It is not untypical of the character of the Home Secretary that, having accused the Tories of ‘playing the race card’ over asylum-seekers, he should himself launch an assault upon refugees on the eve of a general-election campaign. Under Mr Straw’s proposals, it would seem that people fleeing from foreign dictators may soon no longer be allowed to turn up on our shores uninvited; they will be obliged to apply for refugee status before they get here. Asylum-seekers who come from a list of ‘safe’ countries face having their applications rejected out of hand.
It is not just that there are specific objections to these measures — are people who are afraid for their lives really to be expected to pop an application form in the post and patiently await a reply before sneaking on to a plane to safety? There is a greater malaise behind the attitude of the government — and that of Her Majesty’s opposition — towards refugees.
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