Salon.com > Alan Travis

Migration squeeze

Tue, 08 Feb 2005 19:06:00 +0000

The British government is to close the door on low-skilled migrants from the developing world who come to Britain legally under existing work permit schemes, Home Secretary Charles Clarke disclosed Monday. The measure is part of the Labor Party's five-year plan for immigration and asylum, which includes a "points system" for new migrants that critics fear will lead to a "two-tier guest-worker" labor force.

Skilled workers -- those with qualifications equal to A-levels and above -- will be able to settle in Britain with their families once they have worked for five years and passed an English-language and citizenship test.

But lower-skilled migrants, mainly from other E.U. countries, will not be able to bring their families, will be barred from claiming welfare benefits and will be expected to leave after five years. Those from "higher-risk countries" will be required to deposit an unspecified financial bond -- which they will forfeit if they fail to return home.

Clarke received praise and criticism from M.P.'s when he explained the proposals to the House of Commons. Left-wing Labor M.P.'s, some Liberal Democrats and nationalists accused the home secretary of entering a "bidding war" with the Conservatives over asylum and urged Clarke to be more positive about the benefits of immigration.

Unlawful discrimination

Fri, 17 Dec 2004 15:23:00 +0000

A scathing judgment by the House of Lords, Britain's highest court, condemning the indefinite detention of foreign terror suspects as a threat to the life of the nation left anti-terrorist laws in tatters Thursday. The ruling by an 8-1 majority held that the indefinite detention without trial at Belmarsh and Woodhill high-security prisons was unlawful under the European Convention on Human Rights. Constitutional lawyers called it one of the most important decisions from Britain's highest court in 50 years.

But 24 hours after David Blunkett, the law's sponsor, was forced to resign as home secretary, Downing Street and the new home secretary, Charles Clarke, decided to tough it out. They said they would study the judgment, but made it plain they are more likely to renew the controversial laws than modify them. Lord Hoffmann ruled that there is no "state of public emergency threatening the life of the nation" -- the only basis on which Britain is entitled to exercise its opt-out from Article 5 of the European Convention, the right to liberty. It was the anti-terror laws introduced by Blunkett that posed a threat, he declared. "The real threat to the life of the nation, in the sense of a people living in accordance with its traditional laws and political values, comes not from terrorism but from laws such as these."

Kerry leads overseas

Fri, 15 Oct 2004 14:03:00 +0000

George W. Bush has squandered a wealth of sympathy around the world toward America since Sept. 11, with public opinion in 10 leading countries -- including some of its closest allies -- growing more hostile to the United States while he has been in office.

According to a survey, voters in eight out of the 10 countries, including Britain, want to see the Democratic challenger, John Kerry, defeat President Bush in next month's U.S. presidential election.

The poll, conducted by 10 of the world's leading newspapers, including France's Le Monde, Japan's Asahi Shimbun, Canada's La Presse, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Guardian, also shows that on balance world opinion does not believe that the war in Iraq has made a positive contribution to the fight against terror.

The results show that in Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Japan, Spain and South Korea, a majority of voters share a rejection of the Iraq invasion, contempt for the Bush administration, a growing hostility to the U.S. and a not-too-strong endorsement of Kerry. But they all make a clear distinction between this kind of anti-Americanism and expressing a dislike of American people. On average 68 percent of those polled say they have a favorable opinion of Americans. The 10-country poll suggests that rarely has an American administration faced such isolation and lack of public support among its closest allies.

Poll: Blair should not step down

Tue, 20 Jul 2004 13:57:00 +0000

On the eve of the 10th anniversary of Tony Blair's leadership of the Labour party tomorrow, voters have a largely negative view of the prime minister but still see him as competent and experienced.

Today's Guardian/ICM poll to mark the day Mr Blair was confirmed as John Smith's successor uncovers a sense among voters that the Blair era will come to a close some time after next year's general election.

But most of the electorate does not want him to step down just yet. The Tories are nowhere, Michael Howard is slipping back, losing ground to Charles Kennedy's Liberal Democrats.

Before today's debate on the Butler inquiry, the July Guardian/ICM opinion poll also shows that a clear majority of voters 55% believes that Mr Blair lied over Iraq.

Opposition to the war has jumped 13 points in Britain in the last two months; 56% say it was unjustified the highest level recorded on the ICM war tracker.

As Mr Blair squares up to fight off yet another assault on his handling of Iraq in the Commons this afternoon, the voters see life in Britain as no fairer than it was and see him as a leader who has broken his 1997 campaign promise to govern "in the interests of the many and not the few."