PM shares frustration, shies from pledge

David Cameron rocked the Brits for a second time today by claiming to share Tory frustration about immigration, but ignoring any UKip or Labour frustration about it. “This is not the One Nation Conservatism I have come to know and love,” said bandleader Ed Militant, “and that’s why I nicked the One Nation bollocks for myself hahahahaha.”

However, the shine was taken off the PM’s sympathy when he refused to commit to any pledge on the problem. Everyone is now confused about which colours he is nailing to the mast of the good ship Grey Area, and which bit of the woodwork he might fail to polish next.

The Slog says we must be patient with the Prime Minister, and realise he has broader issues to consider here.

First of all, having allowed 100,000 houses to be built, he mustn’t of course cut off the supply of occupants, as that might also cut off future Tory donations from the construction industry.

Second, he has an obvious personal problem in that Chipping Norton is awash with Romas and Australians, and thus he doesn’t want to be accused of legislating where there is a conflict of interest.

Third, he must take into account the commitments made in all good arse-licking faith by Boris Johnson and George Osborne to guarantee open immigration for five million Chinese nuclear reactor designers over the next five years.

And finally, as he has pledged to sweep away all Red Tape, this must also apply to immigration controls which are, as we know only too well, frustrating our efforts to acquire skilled workers, there being only 3.6 million British unemployed from which to choose.

We need to bear this in mind before criticising Mr Cameron. We must not side with Ed Balls and his ferocious attack on the PM for “freezing us out of frustration and leaving Britain with a chronic shortage of second pullovers”. That sort of thing simply isn’t going to get us anywhere.