I have nothing but sympathy for EU citizens facing the hostile environment. There's nothing new about it though. This has been the reality for non-EU citizens for years. It's tragic that so many people have only just woken up to the reality of that. 1/

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
While you see a number of people hark back to 2012 as a time of an open and welcoming Britain with the Olympics, many others remember it as the year when Theresa May officially brought in a series of policies actually called the "Hostile environment". 2/
Even then they weren't new. They built on the policies of successive previous governments. Among other things, the coalition brought in new eligibility criteria, including the £18,600 minimum income requirements and restricting access to benefits. 3/
Under the previous Labour government a whole raft of policies were brought in under its newly termed "managed migration" goals, including new restrictions on asylum seekers and, drum roll please...a points based immigration system. 4/
Right, left and center have attacked migrants for decades. Unfortunately we still see some, and in particular right now those who claim to be "progressives", ignore this and maintain a "good/bad migrant" narrative between EU and non-EU, which plays straight into xenophobia. 5/
It doesn't matter where someone was born. It's great that people are waking up to the damage the hostile environment does, but you can't make this only about EU citizens. We need to fight for all migrants, otherwise we undermine the fight for any migrants. 6/
The second you try and divide the argument between EU and non-EU you open the door to the argument that it is "acceptable" for some to be denied rights based on where they are born. That is the argument that has been used by racists and xenophobes for decades to destroy lives. 7/
Do you honestly think they will stop? Of course not. You've just handed them the win they need. This isn't an area you can compromise on. Fighting for migrants has to be about all migrants, otherwise it very rapidly starts to fracture and fragment and becomes about no migrants 8/

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More from @stand_for_all

31 May
At an average cost of £13,354 per deportation that roughly means that the UK government has spent £1,869,560 in a 10 day period or nearly £10million this year deporting people who will have already served their sentences. 1/ Image
If the prison system is so unfit for purpose that the government honestly wants to argue that those who have been through it still pose such a fundamental risk to society that they should be deported then I would suggest that £10million would be better spent reforming it. 2/
And yes I know it will take more than £10million to reform a system which is, objectively speaking, fundamentally broken, but as deportations continue the money which could be used to contribute to that reform is just being wasted. 3/
Read 6 tweets
31 May
Controversial opinion, my wife and daughter, who is at uni, both definitely disagree with me, but this is a bad idea. Not only do costs of managing university campuses, pay wages etc still need to be met, and have had to be met during the pandemic....1/3 amp.theguardian.com/education/2021… Image
if you ever want students to be able to actually study in a bricks and mortar university again, but considering student loans already put off some students, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds, due to the perception of repayment, increasing interest.... 2/3
rates would deter even more and reinforce that universities are the preserve of wealthy individuals. That the rates are only paid off later is irrelevant if it puts people off applying now and prevents universities being able to afford to maintain facilities for the future. 3/3
Read 4 tweets
24 May
Thread on the government's "New Plan for Immigration": Just from a cursory reading before the deep dive can confirm that "accessible web version" is the only "accessible" thing about the New plan for immigration. 1/ gov.uk/government/pub…
Some things never change. Straight out of the gate we've got the standard line of immigration being all about how migrants' are an "economic resource", with the added fun focus on "digital". There's nothing this government doesn't seem to think "digital" won't solve. 2/
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Read 17 tweets
23 May
Why is it some people, and it seems to be a growing number, can't even pretend to campaign for Palestinian rights without resorting to anti-semitism? Who do you think you're helping by making Holocaust comments or abusing Jews? No-one. Not a single person, including Palestinians ImageImage
What? Do you think that because someone is Jewish they can suddenly influence what Netanyahu does? Damn, even Israeli voters didn't really get a say due to the way the Israeli electoral system works. Yet, somehow, so many seem to think it's fair game to abuse them.
Call out the Israeli government, please call them out, but innocent people? How does that do anything to help anyone? For a change to happen you need the world to listen, and I guarantee you that isn't happening so long as anti-Semitism is tolerated in campaigning.
Read 5 tweets
22 May
Really strong "80's magic act at Caesar's Palace" vibes off Switzerland #Eurovision .
That's a very sparkly ukulele and if someone could explain the costume that would be great Germany
Every time the hand dances it looks like they are pulling the bird, and I am not sure that's the message they were going for
Read 16 tweets
20 May
THREAD: Okay, so why is it important to distinguish between Patel being at raid on people alleged to be involved in smuggling and trafficking, and Patel being at an immigration raid? I mean either way she's doing it for PR purposes to show she is tough on immigration right? 1/
Of course she, and it would naïve to think this didn't have anything to do with recent public displays of support for migrants, or her own issues with being accused of breaching the Ministerial Code, but there is a secondary issue here. 2/
Immigration is a highly charged subject, to put it politely.
Only a couple of days ago @jameskirkup wrote a piece, which I admit to having a number of disagreements with, regarding how and why migrants' rights advocates keep losing on issues. 3/
thetimes.co.uk/article/patel-…
Read 12 tweets

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