Noticeable how already there is a slow decline of attention regarding Afghanistan, as with Syria, Yemen, Venezuela, and every refugee situation in the world. No wonder the government always feels so comfortable demonising asylum seekers. They know everyone forgets about them.
I mean, in a purely practical sense I get it. People have only so much attention span and as the news roles on they focus on the next story. Combine that with that hideous phrase "compassion fatigue", and it's not remotely surprising people forget.
Refugees don't forget about their situations though. When the cameras stop filming and the public stops caring they are still living in those situations. That's why legislation has to defend all refugees, no matter where from or how they reach the UK.
Public attention will move on. One minute Afghans must be the priority, the next people are back to complaining about a relatively small number of people crossing the channel. Asylum policies can't be based on whatever people are reading the the papers that day.
They need to be based on the real world, the actual issues, not the perceptions. They need to be based on compassion, empathy and support. They need to ensure that asylum seekers are safe, and that means ensuring they have access to the asylum system.
They have to stop with the bombastic rhetoric and exclusionary policies, designed on the fly because of whatever news story has prompted outrage among a particular section of the public that day, and start looking at long-term, genuine, solutions, and that means helping refugees.
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