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Labour: Dodging The Real Issues

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ChillDoubt | 06:04 Mon 15th Dec 2014 | News
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And one that is pretty much everyone's main concern:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30474521

You know they're really worried when they're sending out a document to the party faithful entitled 'Campaining Against UKIP'.
Shouldn't it be titled 'Addressing Real Concerns', 'Talk Openly To The Electorate' or even 'We Need To Tackle The Thorny Issues At Hand'.
A poster on another thread asked if the UKIP Publicity Agent was on holiday this week. It appears not, he's giving a big speech on immigration later today and he just happens to be the leader(?) of the Labour Party.
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I'll have you know Labour are the 'tough on immigration' party. ;-)
I'm much more worried about what a prospective UKIP election candidate said in a private phone call 3 years ago.
Incredible
A poster on another thread asked if the UKIP Publicity Agent was on holiday this week. It appears not, he's giving a big speech on immigration later today and he just happens to be the leader(?) of the Labour Party.



I thought the UKIP Publicity Agent was mikey4444
Here is the Labour document, I am just checking it out

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03138/CampaigningAgainst_3138005a.pdf
Right, I have found the so called dodging paragraph, and it is no such thing. It actually says to lusten to the public, but to move the conversation on to subjects like health where UKIP doesn't have a policy.

Here is the passage

// Addressing issues on the doorstep
While it is clear that UKIP’s campaign is largely concentrated on the issue of immigration, we cannot and should not fight the UKIP threat simply on their terms, not least because we will not win a bidding war on the issue. Although immigration is an important issue for many electors, and is often mentioned on the doorstep, it is often used as a means to express other concerns. Many of these issues, including healthcare, housing, and the delivery of other local services, are among the strongest policy areas for the Labour Party.
Volunteers and activists must understand and acknowledge electors’ concerns about immigration on the doorstep, which will mean hearing opinions that may not gel with their own. In these cases, it’s important to remember that first phase of re-establishing trust is to listen and understand. Keep in mind too that there may well be some voters who, with the best will in the world, we are unlikely to bring back from UKIP. It’s nonetheless essential that we leave them with a positive impression of the Labour Party, to avoid cementing them in their views and thus their voting patterns. Our focus must instead be moving the conversation on to issues where we have clear policy which tackles the problems people are worried about, whether they express those concerns through the prism of immigration or not. In summary, campaigners should acknowledge concerns and contextualise the problem as something that Labour has a clear plan to improve. //

It other words, it says the best way to fight UKIP is to talk about things on which they are weak. I am sure that is the same advice they have always given no matter who their opponents are.

So a bit of an overblown story that takes the phrase 'move the conversation on' out of context and twists what the document actually says.
// Lusten to the public?//
Getting a bit desperate for votes, aren't they? ,)
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It other words, it says the best way to fight UKIP is to talk about things on which they are weak.
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So, concentrate on the opposition as opposed to addressing the main and pressing concerns of the electorate then?
Glad we've got that sorted and know where their priorities lie.
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So a bit of an overblown story that takes the phrase 'move the conversation on' out of context and twists what the document actually says.
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On the contrary Gromit, the title of the document tells the electorate everything they need to know about Labour and what they're addressing, and immigration ain't it.
Or in other words, as far as I can make out;
Even though their opinions don't 'gel'? with yours, pretend to listen and try to put a positive 'spin' on things.
The advice in the document is exactly as I would expect, and it is sound advise for party workers.

The Daily Telegraph is getting desperate printing this rubbish none story. It is a strange strategy, instead of addressing the threat to the Conservatives, who they support, they are trying to deflect UKIPs potential to disrupt onto Labour.
the real issue is the economy, stupid, as they say. Which is why the Tories are dodging it and trying to blame everything on those horrible immigrants.

Politics as usual, let's all throw up our hands in pretend horror.
"Right, I have found the so called dodging paragraph, and it is no such thing"

er....except it is.

Unless it is stated elsewhere in the link in Gromit's post, what the extract is saying is that we'll listen to the concerns, but as we don't have a meaningful policy on immigration, the best thing we can do is to nod politely and the move the conversation on.
//the real issue is the economy, stupid, as they say. Which is why the Tories are dodging it//

Really? Get a grip.
To be fair, all parties will be doing the same thing - avoiding talking about things that make them look bad, and trying to talk about things that make them look good.
Deskdiary,
Labour's immigration policy...

// 1. We will have strong borders. We will ensure that when people cross our borders they are counted – in and out – so we know who is here, who has gone home and who has stayed.  We will ensure those who are quick to break the law soon after arriving here are just as swiftly deported back to their own country.

2. Immigration policy cannot stop at the border. We know that reducing low skilled immigration means reforming the way our economy works. We will tackle the exploitation and undercutting that is both a cause and effect of low skill migration into our country by preventing recruitment agencies hiring only from abroad or them exploiting loopholes to undercut directly employed staff.

3. We will require any large employer who hires a skilled worker from outside the EU to train an apprentice here so that our young people and our businesses are equipped with the skills they need to succeed in the future.

4. We will make it a criminal offence to exploit cheaper workers from abroad with the aim of undercutting wages or conditions here.

5. Immigrants who come here should integrate and play their part in our society: that's good for all of us. A Labour government will ensure that public sector workers in public-facing roles have minimum standards of English.

And we also know that Europe needs to change if we are to deal with the problems of immigration. We will seek change in Europe.

I'd seek longer transitional controls when new countries join the EU. I’d stop child benefit and tax credits being paid to kids living abroad. I would make people from abroad wait twice as long before they are entitled to out-of-work benefits, and introduce stronger rules to deal with foreign criminals. //
^What happened to 'we'll scour the earth for immigrants and really rub white middle-class noses in it'?
Labour could have shortened that immigration policy to ..

1. On immigration, we'll sound as much like UKIP as we can so hopefully you won't vote for them.
^ Yep!
the reason that most politicians do not listen to the electorates concerns about immigration is because so few of them come into actual contact with the situation as a whole. If immigrants came into the UK where there is plenty of space instead of flocking to regions that are already seriously crowded, maybe just maybe we might see a difference. I live in rural Herefordshire now but I was born & raised in Birmingham where I can tell you there are parts of the great city that I loved that are now totally unrecognisable. I swear that career Politicians do not have a clue as to the living conditions of the ordinary man/woman in the streets of Great Britain.
To echo whiskery-Ron. My hometown of Bradford is not mine any more. It was a good place to grow up.

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