New Migration Realities: Inclusive Narratives by Maeve Glavey

Author:Maeve Glavey [Glavey, Maeve]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781786605283
Google: Ixt5swEACAAJ
Goodreads: 35546417
Publisher: Policy Network
Published: 2017-01-15T11:35:41+00:00

NEW NARRATIVES

Progressive mainstream actors need to win back support through offering voters responses that deal with their concerns about immigration, but that transcend populist rhetoric by addressing the substantive issues in new and meaningful ways. They need to engage in debate and action on immigration, but they have choices about how they do so. That the discussion about immigration shows such similarity across time and place hints that deeper questions about public engagement and repeated patterns in political debate need to be considered too. Ordinary people have complex concerns that require more nuanced and well thought-through responses than those proffered by rightwing populist parties. The reality is that there is no simple catchall answer or one correct way of dealing with immigration, and the mainstream response to a populist challenge should not be to pretend that there is. Responding to the rise of the far right’s use of immigration as a platform requires mainstream parties to go far enough to act on the issue that people are reassured and that they remain relevant, but not so far that they become indistinguishable from their challengers.

In responding, it is essential to acknowledge that both words and actions are required. Too many people feel they are not listened to, but listening alone is not enough. The construction of any kind of new narratives around immigration must also be backed up by concrete policy action, in ways that are meaningful to real people. Mainstream parties need to act and be seen to be acting, but they are also going to need the assistance and input of others with experience and expertise in this area. The range of examples outlined in the previous chapter highlights that there are many ways in which government, mainstream parties and other actors can go about intervening on these issues. A better conversation on immigration, as well as the management of integration and diversity, is a project not for one government or one party, but for the whole of society.

For the UK, the way the conversation and action now proceeds as Brexit nears is not pre-determined. While some may wish to close the door on immigration, it is up to progressives not to close the door on ideas, and many possibilities are open to those willing to consider lessons from abroad. The UK obviously cannot seek to simply copy these, but they can help guide the country forward. All the comparison countries, states with both rich and sometimes dark histories, are grappling with similar issues. In every country, there are ideas about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ immigrants and similar language is used to denote them accordingly and portray them in media. Each society faces questions of identity, integration and the balance of rights and responsibilities of different groups. This chapter considers what principles can be identified and lessons drawn for progressives from an overall consideration of the data and examples in this book. It then offers specific recommendations to UK actors, including government, regulators, civil society and business. It recognises the

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