Migration: politics of fear

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/30/migration-politics-fear-syria-refugees

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The capacity of fear to poison rational debate has never been in doubt. But the past few days have illustrated again how dangerous it can be to play with popular emotions on a matter of important national policy – dangerous, party leaders should note, for themselves as well as for the wider public good.

When the Ukip leader, Nigel Farage, called for Britain to take in some Syrian refugees at the weekend, he unblocked an important debate about global responsibility. David Cameron can rightly point to the £500m contribution Britain has made to support 2.3m Syrians who have fled the civil war and are now sheltering in desperate conditions in camps in the region. But we are also among the 18 EU countries that have refused to take in a single family, however desperate their needs. Mr Farage's suggestion that this should change is welcome, although, as it rapidly became clear, not by his own party.

Now the Ukip leader has made a politically outrageous and personally humiliating U-turn, claiming that it was just Syrian Christians who should be allowed to benefit. It is becoming clear that Mr Farage has an internal party problem that may yet derail next spring's European election campaign. That could have a significant impact on the broader national picture too. But it is unlikely to lower the temperature on the migration debate. Rather, it could drive parts of the political mainstream further up the anti-migration dead end.

Some Conservatives are growing anxious about the direction of travel. The health minister Earl Howe, defending the decision to charge some migrants for NHS care, added his voice to the calls for a reconsideration on admitting some Syrian refugees. Ryan Shorthouse, director of the modernising Tory thinktank Bright Blue, which has cabinet ministers on its board, has gone further and accused Mr Cameron of pandering to prejudice, uncertainty and anger. But the most important point he makes is that the more politicians announce panic measures such as capping access to NHS services and other benefits, the more voters will worry about the scale of the problem of migration –and the more likely they are to turn to the hardline policies advocated by Ukip.

Popular anxiety has been ratcheted up unscrupulously as the deadline for lifting movement controls on Romanians and Bulgarians approaches. It's an event unlikely to meet the claims of advance publicity, if only because, in marked contrast to the experience in 2004, every EU country is lifting controls at the same time. Most of those who want to work in the UK are probably here already. But that may not stop the coalition claiming credit for slaying a monster that never existed.

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