It’s been my increasing suspicion for some time that all quarters of our political establishment believe that the public - their voters - are small-minded simpletons who must at all times be provided with a suitable scapegoat, lest they decide the establishment is actually to blame.
It is quite strange to listen to political coverage currently, even from mainstream sources, and remember that net migration has quartered since its peak, and is likely to fall to Cameron's tens of thousands target next year and this has made no difference to the discourse.