The Tories are blaming the Home Office. But it’s they that carry the
blame:
Harry Truman famously had a sign on his presidential desk saying
“The Buck Stops here” - as in a democracy it usually does. Not on the desks of
the Sir Humphreys but of their political masters. Did the Civil Service warn
Home Secretary May or Prime Minister Cameron that their determination to
undercut the UKIP threat with knee-jerk, ignorant and racist legislation might
not be a good idea? Maybe they didn’t, and as such they abrogated their mandarin
duties. Poor, but not the real issue.
The real issue of course is the
legislation which as ever was initiated by government. Dave and Co. were worried
by the rise of UKIP. Many in the Tory ranks argued for a formal alliance with
the Kippers (remember that Toby Young ?). Others argued that the only way to
counter Farage was to steal his clothes. EU Referendum ? Of course. Tighten
Immigration! Naturellment.
The immigration policy was win-win. The focus
groups said is was Numero Uno as a concern of the Great British Public. And
ILLEGAL immigration (Aaaargh) - what’s not to hate ?
So the 2014 Act was
to curb ILLEGAL immigration. Nobody could argue with that surely. And Ed
Miliband’s Labour didn’t. Their focus groups told them the same thing as the
Conservatives’. The Great British Public don’t like immigrants much and illegal
immigrants are pariahs. Chuck ‘em out. Right!
So what’s an illegal
immigrant? Easy innit? Some dude who’s living here without papers which show he
has the right to do so. Round ‘em up. Ship ‘em out. Easy one. Except that the
educated middle class metropolitan elite didn’t know some people didn’t have
passports. (My God how do they get into Tuscany in the summer hols?).
If
you have a passport your nationality with its right of residence in the U.K. is
documented. But if you’ve never needed to get one - even though you’ve been
here 40 years or more since you came as a child? Well you ain’t got no papers
sunshine. And we know what no papers means. You’re an illegal Sambo - away with
you.
And here’s the rub. Government failed to understand and the Home
Office failed to advise them that these paperless Brits were not illegal
immigrants by any logical use of the term. They were Brits with a paperwork
problem. Not quite the same!
That’s the be all and end all of it. Cockup
not conspiracy. Bad policy and legislation within which a major anomaly
existed. Failed challenge (except by a few MPs like Jeremy Corbyn, Caroline
Lucas and David Lammy). And a Home Office which either didn’t know (Aargh) or
did Know and kept quiet.
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