Blunkett tells asylum seekers to go home (UK MINISTER TO MUSLIM REFUGEES: GET OUT)

The Daily Telegraph ^ | September 18, 2002 | The Daily Telegraph

[MadIvan]

David Blunkett, Home Secretary, has said he has "no sympathy" with young asylum seekers from Kosovo or Afghanistan who come to Britain looking for work.

Kosovo, Afghanistan = Muslims; the Minister is going to get roasted by the Guardian tomorrow - Ivan

Mr Blunkett was facing questions from the Home Affairs Select committee on immigration issues. He was asked about rules which stopped asylum seekers working during their first six months in Britain.

Mr Blunkett told MPs: "If these people are dynamic and well-qualified, and I don't dispute that they are, they should get back home and recreate their countries that we freed from tyranny, whether it be Kosovo or now Afghanistan.

I had to blink several times and made sure I read that right. Alleluia! - Ivan

"We are freeing countries of different religions and cultural backgrounds and making it possible for them to get back home and rebuild their countries.

"I have no sympathy whatsoever with young people in their twenties who do not get back home and rebuild their country and their families."

Mr Blunkett told the Committee that he had been wrong to maintain the target to remove 30,000 asylum seekers who exhausted the appeals procedure each year.

Asked about comments he made in the House of Commons last June that the Home Office was aiming to remove 2,500 failed applicants each month, Mr Blunkett said: "I should have drawn stumps at that point - let's just get that on the record.

"It was not achievable in terms of any other country in the world or in terms of our current processing ability at that time."

David Cameron MP asked the Home Secretary: "To be clear now for the future - the 2,500 a month is gone and the 30,000 a year is gone, which is in the manifesto?"

Mr Blunkett said: "Yes. I'm doing so on honesty grounds and on practical grounds.

"Realistically, the burning down of Yarl's Wood finished any chance of doing that." The multi-million-pound Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre, near Bedford, was more than half destroyed by fires started during a riot in January which saw a number of detainees escape.

The Home Secretary said the immigration removals system took second place to ensuring illegal immigrants did not get into Britain in the first place.

I had to read that several times too. Wow! - Ivan

He told MPs he was keen to continue work he has already begun to strengthen Britain's borders in conjunction with other governments, and to speed up the system which decides asylum applications.

When David Winnick referred to the case of the Ahmadi family, who were arrested at a mosque and deported to Germany earlier in the summer after losing their fight to stay in Britain, Mr Blunkett said: "We don't have a such a thing as refuge in religious institutions in our democracy. I just want to make that clear.

"There are sensitivities around it but I have every faith in the Appeal Court process."

[MadIvan]

I should add that David Blunkett is blind. According to the Economist, the fact that he has overcome this disability means that he really doesn't care much for people who don't strive to overcome the obstacles in their lives and rather, just scrounge off others. How he joined the Labour rather than Tory party is something of a mystery.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Bump!

[Happygal]

I had to blink several times and made sure I read that right. Alleluia! - Ivan

*LOL*...I was reading through the article too and had the same reaction! *LOL*

[justshe]

MadIvan....NEVER stop with your comments interspersed thru the columns you post. You translate MUCH for us.

Thanks for the ping!

[okie01]

"According to the Economist, the fact that [Blunkett] has overcome this disability means that he really doesn't care much for people who don't strive to overcome the obstacles in their lives and rather, just scrounge off others."

I suppose this is somehow described as a "deficiency". The Guardian would certainly find it so.

[Happygal]

Actually Blunketts comments would be out of tune for Labour Party policy on immigration, wouldn't they?

[MadIvan]

Actually Blunketts comments would be out of tune for Labour Party policy on immigration, wouldn't they?

Much of the Labour Party is going to be very unhappy with this. The funny thing is, I don't think Blunkett cares. ;)

Regards, Ivan

[cardinal4]

Perhaps you could loan us this MP to sit in for some of our congresscritters. Hillary, Boxer or that creature from my Dads district, Wexler.

[Miss Marple]

Wow! Amazing stuff! The forces of common sense are beginning to assert themselves!

[Happygal]

The funny thing is, I don't think Blunkett cares. ;)

Gotta love those Mavericks :-)

[MadIvan]

I suppose this is somehow described as a "deficiency". The Guardian would certainly find it so.

I regard it, as a Tory, as true grit. ;)

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Perhaps you could loan us this MP to sit in for some of our congresscritters. Hillary, Boxer or that creature from my Dads district, Wexler.

I was going to ask if there would be some Republicans who would hesitate to speak this way or this bluntly.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Wow! Amazing stuff! The forces of common sense are beginning to assert themselves!

From the Labour Party no less. This is very strange.

Regards, Ivan

[I_Love_My_Husband]

I like this and am willing to trade any of our traitors (including Repubs who are pro-immigration) for him. I mean that in a good way. We need MORE Brits like him here.

[texasbluebell]

I wonder what/how much it's going to take in the US for someone in our govt to say what your guy is saying (tapping my foot impatiently).

[cardinal4]

Unfortunatley,anyone who would say what the MP said in our country, would be villified and called intolerant and run out of town. This despite the fact that 19 muslims took advantage of our foolish immigration laws and killed 3000 of our citizens. But,NOOOOOOOO, we wouldnt want to offend anybody.

[MadIvan]

I like this and am willing to trade any of our traitors (including Repubs who are pro-immigration) for him. I mean that in a good way. We need MORE Brits like him here.

He's needed as Home Minister here, I'm afraid. Now, if only he'd adopt zero tolerance policies....though it sounds like he's on that road.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Unfortunatley,anyone who would say what the MP said in our country, would be villified and called intolerant and run out of town.

It may still happen. I'll bet that the Guardian will bleat about this tomorrow.

Regards, Ivan

[habs4ever]

The ghost of Enoch Powell just waded into a river of blood ;-)