Starmer must drain the poison from the immigration debate – it’s what the public wants | Rafael Behr
After years of failed gimmicks and polarisation under the Tories, Britain is ready for a more grown-up approach
“Look, if people don’t like the mug, they don’t have to get the mug,” Ed Miliband said, exasperated. We were on a train to Manchester for a televised leaders’ debate, a month before polling day in 2015. The mug in question bore the slogan “controls on immigration”. It was one of a set of five, each branded with a campaign pledge. “Other mugs are available,” the then Labour leader reminded me.
But the border control one had provoked paroxysms of indignation from the left and sneering disbelief from the right. Miliband’s frustration was palpable. His advisers spelled out the logic: the slogan was uncontroversial; the alternative to controlling immigration was not controlling immigration, and no one ever won an election promising that. On paper, it was a rational campaign priority.
Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist
Continue reading...Date: |
Filter
-
Is a Biden-Trump-RFK debate in the cards?
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s rising profile is raising the question of whether he could appear on a debate stage with President Biden and Donald Trump — and what impact that could have on the presidential race. It’s not yet clear if Kennedy, who has ...The Hill - Politics - Joe Biden -
Campus protests spark debate over "Intifada" rhetoric
As protests continue to sweep across the nation, leading to more than 2,000 arrests, reporter Lilia Luciano explores how the language used in campus demonstrations is fueling strife and complicating the dynamics of these movements.CBS News - Top stories -
What Happened When the Skating Coaches Wanted a Union
A group of figure skating coaches at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan, many of whom earn less than $40,000 a year, sought to bargain their contracts collectively. Two were fired.The New York Times - Top stories -
China publicizes for the first time what it claims is a 2016 agreement with Philippines
China has publicized for the first time what it claims is an unwritten 2016 agreement with the Philippines over access to South China Sea islandsABC News - World - China -
While U.S. Debates Free Speech, Pro-Hamas Rhetoric in France Is a Crime
Prosecutors are investigating far-left politicians, union officials and others for condoning terrorism after the Oct. 7 attack.The Wall Street Journal - World -
How a 6-year-old marathoner ignited America's parenting debate
When 6-year-old Rainier Crawford crossed the finish line at the 2022 Flying Pig Marathon, the backlash immediately followed. But his dad makes no apologies as he pushes for children's rights.ESPN - Sports -
Bruins pushed to G7, want more from Pastrnak
Jim Montgomery was asked if Boston needed more from its top skaters to avoid elimination, and the Bruins coach identified David Pastrnak in particular as needing to provide more to the group.ESPN - Sports -
From teenage cyber-thug to Europe’s most wanted
Kivimaki rose through teen cyber gangs to become a Most Wanted criminal responsible for one of the most shocking hacks in history.BBC News - Top stories
More from The Guardian
-
Israel shuts down local Al Jazeera offices in ‘dark day for the media’
Foreign Press Association decries move under new law based on claim network is a threat to national security . Israeli authorities shut down the local offices of Al Jazeera on Sunday, hours after a government vote to use new laws to close the ...The Guardian - World - Israel -
Xi Jinping arrives in France with Ukraine and an EU trade row at the top of his agenda
On his first visit to Europe since 2019, Xi is set to meet with Emmanuel Macron before heading to Serbia and Hungary. President Xi Jinping has lauded China’s ties with France as a model for the international community, as he arrived in Paris for a ...The Guardian - World - Ukraine -
Men believed to be missing surfers died from gunshots, Mexican officials say
Families of men presumed to be two Australians and American who went missing in Baja California arrive in Tijuana to identify bodies. The bodies believed to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing in the Pacific coast ...The Guardian - World -
Flooding death toll in south Brazil rises to 75 as over 100 people remain missing
Officials in Rio Grande do Sul state say more than 80,000 have been displaced by record water levels. Seventy-five people are now known to have died in the flooding in Brazil’s southern Rio Grande do Sul state, while more than 100 people remain ...The Guardian - World - Brazil -
Rishi Sunak to face pressure to shift right after disastrous election results
Suella Braverman says Conservative party will be lucky to have any MPs unless it adopts harder line on immigration and rights. Rishi Sunak will face pressure to adopt hard rightwing policies such as an immigration cap and scrapping European human ...The Guardian - World