Margaret Hodge is accused of playing dog-whistle politics
Which is worse? It’s difficult to choose between them.
Candidate 1. Margaret Hodge MP Once again, the embattled Labour MP for Barking has reached for the pre-election dog-whistle today to dig herself out of a hole with the voters. Her comments appear perfectly reasonable.
“We need to look at drawing up a point system based on length of residence, citizenship or national insurance contributions which ensures economic migrants can only access social housing and key benefits when they have paid into the system … This isn’t about race, it’s about having a system which is fair.”
Only … the minister for culture and tourism has spent so little of her time fighting for her constituency or engaged in issues that matter to her constituents you’ve got to wonder about her motives. One also remembers her equally-clumsy comments about the BNP shortly before the May 2006 local elections (BNP won 11 seats and the GMB called for her resignation). And her 2007 remarks on housing policy which grabbed headlines but failed to deliver any impact.
Candidate 2. Sarah Teather MP The Lib-Dem MP quickly smeared Mrs Hodge for talking up the race issue, instantly playing into the hands of BNP types who claim the mainstream are too scared to talk about these issues.
“You need to take the BNP on and demolish their arguments not copy what they are saying.”
The opinion polls make it crystal clear that there is a list of issues prioritised by millions of voters that the politicians are too frightened to talk about. Immigration, Europe, cultural identity, fear of Islamist violence and who should get the best public services (especially welfare and housing, but also education and health).
Hodge’s panicky comments today lack plausibility.
Teather’s knee-jerk accusations poison the debate.
You choose which is worse.
Tags: Barking, featured, Nick Griffin
Here we have yet another Nothing British piece purportedly about the BNP. But it is plainly an attack piece against every other candidate in the Barking constituency. 1st: The Labour one, 2nd: The Lib-Dem one, and only by association the BNP. Every candidate in fact except?…
…The Conservative party one. Naturally.
When will this Tory party blog, sanctioned by the Tory party, run by Tory party members, for the Tory party, in order to forward the Tory party’s aims (and only critical of the BNP or anyone else because it accomplishes this Tory objective), stop trying and failing, in its pointless efforts to fool everyone in this pointless paper-thin charade of non-partisan impartiality?
The BNP are thuggish scum, no doubt. But Nothing British is something much worse. A crass embarrassment. Oh and at least the despicable Green Arrow blog can actually claim independence from the BNP (see pointless ad nauseam blog posts about calling the Queen a traitor *gasp of horror* this week, and trying/failing to make a news story out of it). While Nothing British might as well have a phone extension from CCHQ… What a joke.
Hot debate. What do you think?
7 
5
I see you sat in moderation slightly longer than I did!
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
Hilarious!
You should invite Sarah on & we’ll see who demolishes who.
“The opinion polls make it crystal clear that there is a list of issues prioritised by millions of voters that the politicians are too frightened to talk about. Immigration, Europe, cultural identity, fear of Islamist violence and who should get the best public services (especially welfare and housing, but also education and health).”
So that explains why the Conservatives can’t offer the voters the policies they want.
THEY ARE SCARED!
See Jonathan, voters want basically the same things, it would be easy to offer a block of policies that would guarantee a landslide to the Conservatives.
Hot debate. What do you think?
11 
0
Pander to the masses not the minorities!
Therein lies victory!
Hot debate. What do you think?
13 
0
They’re both as bad as each other, because they are trying to appeal to core “white” constituencies while reluctant to attack the latest diversity orthodoxy that there’s no such thing as race, only ethnicity.
Hot debate. What do you think?
9 
1
… and you lot are just as bad in trying to appropriate BNP sentiment.
The only reason you are having this debate about immigration, culture etc… is because the BNP are the only political body to have the guts to bring these issues to the fore.
The British public aren’t complete dills; they will know when a politician from the discredited 3 parties, is trying to jump on the bandwagon. The Torys have been the biggest hypocrits in this regard.
Yet another reason to vote for the BNP.
Hot debate. What do you think?
21 
0
Caught between a rock and a hard place eh?
Set up to slight the BNP and now you have to attack Labour. All in a tizzy aren’t you chaps.
Hot debate. What do you think?
19 
0
This is a personal message to the fools who set up this blog.
Time to call it a day don’t you think?
A singular failure. Bite the bullet and give up. it’s only promoting us. A public school education is no substitute for intelligence. Going to moderate this?
Hot debate. What do you think?
15 
0
I think they’ll keep it going to May but then….
“Moderate this” a new Arnie catch phrase I think, should he need one.
Hot debate. What do you think?
9 
0
where the BNP lead the others follow (or at least pretend to). But i would say to voters why bother with other cheap imitations when you can have the real thing- the BNP
Hot debate. What do you think?
19 
0
oh yes griffin is the piped piper of hamlin,or even tower hamlets?
Hot debate. What do you think?
0 
11
IS IT? sure i didnt know that!!!!Im not a tory,please dont insult me
Like or Dislike:
0 
5
To be honest Sam, Tower Hamlets is rather, ahem, Asian, I think Nick playing a tune down there, no matter how good, wouldn’t be very well received.
Maybe a Bangra tune might be ok though?
Hot debate. What do you think?
12 
1
i ll buy him a train ticket,before he puts the cost up of course..are you saying i should just get him a single,and not a return?
Hot debate. What do you think?
1 
9