Labour - 'Don't mention immigration'

[Osem]

A leaked Labour document - which has been sent to some of the party's MPs and activists - says they should avoid talking about immigration when they're campaigning.

It says the issue could be "unhelpful" and may risk losing votes.

The leak comes as the Labour leader Ed Miliband prepares to set out plans to stop cheap foreign labour replacing British workers.

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

Clearly they feel so confident about their policy that they don't want to debate the issue.

Well, what's new? They spent years denying it would be or was a problem and calling those with concerns bigots, amongst other things. It's ironic how every time an immigration issue crops up now they waste no time blaming HMG for it when in most cases the problems arose during, or as a result of decisions made, their tenure. No mention of the ineptitude and social engineering which characterised their policy.

HMG certainly hasn't covered itself in glory with its handling of immigration matters but if Miliband thinks he can distance himself and his party from the massive effects their policy has had on large swathes of the country, he's got another think coming I reckon.

[Russ]

Of course they want to avoid talking about it. After all nobody really thinks Labour are going to change the immigration situation do they? After all it was their "open door" policies that expedited the mess we're in.

[Osem]

Well I suggest anyone who gets a Labour candidate knocking on their door makes sure it's the first thing they mention, followed closely by that other thing they don't like to talk about much - the deficit. I'm eagerly awaiting for their knock on my door...

[slowcoach]

I do remember doing a delivery to Coventry when I was about 19 years old and being stunned seeing hundreds of Jamaican children all in their school uniforms going to school, a coloured person was a rare sight in Oldham at the time.

Best thing to do at the election is to vote Tory, every person I know who voted that way in the last election is now really struggling to avoid losing their home, turns out that they weren't really middle class, just dripped up to the eyeballs.

[Ignitionnet]

A smart move. They speak dovishly about immigration they have their past record thrown at them and offend their more New Labour side, they speak more hawkishly about it they have their past record thrown at them, offend their more left-wing supporters and are told to stop trying to out-UKIP UKIP.

Parties will try to keep the conversation on the issues where they're strongest. The Conservatives will try and limit discussion about immigration and the EU and focus on the economy. Labour will try and keep it on the NHS and 'standards of living'. UKIP will be on immigration and the EU.

[Osem]

Miliband stands on a stage talking 'tough' in front of a banner but it's clear his party doesn't want a real debate on this topic any more than they want an EU referendum. They may have done their best to stop calling people bigots but they haven't stopped thinking it. 'This Labour' has tried to distract attention from what they did but they're not going to change their policy on immigration.

[Ignitionnet]

Sadly the electioneering has really started now so our Government is effectively dysfunctional for the next 6 months.

To be fair though it hasn't been much better for a little while, everything's been nakedly political in intent.

[Osem]

Maybe what's needed is a ban on electioneering until a month before the election. I'd suggest a ban on Labour too...

Labour's past on immigration is damning and has done a lot of damage but no party has got a handle on immigration so they are not the only ones when the Tory knocks at your door see how keen they are to discuss their record on immigration. If labour gave an EU referendum pledge I think even with milliband at the helm they would be the next government this coalition have done little and caused a lot of pain only promising more to come. People voted back in 2010 for pain we knew it was needed to make things right and were strongly promised that at the end of five years the pain would be easing and things would be getting better. Now the truth is out hardly any of the pain needed has been done and they want another five years but promise a tax cut at the end .

Doesn't matter who you vote for your voting for a liar and you'll be lucky to get any of the promises delivered red, blue or yellow makes very little difference scratch the surface and they are all grey.