NCADC: report on latest Asylum Bill
internationalist | 26.04.2002 14:41
Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill - second reading
Blunkett's bill goes through unopposed as did his racist slur against refugee children.
The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill, received its Second Reading in the House of Commons yesterday (24/4/02) and was passed without a vote. It now goes to the committee stage and should be concluded by 16th May with a possible Third Reading by the end of May, before going to the House of Lords.
The debate itself was mostly supportive of the government's proposals from all sides of the House, with no outright condemnation of the bill coming from anyone. Mostly pleas not to be so harsh and speed up the system.
David Blunkett's racist remark, "not swamping the local school", was raised in the debate, but only for speakers to say that he didn't mean it. Mr Blunkett is adamant that he did mean it.
In 1978, when Margaret Thatcher coined the word swamping, she was accused of having her eye on the elections. So, one must ask, when David Blunkett used the word swamping, did he have his eye on next month's local elections?
Though the government's rotten decision to segregate refugee children from other children did not receive any strong criticism in the debate it is provoking opposition.
67 MPs led by Karen Buck, the chair of the London group of Labour MPs, have tabled a Parliamentary motion (EDM 1187 Education Of Children Seeking Asylum) opposing Clause 30 of the Immigration Bill and calling for all children to have the same access to mainstream school places.
A copy of the Second Reading debate can be obtained from NCADC. Return a blank message and in the subject line put: Subscribe, 2nd reading.doc
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Home Secretary, David Blunkett, speaking on Radio 4, 24/4/02
"Accommodation centres are commonplace in many parts of the world and will enable people to receive education and health care on the premises," he said on Radio 4's Today programme. "While they're going through the process, the children will be educated on the site, which will be open. People will be able to come and go, but importantly not swamping the local school."
The Guardian( 25/4/02) reports:
"Mr Blunkett rejected suggestions that his use of the word 'swamping' had been a slip of the tongue and insisted that he had chosen it deliberately, even though he could have picked another expression.
"Yes, I did mean to say it. I could have used 'overwhelmed' or 'overburdened' because the dictionary definition is exactly the same," he said.
Blunkett's bill goes through unopposed as did his racist slur against refugee children.
The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill, received its Second Reading in the House of Commons yesterday (24/4/02) and was passed without a vote. It now goes to the committee stage and should be concluded by 16th May with a possible Third Reading by the end of May, before going to the House of Lords.
The debate itself was mostly supportive of the government's proposals from all sides of the House, with no outright condemnation of the bill coming from anyone. Mostly pleas not to be so harsh and speed up the system.
David Blunkett's racist remark, "not swamping the local school", was raised in the debate, but only for speakers to say that he didn't mean it. Mr Blunkett is adamant that he did mean it.
In 1978, when Margaret Thatcher coined the word swamping, she was accused of having her eye on the elections. So, one must ask, when David Blunkett used the word swamping, did he have his eye on next month's local elections?
Though the government's rotten decision to segregate refugee children from other children did not receive any strong criticism in the debate it is provoking opposition.
67 MPs led by Karen Buck, the chair of the London group of Labour MPs, have tabled a Parliamentary motion (EDM 1187 Education Of Children Seeking Asylum) opposing Clause 30 of the Immigration Bill and calling for all children to have the same access to mainstream school places.
A copy of the Second Reading debate can be obtained from NCADC. Return a blank message and in the subject line put: Subscribe, 2nd reading.doc
==============================================
Home Secretary, David Blunkett, speaking on Radio 4, 24/4/02
"Accommodation centres are commonplace in many parts of the world and will enable people to receive education and health care on the premises," he said on Radio 4's Today programme. "While they're going through the process, the children will be educated on the site, which will be open. People will be able to come and go, but importantly not swamping the local school."
The Guardian( 25/4/02) reports:
"Mr Blunkett rejected suggestions that his use of the word 'swamping' had been a slip of the tongue and insisted that he had chosen it deliberately, even though he could have picked another expression.
"Yes, I did mean to say it. I could have used 'overwhelmed' or 'overburdened' because the dictionary definition is exactly the same," he said.
internationalist
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http://www.ncadc.org.uk
Comments
Hide the following 4 comments
Race Card
26.04.2002 15:26
Ra
not quite so
26.04.2002 18:48
steve goss
mugs
26.04.2002 20:39
We (as the British Empire and its political descendents) painted the map in our image. We imposed our government, economy and culture on people. We had no right to do this. We left legacies of economic and social instability. The poverty, war and unrest around the world is our harvest. Who carved up Africa for financial gain? Not the people who live there.
We continue to uphold unfair trade and to support multinational companies that pay workers in other countries less than a person can reasonably live on because it makes goods cheaper for us.
Who are the mugs here?
And if a man or woman runs here to try to get a secure and reasonably comfortable life for themselves and possibly their children – is that so terrible? Don’t we owe the people we have exploited for years at least security and sanctuary? We have what we have on the back of their history. And we carry on taking.
And I haven’t even begun to mention people who are fleeing torture, who are afraid for their lives. (much of this again is our harvest).
What do I teach my white English daughter about British history? Given the odds against, how can I teach her to be proud of her heritage?
Because I teach her that we are responsible for our actions. That we can be proud of what we are trying to achieve. Simple things. A home, the right to work, the right to live with your partner and children, the opportunity to contribute to the society you live in, the freedom and right to be yourself without fear of retribution. The right to be schooled with other children, not ostracised, not detained.
ALL PEOPLE FLEEING POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC PERSECUTION ARE NOT ONLY WELCOME BUT ENTITLED TO BE HERE.
NO BOUNDARIES.
heather
well said
26.04.2002 23:36
gas tapp