THE President of Bulgaria, Rosen Plevneliev, has correctly rebuked Tory leader Cameron for peddling nationalism and isolationism.
It is ironic that the UK – which in the 19th and early 20th centuries colonised a good part of the world, insisting on carrying the ‘white man’s burden’ there, and slaughtering all those who objected to this self-appointed mission – should now be on the frontline of peddling British exceptionalism to the free movement of peoples, especially the Bulgars and Romanians, whom the UK ruling class want to keep out of the UK, unless of course they are very, very rich!
This cynical Cameron manoeuvre is being carried out while millions of the descendants of those that the UK ruling class got rid of, very often transported in chains to places like Botany Bay, are living happily, and unhindered, thousands of miles from the UK.
Then there are the modern emigres, who have taken advantage of the higher living standards, cheaper house and land prices, and greater benefits in the EU, by shifting in their hundreds of thousands to France, Spain, Greece and Cyprus, etc, etc. There are, at least, several million of these UK ‘benefit tourists’, who are now permanent residents abroad.
In fact, Cameron with his rushed-through measures to try and keep Eastern Europeans out of the UK, by preventing them getting benefits, is merely seeking to prevent UKIP stealing a good section of the Tory party away from him.
This section has never recovered from the loss of empire, beginning with losing the national liberation war in Ireland in the 1920s and then being driven out of India, Burma, Aden, Cyprus, and Africa in the period from 1948-1965.
This took away their hereditary livelihoods as colonial overseers and masters of repression, something that they have never got over. They still believe that all points east of Dover are peopled by inferiors, or their French and German rivals.
The only way that the Tory party can be be kept together is through a backward campaign to keep the foreigners out of the UK. However, this risks an even bigger crisis and split when the banks and big business begin to scream that their position in the EU is being undermined.
Hostilities will get under way from 1 January when migrants from Romania and Bulgaria will have to wait three months before they can claim out-of-work benefits.
Labour, however, intend to match Cameron blow for blow, fearing that it will lose the support of the less class conscious sections of the working class.
Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, yesterday accused the government of making last-minute changes because it was on the run. She said: ‘Labour called for these benefit restrictions nine months ago. Yet David Cameron has left it until the very last minute to squeeze this change in.
‘Why is the government leaving everything until the last minute and operating in such a chaotic way? Three weeks ago, Theresa May told parliament she couldn’t restrict benefits in time, now the prime minister says they can.’
In fact, government whips have been forced to delay bringing back its flagship immigration bill to the Commons knowing that 80 Tory MPs are supporting an amendment imposing a five-year delay for Romanians and Bulgarians freely coming to work.
That would put the UK on collision course with the EU, and see them threatened with eviction, and an immediate industrial and banking collapse. It could also bring the coalition down
The Bulgarian President, Plevneliev told the Observer yesterday that Britain should stay true to its legacy as ‘a great global power that pioneered integration’ and not play on people’s fears.
‘Isolating Britain and damaging Britain’s reputation is not the right history to write,’ he said.
The truth is that Britain was able in the 19th century to pioneer integration on its own terms, in fact dictate terms to people after people, and integrating them into an empire.
This period has gone for ever.
The British working class must oppose the nationalism of the Tory and Labour high commands.
In fact, the UK trade unions must join hands with the working class of Europe to overthrow the EU of the big bosses and the bankers, who have been dictating austerity to the workers of Europe, and replace it with the Socialist United States of Europe.
This Europe will be based on the expropriation of the bankers and bosses and a socialist economic plan that will be able to deliver production to satisfy people’s needs to every part of Europe, without any barrier to the movement of people. This is the way forward.
