Thread by @SimonFRCox

THREAD. 100 years ago, Britain gave safe haven to 250,000 Belgians fleeing war.

Can UK do the same today for Afghanis?

Does U.K. suspend its anti-refugee policy - or will it abandon British exceptionalism? 1/12

I feel anti-refugee strategies depend on a coalition of:

-the complacent (“world is pretty safe, anyhow they can go back to France”) &

- the scared (“world is dangerous, they’ll all come here”).

1st lot want Gov to do just enough. 2nd lot want Gov not to do too much 2/

Patel’s strategy has been overtly aimed at the complacent - “legal routes & safe countries”.

(While she feeds press to keep the drumbeat of fear).

UK presented as strong, fair - not weak. 3/

But when the complacent are confronted with refugee reality - terrified people fleeing the UK’s revived enemy and literally dying just to try for a plane out - they’re shaken. Some will become scared. But others will demand UK helps more. 4/

Four factors make this crisis especially problematic for Gov

1. British exceptionalism. U.K. is now Strong Britain Great Nation. A world leader (we are often told). To stand by would be weak. 5/

2. Britain’s intervention in Afghanistan. Both pro & anti intervention Brits see this as creating special responsibilities. To stand by would be failure. 6/

3. UK women’s equality policies & rhetoric. Taliban’s is an anti-women coup. Britain can rescue many of those women & their families. To stand by would fail women. 7/

Farage can only appeal to the scared - wildly pretending that helping Afghans will mean asylum-seekers from everywhere else will have to be allowed to stay. He daren’t *yet* confront the complacent & say “UK too poor & weak to help.” 8/

U.K. *could be* a safe haven for many thousands of Afghans. In 1915, a poorer Britain - at war - took in 250,000 war refugees from Belgium.

The town of Royston became 1/4 Belgian. 9/

https://twitter.com/johnbrown1325/status/1079101945674121218

It’s a high stakes issue. If Britain chooses not to step up, our politicians may be faced with months, years of terrible stories of those Afghans who could have been saved, or lives wasted in camps. 10/

Making sense of inaction will pressure British exceptionalism. (“If we’re really strong why did we do so little?”). At a time when Brexit and climate change will already impose pressures not seen since WW2. 11/

Giving safe haven to many thousands of Afghans would be exploited by racists. But it could also be used by Tory leaders to strengthen the story they tell us of Britain’s greatness.

Can, should we rescue Afghans as we did Belgians, 100 years ago? 12/12