Immigration and social justice: a reply to Nicholas Soames
The Conservative politician Nicholas Soames, scion of the aristocracy and grandson of Winston Churchill, has attracted some news coverage for a recent rant in which he expressed fear of “the scale of...
View ArticleThe War on Drugs has failed: we need an alternative
This week, it has been widely reported that researchers in the United States have found evidence of a long-term decline in IQ among subjects who used cannabis in their teenage years. I do not doubt...
View ArticleIn which foreign students are punished for other people’s mistakes
The UK Border Agency has announced today that London Metropolitan University will no longer be able to sponsor visas for international students, accusing the university of a number of administrative...
View ArticleStop the war on benefit claimants
Our politicians are fighting a brutal war on one of the most marginalized and powerless groups in our community: those who depend on state benefits. Under the guise of “getting people back to work”,...
View ArticleFree Breanna Manning
I was disappointed to find today that the Guardian, even while reporting on the systematic torture and degradation that the United States military is inflicting on Breanna Manning, still refuses to use...
View ArticleThe church and homophobia: reflections of a disappointed ex-Christian
As someone who grew up as a Christian, and who counts many Christians among my family, friends and loved ones, I have grown more and more disheartened as the recent debate over marriage equality has...
View ArticleThe government’s “reforms” to family migration penalize people for being poor
The Government has recently announced a package of changes to the Immigration Rules. These changes, which come into effect on 9 July, will have the effect of making it more difficult for nationals of...
View ArticleWhy do we treat asylum-seekers so badly?
This is not the first time I have written about the British state’s appalling treatment of asylum-seekers, and it will not be the last. It continues to be a stain on our national conscience....
View ArticleStop “Secure Communities” in Massachusetts
I’ve written before about the misnamed “Secure Communities” program, a federal initiative in which state and local police departments share information about their arrests with Immigration and Customs...
View ArticleOppose HR 4970 – save the Violence Against Women Act
Among other things, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) provides routes to legal immigration status for certain undocumented immigrants who are victims of domestic violence. Recently, the Senate...
View Article
