In a dramatic U-turn that has been attacked as a sop to the anti-immigration lobby, John Reid, the Home Secretary, will unveil plans to prevent thousands of people from Romania and Bulgaria coming to Britain to work. His move comes after sustained criticism that Polish immigrants are entering the country in unsustainable numbers.

Denis MacShane, MP, has argued against the proposals, as has Keith Vaz, who said they represent "a real blow to our reputation as the champion of enlargement."  I think as progressives we should resist any limits on flows of labour, however we are also a democracy and the politicians should reflect the will of the electorate.

Working Class people in Britain have genuine concerns about the increase in cheap labour from the continent.  They believe they are forcing down wages, something Polly Toynbee also argued last month, and that they are using up Britain's precious housing stock.  Of course middle class families will benefit from cheap plasterers and plumbers, and it would be easy to be dismissive of 'regressive' attitudes that may exist, but don't think they're not real.

I went to a Turkish restaurant on Thursday that is situated in the working class area of Sutton-in-Ashfield.  Nearby is a general store that sells groceries and discounted wine (we were there for the wine, natch), and we noticed that they sold a large selection of Polish foodstuffs; there were pickles, sausages, meats, soups, and cooking sauces.  I asked if the area had a large Polish community, and the reply was delivered with a frustrated negativity that told me everything.  Now of course this could have been a chance experience with a particular opinion, however I spent five-years working in a food factory as a production manager, so I know the massive impact foreign labour has had on the country's workforce.  There is a great deal of resentment that must be addressed.

The danger of allowing such discord to fester is that extremist groups, such as the BNP, will thrive on it - feeding the resentment and distilling it, until resentment turns to hatred, and then to violence.  If the Progressive community allows elitism to blind it to genuine concerns, then it will allow the hard-right the opportunity to gain prominence in our towns and cities.

Reid is taking positive steps to convince people that Labour understands that the balance on immigrations is tipping, and that measures must be taken to ensure flows of labour continue to have a positive impact on Britain.  It's commonsense policy, not playing to the Daily Mail crowd.  
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