A Hostile Environment

The received wisdom on immigration goes equally follows. Growing populace occupation organisation near increased immigration to the UK of Britain too Northern Republic of Ireland led the Coalition authorities to set inwards identify a target for internet migration, too thus enact measures to attain that target. Creating a ‘hostile environment’ to discourage immigration was constituent of that effort. The Windrush generation too descendants are unfortunate victims of overzealous or box ticking officials.

Almost everything inwards this received wisdom is wrong. Although immigration has never been popular, active occupation organisation equally reflected inwards persuasion polls increased followed the Conservative political party highlighting the number equally a agency to assault the thus Labour authorities (Hague: unusual land, Howard: are y'all thinking what nosotros are thinking), too to a greater extent than importantly an increasing number of articles inwards the correct fly press portraying immigrants or asylum seekers inwards a negative light. Most people didn't shout out upwards immigration was a employment locally, but they perceived it was a employment for the province equally a whole. The best predictors of immigration occupation organisation was readership of the Mail, Express too Sun. 

In my post near neoliberal overreach, I listed austerity too immigration equally the 2 ways inwards which the 2010 Coalition authorities went likewise far inwards an exertion to attain neoliberal goals. Austerity was what I telephone yell upwards deficit deceit: using scare stories near the deficit to shrink the state. The focus on immigration amongst the tens of thousands target was also deceit because most of the authorities had no intention of achieving that target. The hostile surroundings policy was in that place for show, equally constituent of the deceit. The 'go home' vans were meant to live on seen past times the public, non illegal immigrants. Most of the authorities knew that seriously trying to attain their immigration target would harm the economy, but rather than enjoin the populace this they continued the facade to have got votes off Labour too UKIP. 

The facade came dorsum to seize amongst teeth the Conservative authorities during the Brexit referendum. Cameron could non credibly get-go talking upwards the benefits of European Union liberty of motility spell at the same fourth dimension putting policies inwards identify that made it seem equally if he was trying to striking his ain immigration target, too thus failing to practice so. In that feel the Conservative's immigration policy created the Brexit disaster. 

Part of the facade of trying to striking that target was the hostile surroundings policy. Some ministers were correct to suggest that the policy was “almost reminiscent of Nazi Germany”. To say that the policy exclusively applied to illegal immigrants misses the fundamental point: people were assumed guilty of beingness illegal until they could prove, too pay to prove, that they had a legitimate correct to live on here. Being assumed guilty could hateful losing your project or your home. If the Home Office made a mistake, the applicant had to pay to attempt to set it right. If the error was large enough, they could live on detained without trial.

What is worse, the policy entrapped landlords, employers too nurses into acting equally extensions of this Home Office regime. Some, fearing the consequences of getting things wrong, were saltation to live on tempted to discriminate against anyone who was non white too did non have got a British accent. In that feel the policy actively encouraged discrimination. But the Conservative political party didn't mind, but equally it didn't run into whatsoever employment inwards conducting an Islamophobic crusade against Sadiq Kahn 

The hostile surroundings policy, similar austerity, has ruined people’s lives. Some are Windrush, approximately are not. The Home Office were warned near how the policy was entrapping innocent people inwards 2014, but did nothing. Rudd too May could run into what the policy was doing to innocent people caught inwards their net, too they made no exertion to alter anything. They exclusively acknowledged problems when they were forced to past times populace opinion. [1]

Like austerity, the Conservative party’s focus on immigration seemed similar a useful political tactic at the time, equally good equally playing to the xenophobic elements inwards the party’s base. Like austerity, the policy started to practice existent harm to innocent people, yet the leadership showed no inclination to dilute or abandon their policy. While Cameron too Osborne could run into that the immigration target was exclusively in that place for show, they had given the responsibleness of achieving it to someone who didn’t larn the deceit. Worse still, Theresa May seemed quite happy amongst whatsoever collateral harm equally she stubbornly pursued the impossible.

So austerity too the hostile surroundings continue, because the Chancellor too Prime Minister respectively are committed to these policies, too seem indifferent to the consequences until forced to undertake partial palliatives. This is why I called both policies neoliberal overreach. Past Labour leaderships have got unfortunately felt they had to tag along amongst both or endure electoral costs. Liberal Democrats were constituent of the authorities that enacted both. The media helped build or went along amongst narratives that made both policies seem essential. But in that place was a pocket-size grouping of Labour MPs who opposed both policies on principle, too proceed to practice so. Is it whatsoever wonder that it is they who directly Pb the opposition party? Is it whatsoever wonder that the political too media consensus that enacted neoliberal overreach volition practice anything they tin dismiss to forestall that grouping gaining power?

[1] The same populace persuasion that supposedly was clamouring for policies to command immigration. It is sometimes said that most people dislike immigration non immigrants. When confronted (thanks to persistent rigid journalism) amongst the human consequences of anti-immigration policy on actual immigrants, the populace pull back. Most of the populace lack the ideological zeal too indifference to its human consequences of many of their political leaders.