While the @ukhomeoffice bangs on about #OperationWarmWelcome shows what a "tolerant" country UK is, MP's are pushing this type of claptrap. Not only ignores multitude of reasons people have to make channel crossings, but also violates international law. 1/ theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/s… 
Someone may for example wish to point out to @cmackinlay that asylum seekers are human beings and not pawns in whatever political game he wants to play. This suggestion alone would violate a number of international laws, not to mention child protection and basic humanity. 2/
I know it is an old fashioned belief that MP's should demonstrate basic knowledge regarding subjects they are talking about, but the sheer lack of an attempt to understand the complexities of the situation, or even just acknowledge basic human rights, is staggering. 3/
Instead we get comments like this from Mackinlay and Anderson, and seemingly others. Okay, let's set aside that it is illegal, or that it demonstrates a complete failure to recognise that channels crossings themselves aren't a "pull factor", it demonstrably doesn't work. 4/
We have seen a drop on overall asylum applications this year, but an increase in crossings. Why? In large part because other routes have been closed. When you close routes you force more people to rely on smugglers and traffickers, who just find different more dangerous ones. 5/
Funnily enough smugglers and traffickers aren't doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. They care even less about people's lives, including children, or the law than @cmackinlay. They are the only option many people have to reach a country they feel safe in though. 6/
And then you have things like this from @NatalieElphicke. All that happens is gangs move further down the coast and more people's lives are put at risk. Turning boats back, returns etc does nothing other than put people at more risk. They aren't crossing the channel for fun. 7/
I'm all for talking about solutions to stop people having to rely on gangs and risk their lives crossing one of the busiest shipping routes in the world. These aren't solutions though. They don't save lives. They don't stop gangs. They do the exact opposite. 8/
It is beyond time that are elected officials stopped engaging in a narrative more suited to a far right thug than an MP. If they want to tackle gangs then do so. Open more genuine "safe routes", and that doesn't mean boasting about PR stunt "resettlement routes". 9/
Remove fines for airlines who transport asylum seekers. Expand ability for claims to be properly and legally processed in France. Hell, open a ferry route. Don't do it by forcing more people to take more risks and rely on gangs who just jack up prices the longer the route is. 10/
Helpful reminder from @StevePeers that all of this aside, you cannot just drop someone off in another country without an agreement, or enter their waters to do so. There are some pretty big implications of that which go far beyond "diplomatic niceties" 11/
https://twitter.com/StevePeers/status/1435262440976130052?s=19
Oh, and having just re-read this and cringed at the number of typos, grammatical errors etc, my only excuse is I shouldn't type a thread immediately after reading the all too regular batshit xenophobia coming out of certain elements, and scrape myself off the ceiling first.
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