And so it begins: the rush to voters’ hearts. Over the next seven months, we will be treated to a range of policy menu offers from the restaurants of the political class, seeking from British citizens the right to govern in a national interest. Whether it be the Tories’ tax cut and guarantee of an European Union membership referendum by 2017 or Labour’s promise to freeze energy bills as well as guarantee a minimum wage of £8 per hour by 2020, the parties’ rival menus are beginning to show.

But something unexpected has occurred. On the same street as the campaigning restaurants run by the two main parties of government, a purple army has set up shop a fast food outlet, providing angst-ridden customers with something quick, easy and simply explained to take their minds of the woes of their everyday lives. Their cheap and cheerful menu policy offer of the day: ‘saving British jobs’ from being nicked by uncontrolled EU migration, while our national parliament is lorded over by pesky Brussels bureaucrats.

All of a sudden both parties, eager not to be edged out by this new competition have decided to downsize their manifesto menus to compete on the same level as this insurgent competition. This week David Cameron has proposed adding quotas for internal EU migration across the United Kingdom while the Conservatives’ candidate in Rochester and Stroud has all but agreed with Mark Reckless’ stance on EU migration. Even on the Labour side, Ed Balls and Chuka Umunna have implied an intention to change to the interpretation of free movement across EU states if Labour forms the next government.

While this may seem the right delicacy to cure a quick belly ache, it is far from a nourishing meal that will really provide an honest realisation of the UK’s place in the EU, answers for the neglected elements of UK society and infrastructure and that will build the ambitions and aspirations of many a UK citizen. July saw the release of an internal Whitehall report, in which New Europeans were cited as a source of information regarding the costliness of trying to alter the free movement principle for political posturing. And like fast food, the rhetoric of limiting internal EU migration may contain initial tastiness, but in the long run, will turn out to be bad for the nation’s health.

The work of the organisation I am working with, New Europeans, has been a focus with our petition for maintaining internal EU free movement rights and the Free Movement Rights campaign on the realities of the opportunities that free movement can provide the UK with. That truth including 2.2m UK expats being able to seamlessly work and live across the EU (akin to the 2.3m EU citizens living and residing in the UK), not to mention the growth and enterprise opportunities raised by the one in seven new businesses within the UK being created by residing expats including many from the EU.

As the general election draws nearer, let us make sure that these facts be served as a nutritional starter to the British public as the parties of government prepare the British public to compete in an ever-changing and fluctuating world.

———————————

James Gill is an outreach officer for New Europeans. He writes here in a personal capacity. They can be followed on Twitter: @JamesGill13 and @NewEuropeans

———————————