Allowing asylum seekers to travel safely and ending the exploitation of migrant workers would be an excellent start
- Our writers and experts name the pledges Labour must include in its manifesto
Labour must not make the mistake of being too timid on immigration. It will not be enough to stop doing some of the more egregious things that the current government proposes – such as sending refugees to Rwanda – and returning to a “sensible” level of hostility. Labour needs to be bold enough to undertake a radical overhaul of our failed immigration and asylum systems, and to start to manage the issue pragmatically and humanely for the benefit of all.
It is vital to break completely with the negative narrative about immigrants – that they are a problem to be solved, or a responsibility the UK can palm off on to others. Labour needs to make the case for a system grounded in compassion and based on the objective reality that people move. We live in a remarkably interconnected world and it should be taken as a given that there are people with connections to the UK: some who come here need protection, others need opportunities. We, meanwhile, need people. Managed well, we all benefit. In celebrating migration, Labour will in fact much better reflect the attitudes of the majority of Britons, which are far more positive than ever before, despite ongoing demonisation.
Zoe Gardner is a writer who specialises in immigration policy
Continue reading...from The Guardian https://ift.tt/gCjH1WN
0 comments:
Post a Comment