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Marchers in support of migrants on December 9, 2018 in London. The demonstration takes place three days before parliament is due to make the crucial vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal with the European Union. (Photo: Alex Cavendish/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The British Labour Party released an ad Thursday ahead of next month's general election ridiculing Conservative claims that immigrants--not austerity policies and corporate greed--are to blame for failing schools, long wait times for medical care, and a frayed social safety net.
The ad suggests that many working Britons find the Conservative Party's scapegoating of immigrants just as implausible and frustrating as do Labour politicians who are hoping to win control of government on December 12 after nearly a decade of budget cuts and anti-immigration rhetoric from pro-Brexit politicians.
The video shows community members confronting an elected official and demanding to know why their children's schools are understaffed, the government isn't funding public housing, and wait times at the National Health Service (NHS) are growing longer.
"Look, I know you're all angry. But there is one simple explanation. It's all his fault," the politician says, pointing to an immigrant, Ali, in the back row--drawing incredulous responses from Ali's neighbors.
Watch:
After assuring the dubious crowd that the government has no money to pour into hospitals, schools, and other public services "because we have to spend it all on Ali," the politician hands a bundle of cash to "the CEO of a major tech company that needed a tax break.
"But if you need money, couldn't you just stop giving it to him?" a man asks. "He clearly doesn't need it."
"I trust Ali more than him," a woman says.
The politician finally admits that he can't offer a reasonable explanation for the corporate tax breaks while 600,000 children have fallen into poverty and the number of households relying on food banks has nearly doubled--and resorts to openly scapegoating Ali.
"My hands are tied," he says. "I have to give wealthy corporations massive tax cuts because...of Ali."
"When politicians resort to blaming immigrants, you know they've run out of excuses," reads the text on screen.
Labour politicians and other Tory critics highlighted and praised the video on social media.
"This just about sums up the Tories and the hard-right--whenever something is wrong, let's blame immigration," tweeted Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi. "It's not immigrants who have imposed austerity and decimated our public services."
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
The British Labour Party released an ad Thursday ahead of next month's general election ridiculing Conservative claims that immigrants--not austerity policies and corporate greed--are to blame for failing schools, long wait times for medical care, and a frayed social safety net.
The ad suggests that many working Britons find the Conservative Party's scapegoating of immigrants just as implausible and frustrating as do Labour politicians who are hoping to win control of government on December 12 after nearly a decade of budget cuts and anti-immigration rhetoric from pro-Brexit politicians.
The video shows community members confronting an elected official and demanding to know why their children's schools are understaffed, the government isn't funding public housing, and wait times at the National Health Service (NHS) are growing longer.
"Look, I know you're all angry. But there is one simple explanation. It's all his fault," the politician says, pointing to an immigrant, Ali, in the back row--drawing incredulous responses from Ali's neighbors.
Watch:
After assuring the dubious crowd that the government has no money to pour into hospitals, schools, and other public services "because we have to spend it all on Ali," the politician hands a bundle of cash to "the CEO of a major tech company that needed a tax break.
"But if you need money, couldn't you just stop giving it to him?" a man asks. "He clearly doesn't need it."
"I trust Ali more than him," a woman says.
The politician finally admits that he can't offer a reasonable explanation for the corporate tax breaks while 600,000 children have fallen into poverty and the number of households relying on food banks has nearly doubled--and resorts to openly scapegoating Ali.
"My hands are tied," he says. "I have to give wealthy corporations massive tax cuts because...of Ali."
"When politicians resort to blaming immigrants, you know they've run out of excuses," reads the text on screen.
Labour politicians and other Tory critics highlighted and praised the video on social media.
"This just about sums up the Tories and the hard-right--whenever something is wrong, let's blame immigration," tweeted Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi. "It's not immigrants who have imposed austerity and decimated our public services."
The British Labour Party released an ad Thursday ahead of next month's general election ridiculing Conservative claims that immigrants--not austerity policies and corporate greed--are to blame for failing schools, long wait times for medical care, and a frayed social safety net.
The ad suggests that many working Britons find the Conservative Party's scapegoating of immigrants just as implausible and frustrating as do Labour politicians who are hoping to win control of government on December 12 after nearly a decade of budget cuts and anti-immigration rhetoric from pro-Brexit politicians.
The video shows community members confronting an elected official and demanding to know why their children's schools are understaffed, the government isn't funding public housing, and wait times at the National Health Service (NHS) are growing longer.
"Look, I know you're all angry. But there is one simple explanation. It's all his fault," the politician says, pointing to an immigrant, Ali, in the back row--drawing incredulous responses from Ali's neighbors.
Watch:
After assuring the dubious crowd that the government has no money to pour into hospitals, schools, and other public services "because we have to spend it all on Ali," the politician hands a bundle of cash to "the CEO of a major tech company that needed a tax break.
"But if you need money, couldn't you just stop giving it to him?" a man asks. "He clearly doesn't need it."
"I trust Ali more than him," a woman says.
The politician finally admits that he can't offer a reasonable explanation for the corporate tax breaks while 600,000 children have fallen into poverty and the number of households relying on food banks has nearly doubled--and resorts to openly scapegoating Ali.
"My hands are tied," he says. "I have to give wealthy corporations massive tax cuts because...of Ali."
"When politicians resort to blaming immigrants, you know they've run out of excuses," reads the text on screen.
Labour politicians and other Tory critics highlighted and praised the video on social media.
"This just about sums up the Tories and the hard-right--whenever something is wrong, let's blame immigration," tweeted Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi. "It's not immigrants who have imposed austerity and decimated our public services."