Cruddas attacks Hodge's capitulation to BNP racism

The Government Minister Margaret Hodge has shown her complete incapability to tackle the growth of the British National Party in her constituency by making a policy statment conceding to their racism and backing an anti-immigrant housing policy.
She stated today that established British families should be given priority over economic migrants for council housing because, as she says, economic migrants have 'made a choice' to move here.

Her argument that 'however much social housing you do create, you will nevertheless have to take decisions to ration what will always be a finite resource,' show her failure to consider prioritising the building of increased council housing under New Labour spending programmes.

One deputy leader candidate, Hazel Blears, has already offered her support to Hodge whose Barking constituency saw the first BNP breakthrough in London at last years council elections when it took 12 seats on Barking and Dagenham Council. Its campaign focused on circulating lies that 'Africans' were being paid to move to Barking and also attacking Muslims. However the other MP in the borough, Dagenham's Jon Cruddas, who is standing for the party's deputy leadership attacked Hodge saying 'We're in danger of racialising arguments over housing allocation rather than concentrating on the need for greater social housing provision'. John McDonnell, who had hoped to challenge Gordon Brown for the party leadership said 'This is a deeply reactionary and dangerous statement to make. The issue is the chancellor's failure to allow affordable housing over the last ten years'.

Hodge's capitulation to the BNP's racism further legitimises them as a political party and will help them in their campaign to win election to the Greater London Assembly next year.

Cruddas stands out at LPIS hustings

At the Labour Party Irish Society Deputy Leader Hustings this evening candidates - including Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain - defended the government's bidding war with the Tories to appear tough on immigration. Hazel Blears in particular took the Blairite line of policy-creation-by-Daily Mail-headline, arguing that immigration is increasingly 'an issue' for the British people and that it was therefore necessary for the Labour Party to compete with the Tories.

Only Jon Cruddas MP stood out . As an event jointly organised with Africans for Labour, Labour Friends of Turkey and Chinese Friends of Labour, Cruddas highlighted the exploitation of immigrants and asylum seekers in Britain today with an anecdote noting how a shed in Dagenham has been used to house up to eight immigrants, hot-bedding around the clock. Cruddas criticised the competition of the 2005 General Election where Labour and the Tories pushed each other further and further to the right, offering forced repatriation, detention centres and border police. Cruddas argued the need for the government to celebrate immigration and multicultural societies, rather than continuing its policy which is providing a breeding ground for racism.

Cruddas is the only candidate providing hope to those seeking increased Party democracy and members influence over policy. Not only does he articulate the need to shore up the Party's core vote instead of arch-Blairite Liam Byrne's marginal seat-focus but he has the best record in Parliament. Like all the others he supported the war in Iraq but is the only one to admit his mistake. But he has voted against university top-up fees, the replacement of Trident, the destruction of comprehensive education through the Education and Inspections Bill and supported the Agency Workers Bill. He also demanded the recall of Parliament last Summer when the government failed to call for an immediate ceasefire of the Israeli bombing of Lebanon.

Watch this space - their are six more weeks of hustings - and watch Jon Cruddas.

* The Chair of the Socialist Campaign Group, John McDonnell, has failed in his bid to challenge Gordon Brown for leader. Labour MPs stampeded to nominate Brown and left McDonnell unable to reach the 45 nominations needed. See louisefeminista's commentary and analysis for the Labour left on socialistunityblog here.