britain- IPPR ThinkTank: political class must do more English identity politics

[pete2]

IPPR is closely aligned with the brit Labour party and is ideologically left of center. They have identified in britain a trend that is happening all over europe now. A trend towards identity politics that really represents a public rejection of the ideology of mass immigration. To address this IPPR put forward the idea that the political establishment should embrace a limited, 'positive' form of identity politics- to a certain extent this has already been happening in britian.

..The new essay ‘More than one English Question’ by ippr’s Michael Kenny and Guy Lodge argues that mainstream politicians also need to counter parties like the BNP by challenging the negative version of Englishness they seek to promote. Increasingly far right groups try to persuade voters, particularly in working class areas, that English traditions are being deliberately overlooked and marginalised by politicians and public authorities...

ippr argues that part of the reason why far right groups have been able to make these claims is because the major political parties have been reluctant to recognise and engage with a stronger sense of Englishness that has emerged in recent years...

ippr’s Kenny and Lodge recommend that:

• Public authorities should do more to ensure the ‘recognition’ of English identity, for example through promoting St George’s day as a day of public celebration in England
• Mainstream politicians have a key role in challenging the hijacking of the Cross of St George by the far-right
• Government policy should concentrate on improving the economic opportunities of those living in our most deprived communities.

Where has this been heard before? Well on p.ie there are plenty pushing the idea that the Easter Rising narrative is a "negative version of Irishness" and that "Irishness" or Irish identity must make way for newer, competing identities and cultures.

What "problems" does IPPR identified with this "negative Englishness" identity?

..In some of our poorest communities Englishness is associated with resentment and fear, itself a reaction to the pace of social and economic change. These changes have had major impacts upon some of the outer London boroughs, on major urban areas in the North West and Yorkshire, and in many of our major cities. These factors include:

• the shift from employment based on manufacturing to the new services economy – and rising unemployment in the recession
• the decline of the infrastructure and ethos of community in some areas
• a pervasive shortage of housing
• unprecedented levels of immigration in some parts of the country
• a wider sense that these communities are ignored and derided by the political mainstream.

http://www.ippr.org.uk/pressreleases/?id=3509

This is probably the first acknowledgment I have read (from IPPR) that mass immigration has screwed up britain. However, reading over the list its clear to me that each and every one of those problems can be squarely attributed to mass immigration, issues of englargement/globalization, and the utterly chaotic and haphazard way in which it has taken place. The same is happening in Ireland now.

I would prefer Ireland learn from the mistakes of britain instead of repeating them. I would prefer Ireland does not see widespread public disorder like in Luton 2009. So the political class needs to address the problem of mass immigration from the EU now before the breakingpoint britain has reached is reached here. Five or ten years from now do we really want Ireland to be in the complete mess britain, the netherlands, norway, denmark are in now with a far right parties either in power or knocking on the doors of power?

[cactusflower]

IPPR is closely aligned with the brit Labour party and is ideologically left of center. They have identified in britain a trend that is happening all over europe now. A trend towards identity politics that really represents a public rejection of the ideology of mass immigration. To address this IPPR put forward the idea that the political establishment should embrace a limited, 'positive' form of identity politics- to a certain extent this has already been happening in britian.

Where has this been heard before? Well on p.ie there are plenty pushing the idea that the Easter Rising narrative is a "negative version of Irishness" and that "Irishness" or Irish identity must make way for newer, competing identities and cultures.

What "problems" does IPPR identified with this "negative Englishness" identity?

This is probably the first acknowledgment I have read that mass immigration has screwed up britain. However, reading over the list its clear to me that each and every one of those problems can be squarely attributed to mass immigration, issues of englargement/globalization, and the utterly chaotic and haphazard way in which it has taken place. The same is happening in Ireland now.

I would prefer Ireland learn from the mistakes of britain instead of repeating them. I would prefer Ireland does not see widespread public disorder like in Luton 2009. So the political class needs to address the problem of mass immigration from the EU now before the breakingpoint britain has reached is reached here. Five or ten years from now do we really want Ireland to be in the complete mess britain, the netherlands, norway, denmark are in now with a far right parties either in power or knocking on the doors of power?

That will go down like a lead balloon in Wales.

You are a nasty little racist provocateur Pete2 and you sully the site.

Who funds this "think tank" btw.

[anewbeginning]

That will go down like a lead balloon in Wales.

You are a nasty little racist provocateur Pete2 and you sully the site.

Who funds this "think tank" btw.

Another sad example of the hysteria generating nonsense the losers on the Yes to Lisbon side come out with.

To be anti mass immigration has nothing to do with being racist, nothing at all.

I think if you took a poll in Ireland, the majority of people would be anti mass immigration.

Yet you would like to label these people as Holocause denying racists.

Mass immigration is a failed policy, not because of any racist reasons.

Ireland just doesn't have enough jobs, enough schools, enough social welfare, enough public services to deal with the explosion of immigrants into Ireland in recent years.

The policy was one devised by FF to help their business friends, who no doubt lined FF's pockets with money and donations in return.

The entire EU project is being designed to helped massively rich business poeple who want cheap labour at the click of their fingers.

Free movement of cheap labour is one of the reasons why we have 400,000 unemployed in Ireland. Free movement of cheap labour means many more Irish people will be made redundant.

People with a histroy of union activism such as Pat Rabbitte oppose mass immigration because of the hurt to Irish workers. Are you calling Pat Rabbitte a racist provocataur as well?

[Ramon21]

Another sad example of the hysteria generating nonsense the losers on the Yes to Lisbon side come out with.

To be anti mass immigration has nothing to do with being racist, nothing at all.

I think if you took a poll in Ireland, the majority of people would be anti mass immigration.

Yet you would like to label these people as Holocause denying racists.

Mass immigration is a failed policy, not because of any racist reasons.

Ireland just doesn't have enough jobs, enough schools, enough social welfare, enough public services to deal with the explosion of immigrants into Ireland in recent years.

The policy was one devised by FF to help their business friends, who no doubt lined FF's pockets with money and donations in return.

The entire EU project is being designed to helped massively rich business poeple who want cheap labour at the click of their fingers.

Free movement of cheap labour is one of the reasons why we have 400,000 unemployed in Ireland. Free movement of cheap labour means many more Irish people will be made redundant.

People with a histroy of union activism such as Pat Rabbitte oppose mass immigration because of the hurt to Irish workers. Are you calling Pat Rabbitte a racist provocataur as well?

You call 60 percent of the europeans losers?
That's not very smart of you.

[cactusflower]

Are you saying Pete2 isn't racist? He posts at least three new anti-foreigner rant threads a day. He posts links and then lies about what the source materials says to put a racist slant on it.

[anewbeginning]

I don't like racists very much.

But people who accuse others who have concerns over massive virtually unrestricted immigration, without the proper infrastructure such as schools, creches, jobs and enough money to pay social welfare as being racist, I hate them even more.

The Yes side are prepared to label anyone who says or said No to Lisbon, racist, even though many who said No to Lisbon are anti racist like myself.

In this current climate, we need to turn off the tap of immigration into Ireland for a few years, maybe 5 years, until we can get ourselves back on our feet again. I know that is a reasonable policy to most people, except the Lisbon Yes side who don't do reasonable policies, only they rush into everything without proper consideration.

[pete2]

That will go down like a lead balloon in Wales.

You are a nasty little racist provocateur Pete2 and you sully the site.

Who funds this "think tank" btw.

Did you want my attention? Calling me silly names doesn't cut it You might like to instead address what IPPR have to say. Perhaps you can apply what they have to say on encouraging 'positive englishness' identity politics to Irelands situation? If you can get beyond your ideological Hubris that is.

As for who funds them, IPPR are a registered charity. The funding IPPR has declared to the brit Charities Commission originates from brit government research & consultancy contracts via private companies (Accenture, BP, BT, Centrica, Deloitte, GlaxoSmithKline, HBOS, PriceWaterhouse, Shell, Unilever etc.) Naturally large conglomerates are interested in seeing cheap labor and trade liberalisation. Its quite possible they would prefer the business environment to be free of justified social discontent and problems with indigenous workers receiving the shaft from the EU.

[pete2]

I don't like racists very much.

But people who accuse others who have concerns over massive virtually unrestricted immigration, without the proper infrastructure such as schools, creches, jobs and enough money to pay social welfare as being racist, I hate them even more.

The Yes side are prepared to label anyone who says or said No to Lisbon, racist, even though many who said No to Lisbon are anti racist like myself.

In this current climate, we need to turn off the tap of immigration into Ireland for a few years, maybe 5 years, until we can ourselves back on our feet again.

They're a minority, a vocal minority in institutional power allied to powerful business interests, but still a minority. Things change. The widespread social discontent on the issue of mass immigration is now rising all across europe. I dare say a backlash is about to be witnessed.

[cactusflower]

I don't like racists very much.

But people who accuse others who have concerns over massive virtually unrestricted immigration, without the proper infrastructure such as schools, creches, jobs and enough money to pay social welfare as being racist, I hate them even more.

The Yes side are prepared to label anyone who says or said No to Lisbon, racist, even though many who said No to Lisbon are anti racist like myself.

In this current climate, we need to turn off the tap of immigration into Ireland for a few years, maybe 5 years, until we can get ourselves back on our feet again. I know that is a reasonable policy to most people, except the Lisbon Yes side who don't do reasonable policies, only they rush into everything without proper consideration.

This is not a thread about Lisbon, nor are the majority of Pete2's racist threads about Lisbon. You can't just shake the No to Lisbon stick and use it as an excuse for anything and everything. If you want to comment on my views on Lisbon, at least take the trouble to find out what they are - anti-Lisbon and anti-EU.