Is Labour Party seeking an ‘easy ride’ to power on anti-immigration sentiments?
Does Labour's election campaign manager Phil Twyford’s latest comment that Labour is promising to cut immigration suggests that the Party is seeking an ‘easy ride’ on anti-immigration sentiments to power?
New Zealand Herald reported on Sunday, April 9, that Labour Party is mulling on cutting immigration numbers if sworn to power in next elections.
There seems to be an urge in the Labour Party to ride on anti-immigration sentiments in this next election.
The temptation to ride on anti-immigration sentiments is inherently present in most political parties around the world.
More a political party is away from the power; more are chances of it falling prey to such naive temptations.
These temptations are termed as naive as most of the times they are not backed with scientifically proven data and rationale.
In the pre-Trump era of politics, such temptations were reserved as the exclusive domain of parties at the periphery of political processes in respective countries with mainstream parties taking a more responsible approach towards immigration.
It seems that this has changed in the post- Trump era of politics with our Labour Party taking a plunge on anti-immigration sentiments.
Otherwise, what will explain Labour’s callousness in promising to cut immigration numbers even when they are not yet ready with a policy to offer?
This is not a completely altogether new for the Labour Party which has previously on many occasions sought refuge in blaming people born overseas for Auckland’s infrastructure woes.
In general anti-immigration sentiments are built upon three main pain points – strain on public services, immediate loss of jobs for native workers and socio-cultural factors of aversion to ethnic diversity or xenophobia in some extreme cases.
Luckily for New Zealand, Labours are only picking up on the strain on public services and infrastructure, particularly Auckland’s infrastructure.
"The current level of immigration without proper investment in infrastructure is totally irresponsible," Mr Twyford had said on Sunday, April 9.
However, will they deviate further into raising voices on the other two issues raised commonly to bolster anti-immigrant sentiments remains to be seen in the future?
Jacinda Ardern, the newly anointed Labour’s Deputy Leader cautiously remarked that no-one could deny the role immigration has played in New Zealand's economy and diversity, but it was time for a discussion about whether Auckland could offer the "Kiwi life" to new migrants.
Apparently, the strategy for Labours seems to ride on the anti-immigration sentiments cautiously without being seen publically against any particular ethnic migrants.
One simple way to do that is by blaming incoming new migrants for Auckland’s infrastructural woes.
In this endeavour it is convenient to repeatedly point towards the increase in record numbers of net migration, reaching a high of 71,333 this year and a total of 12,000 new residents in Auckland over a period of last three years.
However, this is not a complete picture though, as migrants do not only increase the burden on public services and infrastructure. Instead, they also contribute to the local economy by bringing valuable skills and human resources along with contributing additional revenue to the public exchequer.
In fact migrants anywhere in the world rarely get a free or no-charge access, to the services and infrastructure of the host nation.
There is no doubt that Auckland is growing and creating some pressures on its infrastructure particularly housing and public transport, but blaming only migration for this is denying recognition to the role migrants play in Auckland’s growth story.
It will not be an exaggeration to say that many comparable world cities around the world such as Toronto, Vancouver, etc., which enjoys the prestige and status of being major world cities could not have become what they are today without the valuable contribution of migrants from all over the world.
Likewise, holding incoming immigrants responsible for what many describes as growing pains of Auckland is a serious question mark on the resilience of New Zealand polity and New Zealand as a nation.
According to findings in a study Fiscal Impacts of Immigration in 2013, established migrants contributed approximately 35% more to income tax revenue per capita than the New Zealand-born.
Assuming all things remain same for the last three years where a net 120,000 residents were added for the Auckland super city, these new residents would also have contributed an additional 35% income tax revenue.
Government and the opposition political parties would do well to propose innovative ideas to how best to use this additional corpus being created by new migrants for the development of Auckland’s infrastructure instead of beating the drum around immigration numbers.
When political parties start blaming immigration numbers without an appropriate policy in place just before the elections, then it suggests their despondency to win elections riding on anti-immigration sentiments.
Does Labour's election campaign manager Phil Twyford’s latest comment that Labour is promising to cut immigration suggests that the Party is seeking an ‘easy ride’ on anti-immigration sentiments to power?
New Zealand Herald reported on Sunday, April 9, that Labour Party is mulling on cutting...
Does Labour's election campaign manager Phil Twyford’s latest comment that Labour is promising to cut immigration suggests that the Party is seeking an ‘easy ride’ on anti-immigration sentiments to power?
New Zealand Herald reported on Sunday, April 9, that Labour Party is mulling on cutting immigration numbers if sworn to power in next elections.
There seems to be an urge in the Labour Party to ride on anti-immigration sentiments in this next election.
The temptation to ride on anti-immigration sentiments is inherently present in most political parties around the world.
More a political party is away from the power; more are chances of it falling prey to such naive temptations.
These temptations are termed as naive as most of the times they are not backed with scientifically proven data and rationale.
In the pre-Trump era of politics, such temptations were reserved as the exclusive domain of parties at the periphery of political processes in respective countries with mainstream parties taking a more responsible approach towards immigration.
It seems that this has changed in the post- Trump era of politics with our Labour Party taking a plunge on anti-immigration sentiments.
Otherwise, what will explain Labour’s callousness in promising to cut immigration numbers even when they are not yet ready with a policy to offer?
This is not a completely altogether new for the Labour Party which has previously on many occasions sought refuge in blaming people born overseas for Auckland’s infrastructure woes.
In general anti-immigration sentiments are built upon three main pain points – strain on public services, immediate loss of jobs for native workers and socio-cultural factors of aversion to ethnic diversity or xenophobia in some extreme cases.
Luckily for New Zealand, Labours are only picking up on the strain on public services and infrastructure, particularly Auckland’s infrastructure.
"The current level of immigration without proper investment in infrastructure is totally irresponsible," Mr Twyford had said on Sunday, April 9.
However, will they deviate further into raising voices on the other two issues raised commonly to bolster anti-immigrant sentiments remains to be seen in the future?
Jacinda Ardern, the newly anointed Labour’s Deputy Leader cautiously remarked that no-one could deny the role immigration has played in New Zealand's economy and diversity, but it was time for a discussion about whether Auckland could offer the "Kiwi life" to new migrants.
Apparently, the strategy for Labours seems to ride on the anti-immigration sentiments cautiously without being seen publically against any particular ethnic migrants.
One simple way to do that is by blaming incoming new migrants for Auckland’s infrastructural woes.
In this endeavour it is convenient to repeatedly point towards the increase in record numbers of net migration, reaching a high of 71,333 this year and a total of 12,000 new residents in Auckland over a period of last three years.
However, this is not a complete picture though, as migrants do not only increase the burden on public services and infrastructure. Instead, they also contribute to the local economy by bringing valuable skills and human resources along with contributing additional revenue to the public exchequer.
In fact migrants anywhere in the world rarely get a free or no-charge access, to the services and infrastructure of the host nation.
There is no doubt that Auckland is growing and creating some pressures on its infrastructure particularly housing and public transport, but blaming only migration for this is denying recognition to the role migrants play in Auckland’s growth story.
It will not be an exaggeration to say that many comparable world cities around the world such as Toronto, Vancouver, etc., which enjoys the prestige and status of being major world cities could not have become what they are today without the valuable contribution of migrants from all over the world.
Likewise, holding incoming immigrants responsible for what many describes as growing pains of Auckland is a serious question mark on the resilience of New Zealand polity and New Zealand as a nation.
According to findings in a study Fiscal Impacts of Immigration in 2013, established migrants contributed approximately 35% more to income tax revenue per capita than the New Zealand-born.
Assuming all things remain same for the last three years where a net 120,000 residents were added for the Auckland super city, these new residents would also have contributed an additional 35% income tax revenue.
Government and the opposition political parties would do well to propose innovative ideas to how best to use this additional corpus being created by new migrants for the development of Auckland’s infrastructure instead of beating the drum around immigration numbers.
When political parties start blaming immigration numbers without an appropriate policy in place just before the elections, then it suggests their despondency to win elections riding on anti-immigration sentiments.
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