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BBKing · 24-04-2005, 09:46

All very well, but irrelevant, since your other half and friends aren't asylum seekers but, essentially, economic migrants* (the economy in question being our own, which has deficiencies in skills in certain areas). Ditto my grandad coming from Ireland to work in the Midlands metals industry - he got paid more, they filled a vacancy.

'Asylum seeker', before the unfair and prejudiced demonisation in the right-wing tabloids over the last few years, means 'someone seeking a safe place to live'. That some people choose to *masquerade* as asylum seekers is undeniable (and the point of the asylum system should be to categorise people as one or the other, and kick the latter out). There are many examples of people starting off as (legitimate) asylum seekers and becoming net contributors to society - every East African Asian I've ever met, for instance (they either drive BMWs or Saabs, in my experience). That's to be admired and celebrated, I think.

Lazily repeating the line that 'all asylum seekers are scroungers' does not move the debate on into a realm of honesty, but merely keeps it in the gutter where the Daily Mail, Express and Sun operate. Hence me pulling you up on it.

*Who vastly outnumber the asylum seekers, and are in turn vastly outnumbered by the number of students coming here from abroad to study (320,000 per year, I heard).

24-04-2005, 09:46	#40
BBKing R.I.P. Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: London Services: 20Mb VM CM, Virgin TV Posts: 5,983	Re: BNP manifesto All very well, but irrelevant, since your other half and friends aren't asylum seekers but, essentially, economic migrants* (the economy in question being our own, which has deficiencies in skills in certain areas). Ditto my grandad coming from Ireland to work in the Midlands metals industry - he got paid more, they filled a vacancy. 'Asylum seeker', before the unfair and prejudiced demonisation in the right-wing tabloids over the last few years, means 'someone seeking a safe place to live'. That some people choose to masquerade as asylum seekers is undeniable (and the point of the asylum system should be to categorise people as one or the other, and kick the latter out). There are many examples of people starting off as (legitimate) asylum seekers and becoming net contributors to society - every East African Asian I've ever met, for instance (they either drive BMWs or Saabs, in my experience). That's to be admired and celebrated, I think. Lazily repeating the line that 'all asylum seekers are scroungers' does not move the debate on into a realm of honesty, but merely keeps it in the gutter where the Daily Mail, Express and Sun operate. Hence me pulling you up on it. *Who vastly outnumber the asylum seekers, and are in turn vastly outnumbered by the number of students coming here from abroad to study (320,000 per year, I heard).