‘It hasn’t worked’:

Depends on how you define it and how extreme you have to be to qualify.
Do I want the UK to be “ Singapore on Thames “? Not really .
Do I want the UK to be a part of a declining quasi political trading bloc ? Not if the result is uncontrolled immigration .
Maybe if I were a middle class leftie who has saved money from hiring an immigrant or a cynical employer who could exploit their youth, desperation and ignorance then I might think otherwise .
All free nations tend to have some kind system in place to protect its interests.

I’m not simple enough to think that the problem or the solution is simple , darling . 

Nope. You are just being lazy. You use false accusations and over simplification to score non points .
You still accuse me of self contradiction, even though you cannot find a quote ( or a series of quotes ) to support your false claim , Darling .So I will add dishonest too.

Where have I said that I support or do not support protectionism?
Define protectionism and how far into that spectrum should I be to be defined as protectionist?

Here's what you've claimed so far:

1.  "As for hardworking …the East Europeans that come over here were mainly young , itinerant people with nothing to lose." 
2.  "They worked seven days a week, 12 hours a day for weeks at a time."
3.  "They were no more hard working than their UK co workers."

The first carries the suggestion that you don't believe they were hardworking.  Fine, but the second tells us that you admit they were hardworking.  And the third confirms that they were hard working but no more than their UK co workers.  Therefore, the logical conclusion is that Eastern Europeans and their UK co workers were both hard working.

You gave us your anecdotal evidence that Eastern Europeans worked extreme, back breaking work schedule.  I asked you to give similar evidence in relation to their Brit counterparts.  You couldn't.  You still can't.   Yet you don't want to be called inconsistent.  And you seem to be miffed and antsy with me. Why? 

Costs such as tax credits, unemployment benefits. Prices being high is a consequence of insufficient numbers in the field, prices being low are a consequence of too many. On balance I prefer the former as it is cheaper for the country in the long term, avoids immigration, avoids pressures on local communities in terms of cultural changes and social cohesion. So in reality the person who need teh tradesman pays the cost of that tradesman. As long as I have been alive prior to the EU there has always been ups and downs in tradesmen numbers.

Fine. If you wish to deny it now. It's not really a problem.

No matter what the rate is, to work a 12-hour shift, 7 days a week for weeks at a time is in, by, of itself, hard work. Even for those young, itinerant, dumb workers from Eastern Europe that you mentioned.  To suggest otherwise is to insult workers who work such a shift.

In any event, you assert that they're no more hard working than their UK co-workers. So, these young men from EE must have UK co-workers who work that kind of schedule.  It would be great if you could provide us with evidence of that -- your anecdotes will do. 

You're all heart, aren't you? But please. Spare me the sermon. You are not worried about exploitation of immigrant workers. You're concerned about this misguided concept of yours that they accept such work conditions and thus "stagnate wages" and undercut the overpriced locals or worse, steal their jobs.