Enoch Powell's shadow is troubling Labour
There's an old quote that gets an airing whenever Labour leaders talk tough on immigration. This week it has been the ugly wallpaper of social media: 'What Enoch Powell says today, the Conservative Party says tomorrow, and the Labour Party legislates on the day after.'
Ambalavaner Sivanandan, the campaigning director of the Institute of Race Relations, said that in the early 1970s. Coverage of Sir Keir Starmer's speech on immigration this week suggested that there could be nothing so violently against the grain of British politics as a Labour government that seeks to harden borders rather than throw them open. Try telling that to Harold Wilson, Roy Jenkins, Jim Callaghan and Ed Miliband's stonemason.
In that respect Sivanandan was right. The border policies of every
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
18 minutes ago
- NBC News
Anti-ICE protests spread beyond Los Angeles
As anti-ICE protests grow in Los Angeles, demonstrators in other major cities are rallying nationwide. NBC News' Gadi Schwartz reports on the unrest amid ongoing immigration raids.
The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Kim Kardashian speaks out against ICE raids in Los Angeles
Kim Kardashian spoke out Tuesday night against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles which have sparked days of protests across the country. President Donald Trump's sweeping deportations of illegal immigrants sparked mass protests in the City of Angeles Friday, which have continued for days. In an unprecedented move, Trump deployed thousands of National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles, without California Governor Gavin Newsom's permission, in response to the protests. Gov. Newsom said the move 'inflamed a combustible situation,' and the state has challenged it in court. Kardashian used her platform of 356 million Instagram followers to stand up for the immigrant population of her home city, telling fans there 'has to be a better way' to deal with illegal immigration than these ICE raids. 'When we're told that ICE exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals-great. But when we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up. We have to do what's right,' she wrote on Instagram. 'Growing up in LA, I've seen how deeply immigrants are woven into the fabric of this city. They are our neighbors, friends, classmates, coworkers, and family. No matter where you fall politically, it's clear that our communities thrive because of the contributions of immigrants. We can't turn a blind eye when fear and injustice keep people from living their lives freely and safely. There HAS to be a BETTER way,' she wrote. Kardashian has praised Trump in the past, saying on late-night TV that she was 'very grateful' after he commuted the sentence of Alice Johnson in 2018. Johnson served over 20 years of a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense when she was freed with the help of Kardashian. The celebrity had spent months working to commute Johnson's sentence, which included meeting with Trump. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in July 2018, Kardashian, who had met with Trump that May, said, 'I have nothing bad to say about the president.'
BBC News
26 minutes ago
- BBC News
Americans react to Trump sending military into Los Angeles
US President Donald Trump has sent thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of US Marines to Los Angeles as protests take place against the administration's ramped-up immigration enforcement. While the president's allies cheer him on, both the governor of California and the mayor of Los Angeles say Trump is overstepping his authority and stoking Americans are no less divided over the issue. But do they feel it is the president or the protesters who have gone too far? Here's what six voters had to say about the news. Eric Kaiser, 46, Independent This Indiana man worries about the precedent Trump is setting by sending the National Guard into Los Angeles.I've seen some different takes on the legality of it, but it feels to me like the federal government is being very, very heavy-handed on this, which is concerning to me since protest is a protected form of expression in this country. I'm concerned that this sets Americans against Americans, and specifically American military against American citizens. The Trump administration is going about [the ICE raids] in an interesting manner... While making unilateral raids like these, they're making a lot of mistakes and those mistakes are costing people their freedoms. [The Trump administration] is not admitting to their mistakes and they're not following due have laws in this country for a reason. Demesio Guerrero, 70, Republican This Mexico-born Texas resident - a naturalised US citizen - supports the deployment of troops to put down "shameful" protests in a shame that people who have come to this country to set themselves up are doing this, the riots.I tend to think that many of the rioters are people with criminal histories. Violent protesters. People that want to be here to create a future and have a family in this generous country would not be doing that. Many are even waving Mexican flags. That's so shameful.I respect the president in so many ways. He is a guy who knows how to get things done. He's the law-and-order president. What was he supposed to do? Let them burn trash? Let them destroy Los Angeles? Lori Gregory, 62, Democrat This California woman is distraught over what she sees in Los Angeles and an "attack" on immigrants by the Trump administration. When I saw they called on the National Guard, I just started crying because he's weaponising everything he possibly can. There's no free speech, there's no dissent - it's Hitler's playbook all over again. It's heartbreaking, really. I just feel for the people he's targeting. It's wrong, it's so un-American. It's so against what this country was founded for. I'm just shocked. I probably shouldn't be, but I just can't believe it's happening. I can't believe the military and the National Guard are supporting this. How protests erupted after rumours of immigration raidAnalysis: This is a political fight Trump is eager to have Jim Sullivan, 55, Republican This Indiana man wants the violence to stop, but also worries about what deploying the military in response to protests means for the goes far beyond just protest, in my view. This is an attack on our sovereignty and our civil society. We can debate immigration policy, but violence and chaos should not be tolerated. [But Trump is] the one who's going to push the envelope to the legal limit, and if he can get by with more, he will, I think. That's one of my concerns about this whole thing. I'm not 100% on board with it, but at the same time, I think something has to be done. It's not getting taken care of. My trepidation is about precedent...I feel like everything we do, when we set new precedents, it will become new norms and not the exception. Devynn De Velasco, 22, Independent This Nebraska woman says she's likely to get involved with protests happening in her town because she's upset with what she sees Trump doing in watching clips, I saw some mostly peaceful protests. It seems like Trump is just mad that they're happening, rather than trying to prevent them from being violent. More and more, he's become a president who uses his power to enforce his will [rather] than the will of the people. I wonder to what extent is he going to keep doing this. It's extremely valid that people are protesting ICE, because in all honesty there is very little proof of due process for people who have been taken by ICE and wrongfully detained. Ross Barrera, 59, Republican A 29-year veteran of the US Army who retired as a colonel, this Texan - from the overwhelmingly Latino Rio Grande City on the border - believes that it is the protests that have gone too state and local governments fail to support federal law - in this case deportation orders - the military deployment is necessary to protect lives, property and the movement of protesters are blocking major highways, disrupting commerce, destroying and burning police cars, and interfering with police orders to disperse in certain has the right to protest, but you don't have the right to make me or others listen to violence so I can have your attention comes with consequences. Everything we know about the demonstrationsTrump's deportation drive is perfect storm in city of immigrantsLA's chaotic weekend of protests in maps and pictures
