my e-mail to the politics editor of the Guardian... about this article
what do you think?

Much of this and previous legislation, and the actions of the British
Government are totally against the spirit and letter of the UN Convention
on the Status of the Refugee. Why is this 'Labour' government so
consistently right wing? Why does it continue to ignore UN guidelines and
show such disregard for human life and suffering? What happened to it's
famous 'ethical foreign policy'?

The mainstream media are complicit in a consistent smear campaign against
refugees, the whipping up of racial hatred and public panic over this
'problem'. The truth is that very few refugees come to Britain, and we have
a moral and legal responsibility to help those that do. Past examples show
that many who have been given the opportunity to move freely to this
country have not (the Irish for example, or the seven million from Hong
Kong). The Guardian is amongst a few papers who do provide a more balanced
view but a much more hard line must be taken against the 'crisis' created
and presented by other papers. An easy to understand statement of the facts
about these issues could be put together to show the reality of the
situation, showing the relatively small numbers of refugees we get here,
the apaulling and illegal ways they are treated, the racism of the British
media and state (the Race Relations Act explicitly does not apply to
immigration issues),the stinginess, and amnesia over our promises and
previous mistakes (the denial to Jewish refugees from Germany of asylum in
the 1930's).

I could easily write such a piece, and would be happy to help anyone
writing one as it seems absurd to almost 'Chomskian' propaganda model
levels that there is not more outcry in the press over these issues. The
lies and illegality of our government are easy to see and it is extremely
suspicious that they are not more brutally exposed.

yours sincerely

Benjamin Zeitlyn