Global Post: Immigration debate roils Britain

[pampango]

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/united-kingdom/100409/uk-detention-centers?page=0,0

"If the British public is unsure about where it stands on immigration, political parties are lost. The far-right British National Party (BNP) is the only party with a clear immigration policy: keeping “Britain British” by removing all asylum seekers, stopping immigration and keeping the "minorities minorities." The stance has gained the party support from people disillusioned by mainstream parties' failure to tackle the issue. The BNP’s growing support is a cause for concern for many who fear the group — which was recently forced by a legal challenge to remove a clause from its constitution that barred non-whites from joining — gaining a stronghold."

"As Britain's general election approaches, the debate over asylum seekers has reached a fever pitch here, with not one but two very public attacks on the Labour government’s handling of immigration. In February, Louise Perrett, a civil servant-turned-whistleblower, publicly denounced the United Kingdom’s Border Agency (UKBA) as unprofessional, power mad and xenophobic in its handling of asylum cases. Almost simultaneously, a group of women embarked on a hunger strike at one of the country’s Immigration Removal Centres (IRC) in protest of the failures of the immigration system."

"In response to a reporter's questions, about half of those asked in an informal poll said they believed asylum seekers were just coming to the U.K. for handouts. Many also believed that asylum seekers were lying about their reasons for seeking refuge. However, many respondents also confessed to ignorance about the immigration situation, blaming the government and the media for a lack of information.

"(Caroline) Beatty (who works with asylum seekers living in Bristol) traces such views to the government playing on the human tendency to fear outsiders, and using asylum seekers as a scapegoat."

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. Actually, I'd say the main parties are currently keeping quiet about immigration

It's hardly been mentioned in the first week of official election campaigning. The BNP always talks about it, of course (when they're not plotting to murder each other, that is), but the big 3 parties are mainly talking about economics - what to do about taxes and government spending, mainly.