Email from Lee Scott MP
Posted by Lee Scott, MP for Ilford North, at 08:43, Thu 11 May 2006:
Over recent days it has emerged that over 1000 foreign born criminals have been released from prison without being considered for deportation. This was followed by the revelation that the Home Secretary decided to tell the press before he took any action to protect the public. As a result the most dangerous of the criminals were able to vanish into the community. Hundreds were still at large, including 49 of the most serious cases. Had the Home Secretary initiated the legal procedures for deportation and notified all the relevant police forces he would have had a much better chance of deporting these foreign criminals.
We then had a promise from Tony Blair that there would be "automatic deportation" in future for jailed foreigners. However, it soon immerged that no such thing would happen in practice. There will be endless appeals under human rights legislation, introduced by New Labour, and also where a country is deemed to be dangerous a prisoner could not be sent there. Furthermore the automatic system of expulsions of European citizens contravenes a new EU directive that bans national governments from seeking to deport because of criminal convictions.
What we have seen is a systematic failure in political leadership at the Home Office. It is quite clear that Ministers were aware of the problems for months, possibly longer, and did nothing to address them. Now we have dangerous foreign criminals free to roam our streets. Under this Government we lack proper controls at our ports and airports and so they have no idea of who is in our country.
In all the departments of state too many Ministers a fixated on presentation and spin. The change in Home Secretary will do nothing to improve this situation unless there is a meaningful change of both policies and how these are carried out.
What’s your view?
Lee Scott
Comments
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Posted by Pratik Parekh, 09:13, Thu 11 May 2006: (Is this post abusive?) #
I was rather surprised to see Blair sack Clarke (albeit, for another arch-Blairite) as Mr. Blair will need all the support he can muster in the coming months. Regarding the issue, the Government are bound by the Human Rights Legislation, which strongly limits our freedoms as a sovereign (almost) nation, and are also bound by the size of the Home Office. The best hope is drastic reform, slashing numbers to a manageable size. This goes to Blair's idea of "A-listing" candidates and having them put into front bench jobs does not work. The best candidates must be chosen, bar none, not a candidate because they are female, or an ethnic minority! The Labour government seem doomed, and with it, our country are going to fall into the pits, we are already paying more tax than we've ever paid (and not necessarily seeing changes that are a true reflection of the investment), we are less competitive (we've gone from a position of being one of the world's biggest high-end manufacturers, to almost non-existent), our industry is going, Rover, Peugeot, TVR, Ford, HP, the list goes on. Labour need meaningful change, not spin and headline grabbing initiatives, costing millions and doing nothing for society. I am tired of the waste by this Government, worse, I am tired of having to fund these no-hope ideas! Mr.Cameron and co. have the momentum now, time to give us the policies that will win us the election.
Posted by jon mccarthy, 12:40, Thu 11 May 2006: (Is this post abusive?) #
"Now we have dangerous foreign criminals free to roam our streets". It makes me sentimental for the days when only good honest crims from Blighty could roam our streets, possibly picking a pocket or pilfering some apples while always maintaining the cheeky cockney grin that we came to associate with those lovable rogues. Bring back the Ronnie Barker school of criminality i say, no more of this foreign rubbish.