Blog 2023 Malcolm Blair-Robinson

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Malcolm Blair-Robinson U.S          Malcolm Blair-Robinson U.K.

The government is not doing well over migrants and asylum seekers. There is a widespread view both within the Tory party and the country at large that Cameron’s leadership on the issue is poor. He is fighting opprobrium in the EU for doing too little, public opinion is building against him, but he has his backbenches crammed with MPs under pressure from constituents to say no.

There is emerging a strategy, though the government lacks the courage (or the unity?) to articulate it. It is to keep the EU at arms length, maintain the Calais ring of steel and concentrate humanitarian aid on the camps surrounding Syria and in Syria itself. Here the aid poured in from the UK exceeds all the rest of the EU put together. This is a strong position. Cameron has now said he will take many thousands more asylum seekers from these camps. They hold millions, so tens of thousands would be required to make a real difference. We are also hearing noises about obtaining parliamentary approval (not needed constitutionally but desirable politically) for bombing IS in Syria. This suggests Syria is to be the focus. There is some sense in that. There is also the naval presence off the coast of Libya which has saved many thousands of lives and hints of a small number of specialist troops to go to Libya and help that country to seal its borders. Since there are several organisations claiming to be the government, none of which amounts to one and which vary from well meaning but ineffectual to bandits who are hostile, this last idea is pie in the sky.

The difficulty with all of this is that it sidesteps the multitudes in transit across Europe causing chaos by their numbers and discord among EU members about the best way forward. The government appears heartless and self satisfied and detached from very real suffering now pouring across TV screens on rolling news and special programmes. However these people got there and why is no longer the point. They are there, they are not going to go away and everyone has to join in and help. Including Britain.