Another brick in the wall

Blair’s unexpected U-turn to stop the ‘‘abuse of immigration’’ by imposing a quota system on those from the ‘‘third-world’’ developing countries has even sparked anger among the pro-immigration Labour MPs. Among them is Alan Simpson, who called the move ‘‘bigoted’’ and said: ‘‘If there are going to be quotas, they should not be racial.’’

This decision assumes importance because quotas as a means of combating immigration have been repeatedly rejected by Blair in the past. Some people have also questioned the rather arbitrary distinction being made between the old Commonwealth countries like Australia, New Zealand and Canada and the new Commonwealth comprising Asian and African countries.

The reason given by 10 Downing Street for going tough on immigration is the rising number of applications from developing countries. The main opposition Conservative Party leader, Michael Howard, accused Blair of reacting in ‘‘blind panic’’ to the growing public concern over immigration and asylum. Blair had also expressed concern over the expected influx of migrants from the 10 countries which just the EU.

The timing of these immigration policies restricting entry of immigrants could not be worse for Labour. The emergence of the New Labour policies under the leadership of Blair has already alienated the Brit South Asians, a majority of whom are Muslims from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. His stubbornness on Iraq cost his party dearly in the recent local council elections in which Labour lost 548 seats, pushing his party to the third position after Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

The drumming received by Labour in the local authority elections is a reflection of the changing realities on the ground. While the national mood has been anti-Labour particularly in the context of the Iraq war, the sense of anger is more widespread among the South Asian communities which have traditionally supported Labour through its ups and downs.

The issue of immigration with its language of exclusion and strong ethnic and racial overtones may further consolidate the anti-Labour feeling and spell disaster for the party in constituencies with a heavy concentration of South Asians. Those who till recently considered Conservatives completely untouchables because of their social policies and ‘Margaret Thatcher milksnatcher attitude’ are taking a fresh look at them. This has more to do with their disappointment with Labour than their new love for Tories. The third major party, Liberal Democrats, is also likely to gain in the coming annual parliamentary elections.

The gradual build-up of anger against Labour was obvious even before the recently held local council elections. Speaking in the House of Lords, Baroness Uddin, a South Asian Labour peer, had warned some time back that there was a shift away from the party, particularly on the issue of Iraq. The Muslim Association of Britain, which has strong ties with the Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian population, had come out strongly against the Blair government, questioning its policies.

The defeat of Labour in a by-election in the ethnically diverse neighbourhood of Brent East on September 18, 2001, gave an indication of the loss of credibility of Labour policies among the minorities. Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary and friend of Blair, had to face the heat in his constituency where South Asians constitute a sizeable chunk of the population.

The logic of numbers is as important in Britain as anywhere else. The South Asian population is playing an active political role in recent years and this has meant that the political establishment cannot afford to overlook their problems and concerns.

(A former journalist, the writer is currently studying in the UK)