An altered state Guardian
Britain has seen extraordinary rates of change through mass migration in recent years. Now we must develop strong policies that recognise this.
Jon Crudas
April 19, 2007
In the past few years many communities have experienced extraordinary rates of change through mass migration, changing patterns in the demand for labour and the dynamics of the housing market.
Such huge demographic changes have proved difficult for the state to respond to, or even to comprehend, not least because many of the people affected do not show up in any census and therefore do not even exist for the purposes of public policy making.
The problems are compounded by the fact that those affected most severely by the rapid demographic changes are the poorest in our society who are least equipped to deal with them. It is they who have to compete for low-cost housing and low-paid employment and it is they who have least political traction as the mainstream political parties are preoccupied with an entirely different segment of the political landscape.
The impact on labour and housing markets in particular have triggered tensions and threatened community cohesion, as Liam Byrne pointed out yesterday. They are also being busily exploited by the far right, who seize on the economic losers of migration and their disillusionment.
We have to build an adequate response that is based on the new demographic realities of modern Britain. We have to build council housing, provide better protections at work, tackle health inequalities and give more support to local authorities trying to navigate the new demographic realities they face.
We also have to engender a serious debate on the issues of race, class, poverty and migration.
Our failure to develop a coherent and visible policy (pdf) will only enable rightwing political parties to garner support, many in heartland Labour communities.
We seem to have created a contest where politicians feel the need to "out-tough" each other on immigration rather than tackling public perceptions but tough talk has to be matched with tough decisions around greater resources for our poorest communities.
We also have to remind people of the benefits - that immigration is central to the UK's economic performance, keeping our markets "flexible" and, ironically, keeping our public sector afloat.
If we do not implement policy remedies and, simultaneously, make the positive social and economic case for immigration, we are tacitly colluding with the demonisation of migrants while, at the same time, relying on these people for our prosperity.
Migration is a contentious issue but we have to have a more honest approach that recognises these people's contributions and gives them, and other vulnerable people in our society, better access to better public services.