Iain Dale left stunned by calm caller on LBC
A composed caller named Mike told Iain Dale on LBC that Britain βwill remain almost ungovernable until we have mass deportationsβ.
The exchange was striking because the caller spoke in measured tones, clearly articulating a view held by millions of people across the country. Yet Iain struggled to process it, repeatedly falling back on βyou canβt do thatβ.
Mike highlighted the obvious disconnect: the British public have consistently voted for lower immigration, only for politicians to deliver record levels instead.
βThereβs a massive disconnect between the political class and the people of this country,β he said. βWe never gave any consent to this and thereβs certainly no mandate for the scale of immigration weβve seen.β
When Iain pushed back, saying you canβt deport people here perfectly legally, the caller was unflinching:
Caller: βYou mean end indefinite leave to remain?β
Iain: βYou can do that for future people but you canβt do that for people who have already got it. That would be outrageous.β
Caller: βYeah you can. Of course you can.β
Iain: βFrom a fairness point of view, you canβt suddenly tell people whoβve got a perfect legal right to be here that weβre changing the rules nowβ¦β
Caller: βYou can, Iain.β
Iain: βWell you can do that but is that really the kind of country you want to live in?β
Caller: βYes!β
Iain continued to argue that you canβt βtake it out on perfectly legal, law-abiding peopleβ, clearly unable to grasp how widespread this frustration has become.
The public didnβt always feel this way. Years of politicians ignoring the public on immigration have shifted attitudes dramatically. As the caller made clear, people never voted for this transformation and the consequences of fixing it now rest with those who created the problem.
Well worth a listen. The gap between Westminster and the rest of the country has rarely been clearer.