And with that, what was once racist is now allowed to be said. What was yesterday a conspiracy theory is today a legitimate observation. In the wake of the Gorton and Denton by-election, which the Greens won handsomely with an ethnic sectarian campaign designed to maximise the Pakistani-heritage vote, the Labour establishment is abuzz with ominous talk of ‘family voting’ and the role of this practice, in which men decide the votes of all eligible electors in their household, in securing victory for Hannah Spencer. An outfit calling itself ‘Democracy Volunteers’ put out a report last night, something the group admits it ‘rarely’ does, claiming ‘extremely high’ levels of family voting, with the practice reported at 15 of 22 polling stations observed. Mainstream journalists are suddenly reporting conversations in which ‘South Asian’ women described their vote as a matter for their husband. Such talk is naturally displeasing to ideologues of multiculturalism, who regard it as ‘a dangerous slur on an entire community’.

We have seen again and again that sectarian campaigns directed at constituencies with sizeable Muslim populations can be highly effective

We have seen again and again that sectarian campaigns directed at constituencies with sizeable Muslim populations can be highly effective

In truth, it’s a little more complicated than that. Labour hasn’t only just seen the light; it was sufficiently concerned about ‘family voting’ to support Lord........

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