Dutch Auction rhetoric?

[Undesired Walrus]

I was at the Labour Leadership debate last night and David Miliband said something I simply couldn't understand.

Here's the summation of what he said:

He also said that the Brown slogan of "British jobs for British workers" produced the lesson that you should not have a "Dutch auction" on immigration, or Europe. He then issued what for this campaign was an unusually positive approach saying that to play into the Dutch auction rhetoric is wrong and if people want that "don't vote for me".

What's that all about?

 

[Puppycow]

define: dutch auction

a method of selling in which the price is reduced until a buyer is found

How that relates to immigration, I'm not sure.

 

[brodski]

A “Dutch auction” is a type of auction where the seller sets a price and then periodically lowers it until a buyer is found. The first person to accept the price wins the auction.

The metaphor is used to mean that political parties (or candidates) shouldn’t get into a bidding war with setting quotas for immigration (or the like), with each party periodically lowering the quota to “undercut” their opponent in a race to the bottom.

 

[coalesce]

At least he didn't ask for a Dutch oven be given to immigrants.

Michael

 

[WildCat]

At least he didn't ask for a Dutch oven be given to immigrants.

Michael

Or even worse, a Dutch treat.

Sick people those Dutch are, but apparently they're superior to Danes.

 

[Rockingham AH Deist]

A “Dutch auction” is a type of auction where the seller sets a price and then periodically lowers it until a buyer is found. The first person to accept the price wins the auction.

The metaphor is used to mean that political parties (or candidates) shouldn’t get into a bidding war with setting quotas for immigration (or the like), with each party periodically lowering the quota to “undercut” their opponent in a race to the bottom.

Ah. So Labour shouldn't cave in to democracy. Got it.

 

[brodski]

Ah. So Labour shouldn't cave in to democracy. Got it.

I'm not sure how you got that from what I posted. Maybe I was talking in code and didn't know it.

 

[Mashuna]

Ah. So Labour shouldn't cave in to democracy. Got it.

I'm not sure how you got that from what I posted. Maybe I was talking in code and didn't know it.

I think the code is actually in the other post. "Cave in" is code for "pander to", "democracy" is code for "mewling and whining from Daily Mail editorial pieces and the letters page".