Fear and resentment

National has presented its immigration policy - a policy driven, in Don Brash's own words, by fear and resentment:

There is resentment that too many immigrants, and especially those who arrive as refugees, go straight onto a benefit, and live for years at the expense of the hard-working New Zealand taxpayer.

There is resentment that, when we let in one refugee, we then let in his extended family group as well. Like the case of the refugee who brought in his father, mother, two dependent brothers, two dependent sisters, a dependent sister-in-law and her four dependent children!

There is resentment that some immigrants come into New Zealand for the primary purpose of gaining access to our free education system for their children, with no intention of settling in, or paying tax in, New Zealand for the long haul.

There is resentment that some immigrants flout the laws protecting our fisheries, and are involved in much more serious crimes of a kind that, to date, New Zealand has been largely free of - kidnapping and extortion for example.

There is resentment, at least among those wanting to buy their first home, at the impact of immigration on house prices.

There is fear of Islamist fundamentalism, exacerbated when a Maori convert to Islam expresses admiration for Osama bin Laden and a Muslim (Labour) Member of Parliament contends that the Koran is right to say that adulterers and homosexuals should be stoned to death.

And he's saying that Winston appeals to crude prejudice? Because that's what this is - an attempt to paint every potential immigrant as a sponging criminal, and every Muslim as a terrorist regardless of any actual facts to the contrary. And house prices? What next - he'll be complaining about asian students "taking all the good grades" in our schools and all the top spots in our universities?

It's a sign of how desperate Brash is to gain power that he would stoop to outright immigrant-bashing in order to gain election. But then, he's been happy to bash gays and Maori, so I guess this shouldn't really be a surprise.