The
UK signed the 1951 Convention on Refugees, which states that anyone
has the right to apply for asylum in Britain and remain until a final
decision on their application has been made.
An
asylum seeker is someone who is fleeing persecution in their
homeland, has arrived in another country, made themselves known to
the authorities and exercised the legal right to apply for asylum. A
refugee is someone whose asylum application is successful and is
allowed to stay in the host country. A refused asylum seeker is
someone who has had their application turned down and is awaiting
return to their home country. It may be unsafe to return and
therefore be some time before they can.
The
UK is not the soft-touch for asylum seekers that politicians
try to make out. Asylum seekers are not here just to take advantage of
the benefit system. That is a myth put about by
politicians. The UK immigration system is extremely tough. The reason the UK is a popular destination is due to many family/friend connections (from the days of Empire and Commonwealth) and also the world-wide adoption of the use of English as a second
language.
People
living in other countries which are not the land of their birth are now accustomed to insults like "parasite" or "
scrounger" and xenophobia is on the rise.
"Patriots" are quick to say that
“foreigners" have come to take over "their" country, "their" resources, "their" jobs, "their" culture, and so on. In order to ward off
unrest and discontent, various tactics are employed by governments.
One of them is to create divisions among the suffering and deprived
by blaming it on foreigners and whipping up nationalistic feelings.
This diverts attention from misrule and mismanagement. In response to
campaigns of misinformation and outright lies, people are taken in by
the government's ploy. Now, since a hungry person is an angry person
and since anger is emotional and over-powers reason, the least
provocation can result in misdirected violence vented against
vulnerable fellow citizens or be turned loose on the refugees and
migrants.
This is the real cause of xenophobia - the rich pitting the
poor against the poor. Our ruling class open a Pandora's Box of
nationalist rhetoric and allows space to open up for groups and
individuals influenced by fascist and racist ideology.
The
Socialist Party does
not
speak of “we” and “us" in relation to which land we just happened to have been born. The Socialist
Party condemns nationalist ideas. We find such attitudes pernicious
and repugnant.
They
are stumbling-blocks to working-class understanding of
socialism. Nationalists need a scapegoat to explain the loss of
what they called “national identity”. For the working class,
national identity has always meant over-crowded crumbling housing
schemes, insecurity, poverty and unemployment. National identity is a
cunning political device by means of which the working class, who own
no part of the country, are duped to identify with their exploiters,
the capitalists, who own virtually everything.
Socialism
will embrace all mankind because the Earth will be owned in
common. The Socialist Party stands side-by-side with our
friends, work colleagues and neighbours. We will not allow a wave of
xenophobic nationalism and racism to threaten our lives and
well-being.
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