Julian Coman’s article on “the much misunderstood” Blue Labour says Maurice Glasman’s project fell out of favour because it advocated “restrictions on the import of cheaper migrant labour” (An exiled group within Labour is making a comeback – it could hold the key to repelling Farage, 21 February).
The truth is that, interviewed by Progress magazine in April 2011, Glasman advocated opening Labour up to supporters of the far-right English Defence League (EDL). Interviewed in July 2011 by the Daily Telegraph’s Mary Riddell, he doubled down. Asked whether he would support a total ban on immigration, even just for a temporary period, he replied: “Yes. I would add that we should be more generous and friendly in receiving those [few] who are needed. To be more generous we have to draw the line.” In response to a further question on whether he supported Iain Duncan Smith’s call for British jobs for British workers, he responded: “Completely. The people who live here are the highest priority. We’ve got to listen and be with them. They’re in the right place – it’s us who are not.”
I was going to close by stating that far from “repelling” Faragism, this is more like pandering to it. But that would be unfair to Nigel Farage: he has at least refused to associate with Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the EDL.
Jim Denham
Birmingham
• Maurice Glasman claims that Blue Labour began as a recognition of the sadness that beset the party after the crisis of 2008, though Julian Coman is right that the movement emphasises how the party should seek to harness the blue-collar vote.
There are any number of genuine nuggets to be mined from Glasman’s ideas, not the least of which is the proposal for the establishment of a network of regional banks with a remit to invest exclusively in their own areas to grow and sustain regional small- to medium-term enterprises and to set up low-cost personal loans.
His notions of mutuality, reciprocity and pluralism chime with his idea that “the fundamental role of Labour politics is to resist the imperative of capital to dominate society”.
That Blue Labour’s stance on immigration is not acceptable to much of the Labour party is also an accurate assessment. However, though Glasman opposes immigration and has been an active supporter of Brexit, the ideas he propounds don’t always support such views. Glasman’s concept of elections not expressing the will of the people, but merely making a choice, where “the only rule is that you have to do it again”, suggests that Brexit would have to come under fresh scrutiny.
Nuggets abound, but Labour should be aware that iron pyrite, though hard, is also brittle and unforgiving. Real gold, on the other hand, is malleable and far more giving a material to work with.
Austen Lynch
Garstang, Lancashire
• Julian Coman should gird his loins and read Reform UK’s 2024 manifesto pledges on the NHS. They include “eradicating NHS waiting lists within two years”. The ability to conjure up large numbers of doctors, nurses, equipment, hospital beds, new super-efficient managers etc, pretty well instantly, without large-scale immigration, would be amazing to see.
Peter Brooker
West Wickham, London
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