Racist Mugs and Legitimate Concerns with Labour

If smart, humane, pro-migration Ed Miliband really hated Labour’s infamous ‘Controls On Immigration’ coffee mug – both of his parents were Jews who escaped the Nazis and found refuge in Britain – then why did he let it happen on his watch? Why is there so much cowardice, ignorance and fiction at the heart of our immigration conversation? Why does Labour have such a toxic relationship with migrants, given that most people with migration in their recent family histories (like Dan and Kasia, indeed) are expected to vote for them? Where does the notion come from that in order to ‘defeat the far right’, you have to imitate their racist rhetoric, and repeat grim tropes like “legitimate concerns” and migrants putting “strains on public services”? As Kasia says, “Does it have to be like this?" Small boat crossings peak in August and September – four human beings drowned in the English Channel the day we recorded this episode. Nine things Starmer should do - open letter from 300 organisations working with refugees and asylum seekers End the 24/7 GPS tracking of migrants Jack Shenker’s brilliant Hostile Environment Newscast for Tortoise *** FOR THE FULL EPISODE, please join our Patreon *** Theme music: Mr Beatnick Artwork: Archie Bashford