Incumbent Embarrassment

Bob Spink, MP for Castle Point has decided to break all decent boundaries and announce "What part of "send them back" do you not understand?" in his local press. Although this has been received with outrage across the country, voters in Canvey Island are supporting their incumbent... however they think he's referring to people from Benfleet.

Michael Howard has so far refused to sack Spink, even though he is quite patently a scumbag.

Recess Monkey is offering a prize for the best guess at Spink's next campaign, but I think I may have won already with...

"It's not racist to hate brown people"

Meanwhile, in deepest Wantage, Tory hopeful and former Equitable Life lobbyist Ed Vaizey is under fire for his racist contribution.


The poster is in the village of Faringdon. The caucasian woman at the front is the Mayor of the town. The residents include the main supersmarket owner who has been in the town for 33 years, some nurses and the owner of the only two Indian restaurants in the area.

Recess Monkey's campaign for this week is to encourage readers to email Ed asking him to remove the poster and perhaps advising him where he should put it.

Ed's email address is ed@wantageconservatives.com


And tell you what Ed, as a favour to you for not suing me over this, despite telling me you would, I promise not to ask you which of Michael Howard's speeches opposing the declassification of cannabis were written by you - as long as you take down and publicly disown that disgusting poster.


Calm down, its only an advertisement dear. Are you saying that immigration is not a topic to be discussed and if you do it is racist? Or are you just getting hot and indignant for political gain? Are you really suggesting that a dripping wet like Vaizey is racist? You just made up that stupid "It's not racist to hate brown people" quote - have a drink - get some rest. I've met the Labour candidate for Wantage and see he's standing on the right in the picture, (nice guy, but a bit posh for me). Would he be the person opening fire on Vaizey? I pity people who throw out the word "racist" so readily when there is so much real bigotry about. It devalues the term.

FACT: The party with the most ethnic minority candidates is.. the Conservative Party.


Hang on a minute, Recess made a perfectly valid point about Bob Spink (a vile and utterly contemptous individual for his racist sales pitch, BTW) and you're trying to paint the Tories as the party most committed to ethnic minority representation? I'm actually quite alarmed at the impunity with which the Tories see fit to band around such racist propaganda as part of their mainstream these days. We're not talking about some swivel-eyed loons addressing a private meeting of the Monday Club either -- 'Are You Thinking What We're Thinking?' was the slogan of the Front National in France last time round.

Your point about ethnic candidates is not lost on me though. I think the Labour Party are beginning to wake up to the fact that their system doesn't deliver on this front but hey, it's the election, so maybe next time, yeah? To think that a rather ambitious Labour member said to me a couple of years back that times couldn't be any worse for white males wanting to be selected.


I have no idea what Recess is going on about regarding Bob Spink. Under the heading "Stop Asylum Abuse" It reads: "Bob leads the fight in parliament to stop asylum cheats. If we don't act, nasty fringe parties will. Labour has tripled illegal immigration and only one in five failed asylum seekers is removed. What bit of 'send them back' don't you understand Mr Blair?"

Spink adds in an interview "If the [main] political parties don't act on this issue then right wing parties will rise in popularity. That would be bad for everyone."

Terrible? Are you aware that Mr Blair does actually understand? It is in fact a Labour Party manifesto commitment to "send 'em back". Does Recess support Labour party policy on immigration? The rhetoric is tough, the difference is that the Tories will actually do it, Labour will just say they will do it. Let there be no doubt, Labour policy on failed asylum seekers is "send 'em back." Blunkett makes it clear in interviews that he meant it.

Guido is a believer in free trade and free markets, a crucial element of which is free migration. So open the borders to all who want to come and contribute by all means, just don't give out any welfare benefits. What aggravates the white working classes, hard working asians, blacks and everyone else, is that they not only do they have to compete with new arrivals in the labour force, but they have to queue with them at the benefits office and in the NHS GP's surgery. That perception is the main reason why racist parties thrive in low income areas and not high income areas - regardless of the actual racial mix.

"Proud of Britain" is an old NF slogan and Labour's new election slogan - so what if its true that the Jean Marie Le Pen's FN used "Are you Thinking what We're Thinking" - it is also a lyric from the theme tune for the kids TV show the "Banana bunch".

So Labour use an old NF slogan with a Union Jack Flag background and have a policy of sending back asylum seekers. In reality, only the LibDems have a liberal immigration policy.


You don't have to convince me that Labour's knee-jerk capitulation on immigration is short-sighted and shameful but we're talking about the Tories here and their pathological obsession over immigration, one or two MPs in particular. By giving credence to the term "send em' back", Spink gives cover to more overt racists. It's gutter politics really. I thought the Tories were supposed to be genteel and possess airs and graces but they even make this Northern comprehensive school lad wince with their scuzziness.