“Intellectual neutrality is not possible in a historical world of exploitation and oppression.” Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza
Rishi Sunak invited the British people to judge his fitness to be Prime Minister on the outcome of five pledges. One of these pledges was to stop asylum seekers crossing the Channel on small boats.
"...we will pass new laws to stop small boats, making sure that if you come to this country illegally, you are detained and swiftly removed." (Rishi Sunak: January 2023)
The people behind the small boats crossing, the people smuggling gangs, have been described by the Home Office as “heinous criminals and organised criminal networks.”
Defending her Rwanda Deportation Scheme to discourage illegal migrants, Suella Braverman, Home Secretary said:
“We want to ensure that people understand they shouldn’t make the journey in the first place because they will be removed if they do so. That will stop the people-smuggling gangs."
All very laudable Ms Braverman and definitely a vote winner for the Tory Party. Such tactics worked brilliantly during the Brexit campaign. We all remember the slogan “take back control of our borders”. It was powerful then and it is powerful now. Unfortunately, the slogan has turned out to be totally hollow, as hollow as Rishi Sunak's and Suella Braverman's pledge to limit migration.
While all the headlines concerning migrants centre on illegal migration, overseas workers are pouring into Britain by the back door, many of them the victim of legalised people traffickers.
This is a headline from one week ago:
“Modern slavery helpline calls surge from care staff." (BBC News: 22/10/23)
Unconscionable businesses have been recruiting staff from overseas to work in the care sector, with many of these workers being charged thousands of pounds for that privilege.
“The cost of sponsorship is a few hundred pounds, which is met by most care companies… a few unscrupulous employers and agents are charging workers as much as £25,000, adding interest and deducting the debt from their wages.” (BBC News: 22/10/23)
How this “legal” trafficking of migrants differs from that of the illegal Channel crossing traffickers is hard discern. In both cases migrants are being used to line the pockets of unscrupulous gangs. What is more, many of the legally sanctioned migrants that go on to look after our elderly and sick relatives are totally untrained.
According to the National Care Association, over 60,000 overseas workers have been recruited in the past year, leading to many untrained staff being sent to care for our old, sick, and vulnerable citizens. What is more, many of these migrants are being forced to work excessive hours as well as having to pay massive recruitment fees.
Unison found that migrant workers were required to be on permanent call, had to work 19-hour shifts without a break, and had wages withheld. (Guardian: 10/07/230
The government response to this shameful situation was to say that those operating illegally “COULD” face prosecution.
Not WILL face prosecution but COULD face prosecution. So while my and your vulnerable relatives are being “cared" for by an exploited, modern-day slavery workforce, many without the skills to do so, the government will consider whether to prosecute those responsible or not.
Meanwhile, the people traffickers organising the illegal Channel crossing continue to be castigated as “heinous criminals” and “organised criminal networks” which Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman have "vowed" to stop.
Such a shame they don’t apply the same moral outrage and indignation when it comes to the businesses exploiting migrants working in our care sector.
I know what my judgement is on Rishi Sunak's fitness to be Prime Minister.