Only business
Ever since New Labour surrendered the formulation of its immigration policy to the malevolent vagaries of a succession of right-wing tabloid editors, that policy has been distinguished by a petty, disturbing vindictiveness. Almost as if a delight was being taken in pouring further misfortune on the unfortunate.
There’s the dawn raid, adding that extra frisson of terror to the lives of men, women and children whose only crime is to want to come and live here, and who, more often than not, have seen plenty of terror already.
There’s detention centres like Yarl’s Wood, whose foul conditions are roundly condemned by anybody with an ounce of human feeling.
And then there’s the latest twist of the knife - the naming and shaming of businesses and their owners who have employed illegal immigrants. As if a five grand fine wasn’t enough of a kicking for some for these small businesses, the government want to bring potential ruin to them as well.
We now have a handy little list of businesses for Daily Express readers and other assorted racists to boycott, pillory and spit at. I’d be interested to see the takings of some of these businesses in say six months.
It probably goes without saying that a system with a little less aspiration to being a cross between the Sweeney and a meat processing plant and a little more to basic compassion would mean risking the vestiges of New Labour’s popularity. The way things are going, the type of flat-faced little Englander who gets a semi on over this kind of thing are going to be the only constituency this supposedly left-wing government has left.
All these supplementary miseries are completely unnecessary to the running of an asylum system but someone somewhere is designing these little additional details. And he probably toddles off to his wife and kids and considers it a good day at the office. You get the feeling that these people love their job.
This is, of course, all about ’sending a message’. Terrify asylum seekers by kicking their doors in at 5am and word will get out and maybe others will take the hint. Ditto interning them without charge and dignity.
The ‘naming and shaming’ has a nice mafia ‘do not fuck with us’ angle, like sending Luca Brasi’s body armour back accompanied by the fish. Nice little curry house you’ve got here, be a shame to ruin it by letting some poor sod earn a few quid.
| See also • New Labour: SLATTT Part 4 • Asylum seekers: shocking news • Your democratic duty |
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Filed under Eye Catching Initiatives, New Labour |
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