There’s a big lesson to learn from the offensive poster van fiasco this week. Sometimes we Liberal Democrats, including me, can be quick to feel a dividing line between those inside the Whitehall Bubble and the rest of us. This week, we spoke with one voice. Liberal Democrats inside Government were every bit as livid as those of us outside at the presence of these vans on our streets. With their stark message “Go home or face arrest”, illustrated by handcuffs, they can only inflame tensions in communities.
We now know that the Tories have pulled a fast one on us. Sending these vans to boroughs where they hope to pick up votes in next year’s local elections is a cynical and opportunist move. As I reported the other day, no Liberal Democrat knew about or cleared this proposal and given that one senior Liberal Democrat source described them to me as “morally repugnant”, I don’t think we will be seeing them again at the end of the current pilot.
The media, usually quick to pounce on a coalition row, have been sluggish to report the Liberal Democrat dissent, with the Guardian catching up last night and ITV this morning. And very interesting that the Daily Mail has a headline describing them as Tory posters. Just as a point of interest, I was the first one to mention shredding the darned things here. I am glad he gave that line a much wider audience, though.
Some party members have expressed concern that no Liberal Democrat ministers have come out on the record and condemned these vans. Undoubtedly, Nick Clegg would have been asked about them had there been a Call Clegg yesterday, but he’s on holiday this week. Jeremy Browne, the Liberal Democrat Home Office minister, is in Japan and South Korea as part of his drugs policy study. It’s unfortunate both that they were away and that Liberal Democrats inside Government took so long to latch on to what was going on. If Sarah Teather was on it straight away, so should everyone else have been. It is galling that even Nigel Farage has been getting coverage out of condemning them yet none of our ministers have gone on the record, even though we know that they are as annoyed as party activists. There are definitely lessons to be learned for the future, not least that we need to keep a better eye on what the Tories are up to.
However, once people did realise what was going on, senior party figures and parliamentarians have been quick to say the right things.
Tim Farron has been actively talking about this on Twitter:
I wholeheartedly agree with @caronmlindsay these ‘Go home’ posters is the politics of division. These billboards must be shredded and now.
— Tim Farron (@timfarron) July 24, 2013
Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece said:
This so called ‘campaign’ is a disgrace, exactly the kind of dog whistle politics the Tories think will resonate with potential UKIP voters. It’s divides communities, and will damage community relations. I’m very pleased to hear that Lib Dems colleagues in government are completely opposed to, this shameful stunt.
MEP Catherine Bearder said:
It’s grubby and demeaning for all right thinking Brits to have this thing on the road and can and should be taken down immediately. its the thin edge of the wedge and reminds me of posters that appeared in the ’30s Germany. If Cameron can get on the front pages for waving a comic book on the Euro Parliament as a waste of money, he can be also be challenged on £10,000 for a racist poster van.
My hero of the week, though, is our Lord Roger Roberts. He was first to question them in the House of Lords – and, interestingly, the Minister didn’t seem to know much about it. It sounded like she thought it was a City of Westminster initiative.
Does the Minister agree that so many of those who are homeless and rough sleepers are the most vulnerable and fragile in society and that we must do everything possible in order to give them confidence in their communities? Is the present Home Office campaign not also against immigrants, with those billboards going around saying, “Go home or face arrest”? Does that not cause a great disturbance in our communities, possibly also for the homeless people who may feel under threat?
Baroness Hanham: My Lords, there are two important questions there. On the first, about rough sleeping, as noble Lords know and as I have made clear in this House, the Government are intent on stopping rough sleeping. There is the No Second Night Out initiative, in London, The Passage and other initiatives by organisations such as St Mungo’s and St Basils. There is support for rough sleepers and we do not expect them to have to stay rough sleeping for very long.
Regarding the second matter raised by the noble Lord, this is a new initiative that has just been undertaken by the City of Westminster to try to encourage those who should not be here and have not got accommodation to think about going home. It is intended to be helpful; I do not think that it is meant to be intimidating but to address the reality of the situation, as there are people coming here without jobs and accommodation.
Not only that, but he’s tabled a series of written questions:
1. At the request of which Government department were the “Go Home or face arrest” posters prepared and displayed ?
2. What London boroughs and other areas have been covered by mobile “Go Home or Face arrest” vans.
3. In what languages have the mobile Bill boards been printed ?
4. What are the languages of those expected to be influenced by this campaign ?
5. Who prepared the written brief used by the advertising agency instigating this “Go home or face arrest” campaign ?
6. . What is the total cost of the “Go home or face arrest” campaign ?
And one final word. As I wrote on my own blog the other day, Labour’s howls of protest wear a bit thin when you think that they locked up kids and told gay people that they should just be discreet in their home countries.
* Caron Lindsay is Co-Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
