The newly announced coalition plan to cap annual immigration is just a scratch on the surface of a much larger and more fundamental issue for the UK and its local communities.
We dismiss concerns about migration and the impact on local services as 'ignorant' or 'racist' at our peril. In 2001 the British National Party picked up just 47,000 votes, and by 2005 it had grown to 192,000. This year it was 563,000 - far from the collapse in support suggested by reporting on the general election result and the focus on the defeat for BNP leader Nick Griffin.
Under a proportional representation system, for example, the BNP would now have 12 seats in parliament. Based on a new analysis by iCoCo of the voting patterns for far right groups, this appears to be part of a genuine trend of gathering support that threatens the stability of the UK.
Increased population numbers and changes in the composition of local populations have increased pressure on local services, and these have to be understood and addressed. It is true that they are often exaggerated by the far right - but some are very real and pressing and are most keenly felt in poorer areas. In engaging with those arguments, there will no doubt be some expression of racist views, but these are in the minority and, while people do have real concerns, they will respond to debates that acknowledge the problems and where there is a willingness to address them.
Communication is key. We have to remember that the far right are constantly putting out messages, spreading alarm with misinformation and false rumours. Counter messages therefore have to be at least as pervasive and persuasive. Formal publications, and even myth-busting leaflets, may well only serve to reinforce the myths, or they may be disbelieved on the basis that ‘they would say that wouldn’t they’ or simply unread. Again, there is no substitute for face-to-face engagement and debate, in which local people are involved and, whenever possible, are recruited as the champions.
In long established communities, social capital and leadership have been slowly eroded. Working men’s clubs, trade unions, local shops, clubs and societies have been under pressure and in some cases all but disappeared. These local institutions also provided an opportunity to ‘air’ their views and discuss concerns about what is happening (or what they perceive to be happening) in their communities. In common with many other parts of society, there is some evidence that the ‘glue’ of social networks that helped to bind local areas together has given way to an individualised community in which families provide their own entertainment and have little time for their neighbours.
There is a danger in regarding the BNP as a spent force. They lost ground because of campaigns to oppose them on the ground in places like Barking and Dagenham, but also all the minority parties were squeezed by the media focus on the three main parties, especially around the televised debates. That may not be the case next time. We have to recognise they do tap into real concerns, as the ‘bigoted woman’ incident showed and we need more debate, not less, to answer these concerns.
Professor Ted Cantle is executive chair of the Institute of Community Cohesion (iCoCo) at Coventry University
