juliet

Interesting points, and I agree with some. But let's remind ourselves that where this started out was as a discussion of proposals by the government to cut off the benefits of failed asylum seekers (incidentally the local authority support rates are about 45% of income support rates). In fact this has been a process of gradual restriction and disentitlement. The point is that the Government has more recently drafted the legislation with get out clauses for the supported person if a human rights abuse might otherwise result. Where the Courts have interpreted this so as to protect the disabled and families, the Government rather dishonestly blames the judges for protecing those human rights.

For me, if the government can lawfully remove someone it should do it, while preserving minimum standards of decency for those who have not yet been removed. Starving people out of the country is not an option. While the righting of economic inequality abroad is a desirable end, my view is that this will take a long time coming. In spite of Blair's aid agenda the loan servicng element of the south still outweighs any aid from the north, and everything so far implemented however radical is but a sticking plaster (not that some of the recent initiatives are entirely unwelcome).

In the meantime, I prefer to make sure that those within our shores are looked after while they are here.

My comments on xenophobia in the predominantly right wing press arise not because of my views on your own politics; rather they come from frustration at the spectre of Labour and Tories outbidding each other to seem tough on those who need protection. Bill Morris recently castigated Labour for overusing the term bogus asylum seeker (to the point that foreigner = asylum seeker = bogus became almost interchangeable). It's all slipping back again though.

If you remeber the single mother and workshy dole scrounger of 80's mythology, and compare it to the asylum seeker today, you may see what I mean.

A final thought; I recently read that according to Home Officde figures the net cost of immigration is a surplus to the economy of 2-4 £ billion(sorry, can't remember the exact figure). Food for thought, no?