The Way We're Ruled Today

It's not been the most high profile of campaigns but The Times and a number of bloggers (myself included, although in my case merely as a hanger on) have been campaigning to grant the various Iraqis who have been working with our forces in Iraq asylum. They are, after all, at grave risk of being murdered for the help they gave us. Two young women who washed the soldiers' smalls were, and a number of others have been found tortured to death: electric drills though the joints, eyes gouged out, that sort of thing.

Gordon Brown has announced that there will indeed be something of a resettlement programme. Excellent we all cry, and then go back to sleep. However, however, a copy of the Ministerial statement has mysteriously fallen into my hands (they, err, post them on these here intertubes).

What is actually being offered is 6-12 months wages to aid in resettlement somewhere, anywhere. To come to the UK they have to cross another hurdle:

Alternatively, these staff will be able to apply for exceptional leave to enter the UK, or to avail themselves of the opportunity for resettlement in the UK through the UK’s Gateway refugee resettlement programme, provided that they meet the criteria for the programme, including that they satisfy UNHCR that they meet the criteria of the 1951 Convention and need resettlement.

Now the way that I read that is that they must satisfy the requirements of the 1951 Convention in order to gain asylum. Fine, you might think. But as I also read the Convention, if you satisfy the requirements, you have a right to asylum.

So those people who are at risk of murder, as a result of working with the British forces, are being offered either a redundancy payment or asylum, the asylum only being offered if they can prove that they already have a right to it.

And people say that I'm too cynical about politicians.