24 April 2024
On the evening of the ‘Safety of Rwanda Bill’ passing through parliament, or ‘state-sponsored people trafficking’ as others call it, the Conservative Party invited its MPs to celebrate the occasion with late-night drinks. (1)
On the following morning, it was reported that a boat accident left 5 people dead. They were attempting to cross the English Channel: 3 men, 1 woman, and a 7-year-old girl. (2)
Whilst it’s correct to report that these people have died, it feels more accurate to suggest that they have been killed. They have been killed by inaction from our government, whose policies make little effort to protect their lives, safety, and well-being.
The long-running discriminatory nature of our Home Office policies has been highlighted. We would not allow for Ukrainians fleeing Putin to risk their lives on a dinghy to get here, nor people from Hong Kong. Yet, when it comes to those fleeing the atrocities we’ve created, like in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria, to name a few, we impose inhumane measures and enforce a lower standard of rights and care.
Whilst the policy’s humanitarian shortfalls are clear as day, the economic shortfalls are worth mentioning. Remember, we are living in times of high tax, and high poverty, and our government has spent roughly £250 million on the policy so far. This will, in turn, mean we will be spending around £1.8 million, on average, for each person we deport to Rwanda. Meanwhile, the government underfunds vital public services.
These are dark times in human history. We are witnessing a migration crisis on a scale we’ve never seen before, at a pace never experienced before. This is in part because of the UK’s role in stoking wars, sponsoring terrorism, and exacerbating global warming, all of which have, or are, displacing tens of millions of people in the pursuit of large profits, for a select few. (3)
Let’s just be clear: the vast majority of these people have the right to seek asylum. In fact, the majority of those who do make the dangerous Channel crossing, end up winning their claim for asylum, or win their appeals to stay. We once had offices all around the world, where people could make an application to come to the UK. The government has closed nearly all of them. So now, for these people, their only choice is to cross the busiest sea way in the world. (4)
So, if we all agree that there is a migration crisis, then surely the question we should be asking is whether we have a moral crisis? Why is it, that it is felt to be acceptable that, currently, people must risk their lives to come to the UK in search of asylum? In a decent, respectful, and compassionate society, there would surely be no need for people to take such desperate measures to seek safety.
Furthermore, if this is how we treat people who are displaced by wars and persecution, then how are we to care for those who are forced to leave their land due to the effects of climate change? Worryingly, we don’t even have a legal definition, or framework, to help these vulnerable people, yet. (5)
Surely, those on the far-right, who tell us to be fearful of people migrating to our country, should be the biggest advocates of preventing climate change? After all, that will lead to a much greater migration crisis. (6)
Fortunately, the Green Party recognises the issues that are creating the displacement of people, and will establish a system of asylum, and humanitarian protection, which will treat applicants fairly, humanely, and without discrimination. Not to mention that the Green Party would enact policies to build a world in which no one needs to seek asylum, by addressing the underlying conditions that lead people to seek protection. (7)
Lastly, for those who do seek protection, the Green Party will create safe routes, with safe passages, for people. This is so we will never return to where we are now, where vulnerable people are left with no choice but to risk their lives for their legal right, as defined in international law. (8)
The more Greens that we have elected, the sooner we can make a difference to help save, protect, and care for those who have been displaced. The time has come to vote Green, and only then can we rescue the rights that we are losing, or have lost, under the current government.
If you feel the same way, then become a member today, and join the effort to change the future we want to see.
Jeremy co-chair Medway Green Party
With thanks to Wasim for his help.
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