← Back to context

Comment by joe_mamba

1 month ago

> dogwhistling immigration

Where do you see the dogwhistling? Immigration is an actual concern to all working class people in EU who understand the basics of supply and demand of the labor market and housing, and I don't agree with trying to suppress such valid concerns by brooming it under dogwhistling, as blocking discourse on this topic just serves to radicalise people.

Especially in current economic times of mass layoffs of many European industries and high unemployment especially amongst the youth, CoL and housing crunch, it's normal the tax paying locals with voting rights don't want their leaders making them compete with immigrants for the shrinking pool of jobs and housing when they themselves are struggling.

And especially given how the typical government promoted immigration systems often marketed on "solving labor shortage in critical industries" and "bringing in the best and the brightest" have historically been abused by employers to drive down wages and reduce the bargaining power of the locals in working class jobs that had no actual shortage of workers, instead of being exclusive for the "best and the brightest" as they claimed.

So given such precedents, it's perfectly normal that such policies be open to public debate and scrutiny since the public will be the one mostly affected, while the business and asset owning elite is always the sole winner in these cases and the ones pushing for them the most.