflet. Whoever authorised it should be dismissed from their campaign team.

Comments

[David (One of many)]

Quite agree. What if it had said:

"Do you oppose making Jews wear a yellow Star of David?"

Frightening.

[John Pickworth]

I'm shaking with rage at this leaflet... seriously, I've never seen anything like it.

Ms Dunwoody has just invalidated any moral claim she (or the Labour Party) might once have had to represent the decent people of Crewe and Nantwich.

[Graham Doll]

New Labour, new low. Racist, conniving scum, they're not going to go down without a dirty fight.

[Louise Bagshawe]

Simon, excellent post. This is revolting xenophobic dog-whistling.

[Paul D]

Let's hope it's the subject of DC's 1st question on Wednesday

[Erasmus]

Nasty stuff

I hope DC confronts Brown with it at PMQs

[Neil Reddin]

It's not just the xenophobic stuff. Labour really have lost it completely - their self-discipline, any vestige of principle that they may have had, and quite probably this by-election.

You know you've got the Left on the run when they break down and revert to spewing hateful class war rubbish like this.

[Michael Rutherford]

Tamsin Dunwoody really mustn't have any redeeming features if that is the level of their campaigning.

I'm embarrassed for them. I'd go as far as saying that it goes even lower than a Lib Dem leaflet.

[Annabel Herriott]

As I posted yesterday on the main days thread, we went to Crewe to campaign, so got the chance to fully inspect these awful specimens. Looked jolly expensive as well. Large, glossy, full technicolour, inaccurate, and really, truly, NASTY!!!!!!!!

[Steve]

Pure desperation. I really hope they fail.

The utter dishonesty of the ID card question is shocking. I'm guessing the Labour candidate probably doesn't know the first thing about the proposed scheme.

Stuff like this really makes me hate this country. Sadly a lot of Tories would take a similar attitude if their backs were against the wall.

[Patsy Sergeant]

Am I right in thinking that the question:-

'Do you oppose making foreign nationals carry an ID card?

-actually means 'are you AGAINST foreign nationals carrying ID cards'?

Yes, I thought so, in which case whoever put the paper together is BEING RACIST!, at least judged on the same scale that this government usually calls people racist.

ALSO, Mr. Timson - the Conservative candidate answered YES, I AM OPPOSED (AGAINST) foreign nationals carrying ID cards!!! Which SHOULD come across as a very politically correct answer - thats how Labourites would judge an answer of their own. However I suspect that is how Mr. Timpson really feels, if for no other reason than that with an apparently unscrupulous Jack Russell around like Ms. Dunwoody appears to be he could not afford to be otherwise.

Another comment on the question:- These Labour activists have apparently taken a leaf out of Mrs. Clinton's book in terms of deliberately appealing to a section of the public whose knowledge of English may not include as many sophisticated or 'long' words as others, and who might not, therefore interpret that question in the grammatical sense that it is apparently meant.

Of course Mr. Labour Activist, those people might just vote for the BNP and not for YOU!

[Roger Evans]

They used the same tactics in the London election and got what they deserved. This by election looks like being a repeat performance, including the result.

Someone in a dark corner of Labour HQ probably thinks they are being very clever, but tactics like this require only half a brain cell and zero integrity.

[Northernhousewife]

Shame on Tamsin Dunwoody.
Her mother would not have stooped so low.

[woodentop]

I cannot believe the depths to which Labour will sink! However I think this murky nasty little campaign will backfire on them.

[ACT]

God how depressing these threads are. Labour have *not* played the 'race card'. And rushing to claim that they have just shows, not merely how far gone in our partisanship some of us are, but how corrupted by PC so many of us are under Cameron. Not one aspect of Labour's claim about what Timpson is in any sense 'racist'. Not one.

And remember, when Howard supported exactly this policy (as part of his drive towards ID cards for British nationals, as well as foreign nationals in the UK), the likes of Cameron, Vaizey et al of course supported him. We really can't have it both ways. Either the policy - ID cards being required for foreign nationals resident in the UK - is *inherently* racist (in which case, so too are Howard, Cameron, Vaizey &c). Or, it's not. Which of course it isn't. And this lemming-like rush here to condemn Labour as racist when plainly they haven't been displays all too painfully just how comprehensively left wing arguments have won. We think left, we spout left, and all too certainly, if we win an election, we'll govern left.

[David (One of many)]

ACT - ID cards in themselves are not racist. I myself do not see the point of them for anyone, but that's just a personal viewpoint.

However, there is a distinction between being in favour or not in favour of ID cards, and implying that if you're not in favour of them for foreign nationals you want to let all the boo hiss immigrants run amok and steal your job with their slippery ways. That's what this leaflet says.

[Yet Another Anon]

But because it's offensive, inflammatory and simply wrong. Apparently it's being distributed in the "poorer socio-economic areas" of Crewe - traditional Labour areas we can assume.
I think the ID card scheme is flawed, what is important is the national biometric database, and everyone passing through the UK or intending to stay, whether a Foreign National or UK citizen should be required to be on that database or on some kind of recognised database system such as for example a holder of a US passport.

There are good security reasons and anti-crime reasons and allowing for restricting public services to those eligible as well.

It's not the same as making someone wear a yellow star or branding someones forehead.

The police stop someone then they want to know who they are, and they don't want some fake ID churned out by Al Qaeda or some such terrorist organisation.

[John Leonard]

Disgusting and despicable as this leaflet is, it does not surprise me. Labour have no leadership, they have no policies, are divided and shambolic.

When all else is lost their only reaction is to turn to their inner-self. The true 'nasty' party once again shows its truly dishonest, divisive and bigoted nature.

[Ross]

I take it Labour don't see the irony in portraying the Conservative candidate as a member of some kind of self perpetuating elite whilst trying to orchestrate a hereditary succession by the daughter of the previous MP?

[Patsy Sergeant]

ACT @ 13.16 - Your comment appears to show that you are 'one of us', meaning an adherent of the Conservative Party, but that you feel that all the talk on this thread of 'racism' and 'Labour playing the race card' by various threads.

Well first and foremost, if so many threads are so depressing on this website, you do not HAVE to visit it!

However, as far as my comment was concerned (I cannot speak for anyone else), I was highlighting the ACTUAL questions that are apparently in this 'glossy, expensive-looking' OFFICIAL Labour leaflet. And it is a question of semantics. If you would be quite happy to have your prospective Conservative candidate labelled with the answers that he is supposed to have made, even in the specimen shown above, you would have to be very sanguine about your candidates chances, no matter what inaccuracies were put in his mouth. Remember it is a Labour leaflet, NOT a Tory one showing how their candidate feels about various issues.

Come on ACT, would you like to confront possible voters after they had read that you APPARENTLY are quite happy to cut funding to their local schools and children's centres - be realistic!

[StevenAdams]

This leaflet reeks - but not merely because of the ID cards question.

The fact is, this is low-intellect dog whistling. Rather then address the positive aspects of your candidate whilst highlighting the policy differential, Labour have decided to campaign using a negative caricature of a Tory, preying upon perceived core voters' fears ('foreign nationals are stealing our jobs an the Cons mustn't care if they're not in favour of ID cards' style-debate), whilst stirring up a class-revolt, by referring to Timpson's parents wealth the whole time.

Low grade and abhorrent politics.

[David Belchamber]

In addition to the valid critisms made above is one innuendo (straight from the pen of the odious Ed Balls?) that ought to be nailed:

"Do you want to cut the funding going to our schools..."

The electorate could be reminded that the Brown government is actually currently doing what it (falsely) accuses the conservatives of intending to do i.e. "slashing" public services at the same time as it puts up our taxes:

Post offices, A & E units, maternity units etc.

[Ulster Tory]

At least Gordo won't be solely to blame if... sorry, when we beat Labour.

[Northernhousewife]

Louise
You might like to take a look on Labourhome.

Whilst Nick Palmer [on pb.com] seems quite comfortable about this leaflet, save that it misrepresents the Tory position.....

LabourHome are not happy.

http://www.labourhome.org/story/2008/5/10/21924/0903

[Northernhousewife]

Sorry Simon. You are not Louise!

[Jill, London]

Roger Evans said he saw these tactics from the Comrades in the recent mayoral/GLA elections – and I would like to add the Comrades targeted a sitting Conservative councillor in the 2006 Richmond council election with a leaflet – claiming he lived in “a mansion” – when that was a lie. I know the house, it’s detached, but not a mansion. BTW – the Comrades were wiped out in the Richmond council election in 2002, and have never returned.

The Comrades are obviously getting increasingly desperate, and are turning to the Yellow Peril’s campaign handbook - Effective Opposition – with its mantra “Be wicked, act shamelessly, stir endlessly”. Wicked and shameless certainly fit the bill here.

Following Northernhousewife’s link to Labour Home, the posts there have gone off at a tangent about the BNP. But there was a link to the Comrades’ by-election website that REPRODUCES THAT LEAFLET – with a photograph of “the mansion” – and some text - LINK:

http://www.creweandnantwichlabour.org.uk/dont_be_conned_by_tory_boy

[Malcolm Dunn]

Well done Simon. ACT, are you deliberatly missing the point or are an enemy of the Conservative Party? I don't think I've ever seen a positive post from you on this blog.

[Matt Wright]

This sort of stuff doesn't work and simply shows how desperate Labour are. Voters are wiser than Labour take them for and I'm sure Mr Timpson will concentrate on positive local issues. Thats the way to win.

[Jill, London]

Listening to Radio 4’s The Westminster Hour, Comrade MP Emily Thornberry [who’s Boris’ MP!] just claimed the Conservative council of Crewe and Nantwich neglects Crewe. She heard they’d not even taken down Crewe’s Christmas lights. Presenter Carolyn Quinn asked people to email the programme if they know about this

[Annabel Herriott]

Incidentaly, since when is a family that mends shoes and cuts keys for a living "TOFFS" ?????????? The Victorians would always tip their noses up, no matter how well the family had done, and refer to them as TRADE!!!!!
So the Zanulab nasty party cannot even get their basic facts right, let alone the fact that Millibands house is a lot grander than the Timpsons, and several of the Zanulab party can be rightly refered to as "Champagne Socialists"
Looking forward to Edward Timpson MP.

[Martin Wright]

I'm an opponent of ID cards. I am however puzzled at the faux outrage that is brewing here. For a start, many foreign nationals here are white while a large proportion of British citizen are from ethnic minoritiies. The proposed issue if ID cards would be based on nationality not race. It is therefore complete nonsense to describe the leaflet as "racist" in any normal sense of the word.

But how can we object to some form of monitoring when we are always calling (rightly) for proper border controls, tougher immigration policy and deportation of foreign national criminals. These are all justifiable policies but I fail to see why our policies aren't racist but issuing ID cards to foreign nationals is.

Sorry, this has nothing to do with morality and everything to do with wrong-footing one's opponents. If any one is playing the race card it's Simon Chapman by trying to make a mountain out of a molehill.

[Norm Brainer]

http://iwc2.labouronline.org/169215/uploads/b70c3145-2ebe-c084-8db7-94ae9db4bbec.jpg

I'd hardly call that a 'big mansion house' ... you can barely see it at the end of that small field!

[Damien McKee]

Gwyneth Dunwoody must be birling in her grave at these tactics!

[Patsy Sergeant]

Martin Wright @ 10.16 - Your reaction to the concocted Labour Party leaflet, is exactly the sort of reaction that the concocters would wish for, other than the alternative reaction that they have in mind when introducing this leaflet to their core-voters on the doorstep.

You (for some reason) fail to see the lies implicit in each question AND more importantly the supposed answers.

You have probably lead a sheltered life, and therefore have not become aware - from one source or another! - of the unpleasant antics that Labour Party activists are prepared to perform in order to insure that the single-minded labour message, is delivered exactly as they wish so-called free voters to receive it!

[ed]

All Tories need to do in the patronisingly entitled "lower socio-economic areas" is ask:

'Why after ten years do you still live in an area Labour dismiss as a "lower socio-economic area"?"

[Patsy Sergeant]

Yes, 'ed' @ 13.27 - undoubtedly the Labour candidate, or if not her then the various Ministers who have and will be visiting her, will be telling (if not actually reciting!) the voters how many wonderful things that they have done 'for the country, and for Crewe' since they have been in power --- mind-numbing lists, but they won't be able to explain - adequately - why the poor people (lower socio-economic groups) are actually less well off NOW than they were ten years ago!!! And with the recent increases in food prices this is more than relevant!

[Miranda]

To me the overwhelming impression of this list isn't anything to do with racism - but an overwhelming contempt for the people Labour are targeting. I think it should be distributed widely so that everyone can see the "hatred, bile and spite" of New Labour towards its own voters.

Use it against them it's a great piece of collateral, you can claim racism, Nazism (badging foreigners), greed and envy, policy failure (safe streets), waste (schools), belittling of Labour voters, hypocrisy, bad writing and poor grammar (standard of education). Not bad going for fewer than 100 words!!!

[Martin Wright]

Patsy Seargeant
I'm not sure how sheltered a life I've lead, but I'm sufficiently old not to see racism lurking everywhere. I restrict use of the word to those who hate people of other races or discriminate unfairly against them or insult them.

The leaflet as a whole is silly, along with Labour's reported antics about toffs and the "hoodies" waving placards saying "hug me" during David Cameron's visit today.

But worrying about this sort of knock-about stuff (which all parties do) is all rather inward looking. The average voter isn't that bothered and when candidates start squealing about each other's leaflets it all looks rather childish.

On the actual topic of the controversy, you do realise that foreign nationals living here legally will already need a form of ID. Usually it is going to be their passport and a valid visa. While I don't see any practical benefit in issuing these expensive new ID cards, it is hard to see how the current requirement to have a passport and a visa is alright but replacing that by an ID card is racist.