In Brexit Britain xenophobia is plat du jour. Some politicians seem to
have lost their moral compasses. The Home Secretary, for example, used her
speech at the Conservative Party Conference to flirt with the idea of requiring
businesses to list their foreign workers. Despite howls of anguish from
sensible commentators, the Daily Mail
appeared to heartily endorse what it chillingly called a “rivers of Rudd” speech, claiming
that she had the backing of a majority.
As Home Secretary, Amber Rudd is
responsible for the immigration service and for immigration policy. I suppose
we shouldn’t be too surprised to learn that a report by the Red Cross reveals a
damning chronicle of delay, intransigence and obstruction by British immigration officials
who appear to be frustrating attempts to admit those unaccompanied child
refugees stranded in Calais, who are eligible to come to Britain. Even the
French government, whose record on refugees at Calais is far from good, appears
to be aghast at what is going on.
Anyone who opposes child abuse and neglect
has to recognise that it cannot be part of government policy to actually sustain
the conditions in which it thrives. But that is what is happening. Somebody
somewhere should be helping, safeguarding and protecting unaccompanied children
at Calais; not making it more likely that they will suffer maltreatment.
