Stuff and nonesense!
I'm voting Tory at the next election (I always intended to, but that's beside the point).
I absolutely loathe this government and what they stand for. They have comprehensively destroyed the values that Britain has stood for in the world for half a century or more. I'm not talking about so-called "family values", or any of that bollocks, I'm talking about the traditionally accepting, open, and morally driven system of immigration and asylum, which this government has turned into a political football. We have, or at least had, in this country a tradition of giving aid and shelter to those in genuine need, those seeking asylum on grounds of persecution and torture in their home countries, and what does this governmen do? Play upon public panic about immigration and economic migrants in order to gain votes, and turn asylum seekers into reviled and mistreated individuals in the process.
Take the case of Mehdi Kazemi, for instance. He came to this country to study English when he was 16, during his stay here his boyfriend back in Iran was arrested, tortured, and killed by the Iranian authorities. Before his death he revealed that Mehdi was his lover, and the authorities therefore issued a warrant for his arrest. Having recieved a call from his father in Iran telling him of the situation, Kazemi sought asylum in Britain, presuming that no sane country would send a teenager back to a country where he would face torture and an ignominious death. He was wrong. This government, whilst admitting that Iran, among other countries, persecutes, tortures, and executes gay men, decided to deport him a year after his initial application. Kazemi then fled to Holland, which takes a much saner line on the issue than Britain. Under EU law, however, a person must be considered for asylum in the country in which they first claimed it, and therefore, after a lengthy legal battle, he was recently sent back to Britain, from whence he expected to be sent to Iran to be killed. Fortunately, before this could happen, the government caved in to public pressure and questions from MPs and decided to let him stay here indefinately.
While this is a success story, what really riled me is the callous indiferrence the government showed towards the plight of an innocent man in danger of a horrible death. The only reason they eventually decided not to send him back to Iran was that it would make them look bad. There was no moral component to their reasoning whatsoever.
Mr Kazemi's plight is oft replicated in the cases of other refugees from countries -Sudan for instance- where they face both official and unofficial persecution and possibly death for their sexuality, tribal origins, or political beliefs, and it is an utter scandal. This government deserves to be held to account for their actions in destroying Britain's reputation as a welcoming home for the persecuted, and for sending hundreds of innocent people to their possible deaths. Not just for this, there are other reasons (obviously) to vote Tory, I am, however, merely pointing out one of the more compelling ones.
Your resident gay politics wolf singing off.
I absolutely loathe this government and what they stand for. They have comprehensively destroyed the values that Britain has stood for in the world for half a century or more. I'm not talking about so-called "family values", or any of that bollocks, I'm talking about the traditionally accepting, open, and morally driven system of immigration and asylum, which this government has turned into a political football. We have, or at least had, in this country a tradition of giving aid and shelter to those in genuine need, those seeking asylum on grounds of persecution and torture in their home countries, and what does this governmen do? Play upon public panic about immigration and economic migrants in order to gain votes, and turn asylum seekers into reviled and mistreated individuals in the process.
Take the case of Mehdi Kazemi, for instance. He came to this country to study English when he was 16, during his stay here his boyfriend back in Iran was arrested, tortured, and killed by the Iranian authorities. Before his death he revealed that Mehdi was his lover, and the authorities therefore issued a warrant for his arrest. Having recieved a call from his father in Iran telling him of the situation, Kazemi sought asylum in Britain, presuming that no sane country would send a teenager back to a country where he would face torture and an ignominious death. He was wrong. This government, whilst admitting that Iran, among other countries, persecutes, tortures, and executes gay men, decided to deport him a year after his initial application. Kazemi then fled to Holland, which takes a much saner line on the issue than Britain. Under EU law, however, a person must be considered for asylum in the country in which they first claimed it, and therefore, after a lengthy legal battle, he was recently sent back to Britain, from whence he expected to be sent to Iran to be killed. Fortunately, before this could happen, the government caved in to public pressure and questions from MPs and decided to let him stay here indefinately.
While this is a success story, what really riled me is the callous indiferrence the government showed towards the plight of an innocent man in danger of a horrible death. The only reason they eventually decided not to send him back to Iran was that it would make them look bad. There was no moral component to their reasoning whatsoever.
Mr Kazemi's plight is oft replicated in the cases of other refugees from countries -Sudan for instance- where they face both official and unofficial persecution and possibly death for their sexuality, tribal origins, or political beliefs, and it is an utter scandal. This government deserves to be held to account for their actions in destroying Britain's reputation as a welcoming home for the persecuted, and for sending hundreds of innocent people to their possible deaths. Not just for this, there are other reasons (obviously) to vote Tory, I am, however, merely pointing out one of the more compelling ones.
Your resident gay politics wolf singing off.