"Don't spit in the street!" says Little Miss Dynamite!

Hazel Blears is getting busy with her advice packs for immigrants. This is all part of her Cohesive Society strategy, but if I were an immigrant, I'd take a lot of this New Labour stuff with a pinch of salt. For a start, why assume it is only immigrants that need the advice? I see quite a few white Anglo-Saxons walking around with some very disgusting habits. Spitting in the street? It's done by all types unfortunately. So saying this in this way is only partially helpful.

Hazel's list is -

Don't drink and drive
Don't drop litter
Put bins out for collection on the correct day
Make sure children attend school
Get a licence before you go fishing
Don't touch people without their permission
Respect the law
Avoid spitting in the street
Don't play music loudly

The only one on the list those already here may not regularly do is to go fishing without a license. This one's aimed at Eastern Europeans, who are not natural poachers, it's just what they normally do back home. As for "touching people without their permission" what does this imply? A frigid, rigid race of unfriendlies? It all depends on the "touching", Hazel! A groping gesture on a middle-aged woman - a definite NO-NO! But a friendly touch on the arm - why not?

Respect the law? What's this we're hearing about not declaring donations to party funds? A bit more even-handed here Hazel!

And dropping litter in the street? That's something that's been going on since the Litter Act failed to make a dent in an already troublesome problem. Can Hazel do something about people stuffing empty beer cans into hedges on their way home at night? That's litter-louting for you.

Amit Kapadia of the group HMSP Forum, which campaigns on behalf of skilled migrants, said he welcomed the introduction of the packs. He added, "But this shouldn't just be targeted at one section of the community - as well as being an introduction to the UK, the packs can act as a reminder to people who are here already." A reminder? For some, they need to go back to square one in order to rectify their behaviour!

Oh, and finally, Hazel misses out the most important - WASHING YOUR HANDS AFTER GOING TO THE LOO! That will help to keep down MRSA at a stroke!

Posted in: Hazel Blears,immigrant community advice,Immigration,New Labour