Britain’s newest anxiety: the migrant crossings
‘Of course, human rights concerns – in conjunction with international law – must be addressed, but what is interestingly taking place here is a British anxiety attack; an anxiety which comes from a loss of control.’
Nigel Farage, the former Brexit poster boy, has attempted to shed light on a new – still British – controversy. The veteran agitator released a video in which he describes a ‘massive criminal enterprise’ of illegal migrant crossings taking place across the English Channel. It shows footage of tightly-packed boats, filled by the silhouettes of muddled migrants making a place on their shabby vessels. Mr. Farage adds that the migrants are coming from France, and how such an orchestrated endeavour against British border control should be a “national scandal”.
Naturally, the video was met with thunderous attention despite the nation’s noxious preoccupation with coronavirus-related gossip. Seldom is Mr. Farage the type to shy away from controversy, so he has spent his efforts campaigning for authoritative attention to be drawn to the issue.
The Home Affairs Select Committee has since heard evidence on the matter, delving into whether or not this issue poses a legal and security threat to the nation. Of course, human rights concerns – in conjunction with international law – must be addressed, but what is interestingly taking place here is a British anxiety attack; an anxiety which comes from a loss of control.
What is driving Britain’s discussion of contemporary issues is an apprehension born out of its’ own lockdown. Fed up with the lying politicians, the increased authoritarianism of the police and the mounting death toll, Britons are starting to treat politics not only with contempt, but with anxiety. As the death toll rises, so too does the feeling that Britain and its people are losing control of their own future.
It would be fruitless to place a value judgement on said anxiety, yet it’s an accurate diagnosis when considered within the framework of the past few months. These have offered little for Britain but unease, gloom and surreptitious busy-bodying. With a nation on its backside, it is easy to fall into traps of discontent – the same discontent which drives the moral pests who attacked Dominic Cummings’s recent lockdown voyages. It is this same cocktail of anxiety and discontent which diverts people’s attention to the migrant crossings.
That being said, we mustn’t demean the issue into oblivion. It is a frequent inevitability of modern British discourse that debates around multiculturalism and migration arise, and perhaps this latest episode is welcome. After all, the multitudes of migrants crossing the Channel from France are increasing; figures show us that 1,890 individuals made the sometimes-perilous journey last year while over half that number have already crossed over this year – placing this year on a course which greatly surpasses the last.
Not only is this issue worsening annually, but it is also rapidly intensifying. Twice this year has the daily record for migrant crossings been broken, with the latest record being set earlier last month (on VE Day).
There is a debate to be had about what Britain should do with these people – inevitably a vetting process will take place, but should the boats be turned away?
EU law stresses that migrants can be sent back to the country of departure, provided that the country is a member state. The UK Home Office has announced that significant numbers of these migrants have indeed had to turn back, in practice of this stipulation.
Priti Patel, already a controversial figure in the Home Office, has played her hand of hard-line immigration rhetoric throughout her tenure as Home Secretary thus far. Patel has even entertained changing current law so that these migrant boats can be intercepted and turned back before they enter British territory.
No doubt, this may excite those who wish to see such changes occur, but the reality is that real change is frequently wanting with this lacklustre Conservative Party in charge.
Much has to be said in favour of the idea that the nation-state should be able to efficiently control its own borders – vetting and processing migrants in a sensible and moral manner. If the government believes this, sensible and moral change will occur – if not, we may as well leave the problem’s fate to the tide.
