[A-List] UK state: scaremongering for authoritarianism

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

Previously unimaginable depths have already been plumbed by this nominally
Labour government, and few have plumbed deeper than David Blunkett. Here's
his latest disgusting venture down the road of xenophobia and racism --
scaremongering on "health tourists". This is the sort of bread-and-butter
issue concerning which parties serious about Scottish autonomy/independence
need to stand clearly in opposition.

-----

Blunkett warns on health tourists

CATHERINE MacLEOD Political Editor
The Herald, May 07 2004

DAVID Blunkett warned the Scottish Executive yesterday that Scots could be
vulnerable to so-called health tourism if they do not make identity cards
necessary for access to devolved services such as the NHS at the same time
as they become a pre-requisite in England and Wales.

The home secretary, who arrived in Scotland last night for a two-day visit,
told The Herald: "Since the public services are devolved it is up to the
Scottish people to decide what they should be used for but if they are using
ID cards in England and Wales for access to the health service then the
Scottish Executive must decide if the Scots would be disadvantaged by not
using them.

"If other countries develop biometric identifiers as they are doing we
become vulnerable. I don't want Scotland to become vulnerable any more than
I want people in England, Wales or Northern Ireland to be vulnerable," he
added.

Mr Blunkett said he would work closely with Jack McConnell to encourage
managed migration but he disclosed they had yet to tailor secure schemes to
meet Scotland's needs.

He rejected calls for migration policy to be devolved to the Scottish
Parliament but he said he would be receptive to any request for increased
numbers of migrants from the Scottish Executive.

He admitted that they were still working on a work permit system and a
sector-based scheme to meet the demands for labour, but he said the biggest
challenge that they faced was ensuring that migrants who applied for
residence in Scotland "did not stay for a month then head off somewhere
else".

Protests over the visit began in Scotland even before he had left London
with Robina Quereshi, the director of Positive Action in Housing, accusing
him of pursuing xenophobic policies on asylum seekers and European migrants.

However, Mr Blunkett remained unperturbed and ruled out any suggestion of
devolving migration powers to the Scottish Executive, an idea floated only
last week by the Scottish Economic Policy Network, a leading Scottish
think-tank.

He robustly defended the government's asylum policy and expressed sorrow for
the children who were kept in the Dungavel detention centre last year for
more than 12 months, but he argued robustly that the blame lay with the
parents.

He said: "I was very sorry children were kept there but the decision was
entirely in the hands of the family. They used the legal system to prolong a
claim they knew would fail. Their lawyers knew it would fail.

"I don't want any child in a secure unit longer than necessary but we
believe the parents carry some responsibility and if they thought prolonging
the stay at Dungavel was in the children's interests, that is their
decision.

"If you allowed them to use their children as their way of leaving they
would abscond. People always complain that failed asylum seekers disappear
into the ether. When we get a grip they complain. They can't have it both
ways."

Mr Blunkett spent last night with faith leaders drawn from across the
denominations to drive forward his "obsession" with improving civic society.

Speaking to The Herald before he left London to visit Charan Gill, the
successful owner of the Ashoka restaurant chain in Glasgow this morning, Mr
Blunkett said: "I want to support the Fresh Talent programme. It is not just
necessary to fill vacancies but if you allow businesses to prosper you can
create new jobs.

"We won't devolve (responsibility for migration) because we think the whole
issue of security, nationality and identity is involved in the policy, but
we want to meet the skill requirements and cultural development and I'm
happy to work alongside the Scottish Executive."

Mr Blunkett, who will probably meet protesters in Glasgow this morning when
he visits Charan Gill, shrugged off accusations of being authoritanian. He
said: "I don't think ID cards are authoritanian except within the chattering
classes. I am not authoritanian at all. I was brought up with a strong
working class grounding which said our mutuality is built on us all putting
something in to allow us to bring something out."