Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Send 'em Back

Sometimes our government behaves in a way which is utterly inexplicable.
The enforced return of failed asylum-seekers to Iraq is due to begin within weeks despite the continuing security crisis in that country. Refugee groups said more than 40 Iraqis have already been picked up and sent to detention centres to await their repatriation to the Kurdish-run north of Iraq.
Just what sort of country do I live in these days? At the general election, I'm positive that many people voted New Labour because they were appalled by the apparently extreme position of the Conservative Party on immigration policy. I don't think even the Tories would have had the inhumanity to propose to forcably return refugees to Iraq at the moment. We've already had a similar fiasco regarding asylum seekers from Zimbabwe. Who will Blair come for next?

I've a suggestion. Why don't we forcably send Blair and co. to live in Iraq for a few weeks, or better still for months? Just so that they can assess the security situation for themselves. I wonder if anyone from Harry's Place would like to accompany them?

Apart from the abhorent nature of these proposals, there is a second inexplicable point here. The Blair government is normally good at (only?) one thing and that's media management. In fact, I'd say most of their policies historically stem from their obsession with presentation, but this seems like it's going to be a PR disaster in a bottle (I hope I still live in a country where this will be considered totally unacceptable.) And just to deport 40 people? What's happened to the government? They seem to be unravelling at a pace.

No comments: