'White working-class disempowered' says report

A report for the Department of Communities and Local Government published on Friday (2nd January 2009) adds to the increasingly common complaint that the 'white working-class' is feeling marginalised compared to immigrants, particularly in housing. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jan/02/immigration-working-class

The realisation of recent years that the concerns of 'white working-class' people (a problematic categorisation admittedly) cannot simply be put down to racism is welcome. Accusations of racism tend to disenfranchise a large part of the poorest sections of society.

However, the debate that is being had out by Blears et al is problematic in two respects. Firstly, Blears treats the 'white working-class' as a group to be 'connected to' just like the Muslim community. On the other side of the discussion immigration is assumed to be the chief problem that people are resentful about, along with the attendent concerns about racial tension.

The poorest, however, become disenfranchised long before the current wave of immigration. Terms like 'white working-class' to refer to them are problematic because the majority of working class people have done well for themselves. The rest are ill served by arbitary ethnic categorisation or the ramping up of fears of a racial conflict when addressing housing and services would do fine.