France urged the UK to open a safe and legal asylum route in 2021. Our government refused.

The opportunity to #StopTheBoats by offering a safe and legal route for asylum seekers in France was turned down by our government in 2021. 

 

I have discussed the matter of refugees before and Suella Braverman was found lost for words when it came to discussing what safe and legal routes exist for asylum seekers from abroad. I am proud of how we welcomed Ukrainian refugees to our nation, many of whom were in safe nations outside Ukraine. I am ashamed how we are not doing this for others. 

Our government points out that there is a safe and legal route for asylum seekers from nations like Afghanistan. But thousands of Afghans who helped British forces remain stranded by by inaction by our government and many journalists who face persecution are also being left as well. In February it was reported that only 22 Afghans had been resettled in UK under a ‘pathway’ to help vulnerable refugees and many who have fled to Pakistan face injustice there.

I have brought this up (again) as this was discussed in the House of Lords and the current government stance was deemed morally unacceptable.  Unlike many on the left, I am in favour of deporting those who cross the channel to nations like Rwanda and I am in favour of stricter criteria of refugees which would mean many from Albania would be denied refugee status.  Unlike our government, I want the need to channel crossings to be dealt with by having a safe and legal route for refugees to have claims heard while in France.  This would have to be one that would have the capacity to process claims in a speedy and accurate manner as opposed to taking months.  It is insane that we have a situation where an Afghan pilot had to come here by taking a boat across the channel to seek asylum because they were not able to access the safe and legal route that the government has put in place to say that there is one.    

The right to protest

 

Last month, (30p) Les Anderson tried to tell a police chief that he was not doing his job properly when it came to stopping certain protests. Despite stating that the police had powers to stop protests, a law allowing the police more powers to do so came into effect just before the coronation. 

While I think that the police were right to act before the coronation, I do think the part of the law that allowed this should have had a sunset clause which would cause it to expire after the Coronation Bank Holiday weekend.

The right to protest is an important part of our society, it has brought about much needed change when inaction brought none. Too many on the right forget this, or call for protestors to leave. Both arguments are stupid as a patriot wants their nation to be better as opposed to leaving it. I doubt the suffragists would have brought about political change in the UK buy leaving it. 

How to annoy my daughter

My daughter has had her first mock exam. I am not sure if she is going to survive the week. Today, before her exam, a friend tried to de-stress her by smuggling in two snails into the refectory and having a snail race on her table. Some of the snail trail got onto her notes which she promptly binned.

In the exam, her friend sat next to her and tried to get her to help. On the other side, a fellow student needed a pen, she lent it to them and they spent the exam deconstructing her pen and then clicking joints (which my daughter hates).

Apparently I am meant to be sympathetic on hearing this and not burst into laughter. 

They call me Arsenal, I start on top and finish 2nd!

Yesterday I missed the game but watched the highlights today. I would say that our win against Newcastle was a game of the goalkeepers from watching the best bits. It is great that we won. I have to admit I thought that we would lose. We just have to hope that City lose two games and we win all of ours. But that is not going to happen.

Yesterday we missed the weekend pub quiz as we went to the same pub, but for a birthday bash which was quite nice.  I still get twitchy in public spaces, but my anxiety is starting to improve.  

My son has started to revise for his mock exams, but they are not starting tomorrow like those of my daughter.  She has not worked as much as she wanted this weekend and I hope that she does not get too stressed about that.  Anyway, here is wishing her the best for tomorrow!

Ghosting

 As a film , it was okay. It was not terrible but was not brilliant either. We watched with Nick and Lyndsay and Nick after the coronation. It will have to be compared to True Lies (1994), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) and Knight and Day (2010), and is just as silly and unbelievable at times. I am biased as I liked True Lies better than this, but I would rate it as being better than Knight and Day. It did have bits that were funny, had action scenes, but while I would not say that the film deserves to be ignored, if you are bored, it is worth watching , at the very least to see Ana de Armas in her dress in the final meeting. 

When the best bit is a dress and the presence of an actor or two that you seen elsewhere, that says that other films are worth watching over this one. 

Long Live The King

 Long live the king! Two friends and their son came over to watch the Coronation with us, but while my wife and prepared a feast for us, I felt guilty that we had not put up anything to celebrate the day.

My son was not interested in the event at all, he did not watch it and instead went into town to meet a friend. Later we bonded watching Greys Anatomy and even going on a drive together. His views is that the Monarchy should be judged on its past. He is aware that I am in favour of it, and while I do not like the way the Monarchy did not defend Meghan from racist double standards from aspects of the media, I do admire the views of King Charles on how the deportation of asylum seekers is appalling, as well as his views on climate change and sustainable farming. 

My daughter did watch it as well with us before going out with a friend at the end to Fingringhoe by bus and needing a lift once they got lost in the rain. She also would end the Monarchy though she disagrees with me that the alternative would be President Farage. Her commitment to democracy when it has given us Brexit and thirteen years of Conservative mis-rule is admirable for a post that in essence is a figurehead at present, but could usher in the Far Right if made democratic.

Penny Mordaunt, Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Privy Council was very impressive though she was called an air hostess by on or two watching it. Overall it was an event that the nation could take pride in.

I do understand that not everyone did so, and I think that this is one of the few occasions where the right for peaceful protest should not take place in earshot of the once in a lifetime event (for our new Monarch) when so many people who wish him well want to be able to see the even themselves. Comments by those who should know better that people should emigrate if they do not like the event are stupid and fail to reflect that one of the strengths of our nation is the ability to question authority. 

Voting with voter ID

 I voted yesterday. Fortunately, I carry by photo ID in my wallet as I might have forgotten otherwise.  I did try to see if my Labour Party ID would be accepted, but it is not photographic, so it was not. 

Apparently, some who knew better had forgotten theirs, but they had the time and means to go back and collect it before returning to vote.  That is not the case with all.  I voted before I went to work and would not have had the time to vote if I had not done so, or the time to collect by voter ID as I had to get into work by a certain time.  Others had issues with voting which they were not able to overcome.

While the Conservatives point out that Voter ID is in use in Europe, carrying forms of ID is the norm in many European nations, whereas this is not the case in the UK. The idea of compulsory ID cards was discussed in the past, but has been rejected due to concerns over civil liberties. 

Conservatives have mentioned that this is in use in Northern Ireland, but the electorate there wanted this due to a perception that electoral fraud was taking place.  In Northern Ireland, the tongue-in-cheek slogan "Vote early, vote often" has underlined the fact that unscrupulous individuals were always on the lookout for opportunities to cheat. Allegations existed that both sides engaged in this, but one was more prolific than the other and people would turn up to vote to find that someone had stolen their vote! When challenged about this taking place on the mainland, Conservatives have not been able to cite such examples taking place on as significant a scale.

Another thing that is mentioned by Conservative supporters is that we need ID to collect packages from the post office. But the many forms of ID used in such examples are not acceptable to vote. I have collected parcels with my bank card on many an occasion but am not allowed to vote using the same proof, and photographic ID is not needed to open a bank account. 

I suspect many who did not vote in these elections will find out the hard way that voter ID will be needed in the next General Election and we know that those who are more likely to vote Conservative are more likely to have acceptable ID.