Even by this government’s standards, last week was bleak and this one, as the Tory conference gets under way, promises to be no less dispiriting. It is clear that Conservative party policy proposals and rhetoric are now nothing but wild last-ditch attempts to renew chances at the next election, but Suella Braverman’s latest assertion that multiculturalism has “failed” proved that when it comes to immigration, we have moved away from dog whistles and back towards the sort of Powellite language that, even decades ago, was considered beyond the pale.
Braverman’s comments were made to a handful of slouched thinktankers and journalists in Washington, and are no doubt part of her attempt to ingratiate herself with powerful, well-funded rightwing organisations as the voice of Tory future. But in the constant din of political campaigning, sloganeering and posturing about immigration, Braverman’s speech is a reminder of how badly millions of real people have been let down. The hostile environment, the “go home” vans, the “controls on immigration” mugs, the “small boats week”, and countless other dutiful pronouncements by both parties about “controlling” immigration have all led to this point.
