Leave To Stay
August 4th, 2006 8
Having just read a news report on the men who hijacked a Boeing 747 in Afghanistan in 2000 I’ve been thinking about the question of why it’s such a mine field of red-tape to grant people seeking asylum leave to stay in Britain.
These men were obviously so desperate to get out of their country they were willing to risk a substantial prison sentence. It would be very easy to lump everyone who comes to the UK into one category and say that we should give them shelter from the evils of whatever regime is the controlling power in their country, but as Home Secretary John Reid points out this position is thwart with dangers.
I continue to believe that those whose actions have undermined any legitimate claim to asylum should not be granted leave to remain in the UK
You can see his point. Everyone must be judged on their own merits. While desperately wanting to offer a safe haven for those people who’re at risk in their own country’s, the UK simply doesn’t have the resources to cope with everyone in search of what may be perceived as a better life.
My personal feelings on the matter are somewhat different, having witnessed people going through the political wranglings and heart ache of desperately trying to get permission to stay in this country which had been their home for a substantial number of years. Very often they have made a life for themselves, and have established friends and family, and are settled, just to be told that they face the possibility of being returned to a country where they could face persecution. I definitely think something needs to change, but as usual I’m at a loss to know what.
Maybe the way forward is to let those people who face even the tiniest risk of danger in their home country stay and be part of our community, a full British citizen. Let them contribute to our economy, let them work and pay their taxes. I know this is a very simplest answer compared to the complexity of the problem, but it seems to me that for an “enlightened” nation we should be offering the hand of friendship.
8 Comments (+0 in the moderation queue).
#1 On August 4th, 2006 at 4:22 pm derv said...
only problem is jon for every hard working foriegner that wants to make a better life for themselves there’s another 9 that wants to fleece this country for everything they can get their grubby hands on. not just picking on foreigners though as we have plenty of home grown scroungers here. i think the only solution is to stop benifits altogether, ok maybe provide shelter and food but that is it, if they want the mobile phones, tv’s and fancy lifestyle, they can work there ass off to get it.
#2 On August 5th, 2006 at 10:57 am Dominique said...
I wouldn’t say it’s quite 1/9 but I know what you mean Derv. There are people who are just in for the benifits and no work.
But then I also know many people who are born and bred UK citizens and are what I will call leeches on our society, people who have never worked and don’t ever intend to because they know our system is so supportive yet so flawed in it’s nice-ness. And these are fully capable and able-bodied people.
Finally I also know people who have arrived escaping situations that make the word horror meaningless or the words politically incorrect a joke. One of my very best mates has been in our country 5years this October and is still waiting for our government’s stuffed up beaurocracy to get its finger out and validate her case. The biggest fault in her case is with incompetent pen-pushers and solicitors etc who dealt with her case for the first 3 years… Pity she had the inept & useless first.
Our beaurocracy has decided to kick her out. I know her story and I can say they are thinking like idiots… But how do you get the heavy machinery to listen to such a tiny cog?
It makes me feel angry that these guys who hijacked a plane are granted leave to stay. In my understanding. they undermine valid claims through their rash actions and the illegal and dangerous means they used to get here.
Arghh! It’s all about individuals versus numbers, personal versus impersonal cases. It’s about knowing someone and their story over hearing some details about someone’s life that means nothing to us and that we can brush off because we don’t truly know and therefore can get away with not caring,
Jon! Such a can of worms!!
A very good topic, in accordance with the heart of the Original Master of braindoing-mindmulching-confusioncausing-eyebrowraisers.
#3 On August 6th, 2006 at 5:58 pm Matt said...
Generous people are taken advantage of. That is the way of the world and the question that i ask is; are we going to allow that fact to make us, as a nation, jaded enough to put our hands pack in our pockets and say ‘enough’. If you make a leaner benefit system then you will leave single mothers, who would work if they could, with not enough to clothe their family. On the other hand we are currently heading towards causing instability in our economy due to the influx of immigrants. A middle line is difficult to achieve and at the moment I certainly don’t think we’re close but i’d choose anything over the death of our national spirit of generosity. Out with politics and in with common sense.
#4 On August 6th, 2006 at 10:16 pm Dominique said...
Matt, Hear Hear!!
Having benefitted from the system when I most needed it, even with its flaws, I appreciate it as the reason that only few people in this country truly understand the meaning of poverty.
Can of worrrrrms!!
#5 On August 7th, 2006 at 9:46 am Paul Oakley said...
A person from Poland (or any of the former Soviet Block countries now in the EC)can come here and legitimately claim benefit for six months. During that time will have accrued enough money to return to their homeland with the funds to buy a small house! I understand there is no limit to the number of times they can do this whilst contributing nothing to our economy. The streets of Britain seem to be paved with gold. I mean this as a social comment not a political one.
#6 On August 7th, 2006 at 12:37 pm Lewis said...
Tough one Jon.
We all want to help people in need and come to the aid of those who need it but there are so many things this country needs to do to help itself first. Get those who have lived here all their lives and are unemployed working, get our house in order first!!
This country helps those who do not help themselves and does not help those who do, and people like you and me get ****** in the ass for it!
There are people who would come to this country and work their asses off to stay and not **** the country over but the system in place is not capable to distinguish the bad from the good, and we cannot track these people and I do not think they would agree to being tagged! would they?!?
Personally I do not think things will get any better while laws are too relaxed and a proper system is put in place to ensure fairness of allocating asylum.
#7 On August 7th, 2006 at 2:18 pm Kris said...
Its about time we lined the coast with Tesla coils!!!!
#8 On August 7th, 2006 at 3:40 pm Lewis said...
Yeah!
And modified attack dogs which breath fireballs!!