Unpopular view: Humphreys is wrong and Blair is right, at least on the Q of understanding imm concerns. Blair's speeches on the issue in 2005 election show a v clear understanding of the issue. The problem was policy (didn't/couldn't deliver) and trust (little left by then).
The bigger problem with Lab and imm post 2004 was that the decision not to impose controls on A8 imm was made without proper consultation and explanation, and Lab never found a way to explain or defend it adequately after. 2/3
3/3 public never understood why imm from E Europe could not be restricted or why this was good thing. Which is not a surprise as Lab never made any sustained effort to expl it properly, before or after. No engagement at all before decision, after it was defensiveness/change subj
/4 we see kegacy of that even here - Blair's instinct is straight away to talk about the controls Lab introduced on imm from outside EU, rather than discuss EU imm and why controls were not possible to introduce (IMO many ppl still don't have clear understanding re this)
