Don’t mention the rivers of blood

As much as I hate bigotry, doubt the veracity of immigrant-based scare stories and wish the Conservative Party ill, I can’t help thinking that the article at the centre of the latest row isn’t all that controversial.

Nigel Hastilow should totally resign as Tory candidate for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, but he really should have known better than to use the phrase “Enoch Powell was right”. He probably still is a big racist and all that, but he only said that the former Shadow Home Secretary was right about immigration causing Britain to have “changed dramatically”, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing when taken on its own. After all, even the pinkos at IPPR are calling for the issue to be addressed seriously.

It’s always wise to avoid citing pariahs when making an argument. It’s like saying, “Osama bin Laden was right. The United States did have a military presence in Saudi Arabia.”

Tags: enoch powell, immigration, nigel hastilow, tories