tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212152.post-21289867750541194032008-02-29T09:26:00.008Z2008-02-29T10:51:43.158Z2008-02-29T10:51:43.158Z<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_EQc_hLHXONE/R8fRK1Ob6WI/AAAAAAAABhk/oYCkK8rYUO4/s1600-h/liam_byrne.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_EQc_hLHXONE/R8fRK1Ob6WI/AAAAAAAABhk/oYCkK8rYUO4/s200/liam_byrne.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172332681074829666" border="0" /></a>Immigration minister Liam Byrne told BBC News this morning that the Australian immigration control model had been closely examined by the British government: <span style="font-style: italic;">"I think that people want to know that only those who we need to come to Britain should be allowed to come and I think a points system has worked extremely well in Australia so we have studied that hard, we think it would work well in this country."</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2265/2299257761_9a54db10ce_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2265/2299257761_9a54db10ce_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The 2005 Conservative Party Manifesto promised<span style="font-style: italic;"> "We will introduce a points-based system for work permits similar to the one used in Australia. This will give priority to people with the skills Britain needs."</span><br /><br />Remember how the Labour Party made a huge issue of the policy and campaign posters, outrageously condemning the commitment as a racist dog-whistle policy. <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Less than three years later Labour is implementing the same policy.<br /><br />UPDATE : </span>Gordon describes himself as a <span style="font-style: italic;">Daily Mail</span> reader in the paper this morning when backing their campaign against plastic bags. So he is actually thinking what Paul Dacre is thinking. </div>Guido Fawkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15091277669318213298noreply@blogger.com