Today, the UK government announced plans to end it’s "Dubs" amendment - the plan for Britain to take 3,000 vulnerable and unaccompanied refugee children. We will in fact now only accept 350 children and then shut the doors.
We've seen horrifying stories of children refugees being exploited and trafficked, disappeared, abused or found dead. These are children. CHILDREN. No greater indication exists of our relative humanity, our morality and social conscience.
The decision of the UK government to refuse to take any more child refugees is one which can only be classed as morally and ethically deplorable and it's one that follows hot on the heels of our Anglo-Saxon cousins in the USA, with Trump's decision to do the same - to quite understandable global outrage.
My discussions with Tory MP Michael Fabricant were, that despite his Jewish roots, he was refusing to accept the current parallels with the 1930s; this just shows how deeply rooted denial-politics can become. We see the far right making huge gains in the US and across Europe. Global politics is at crisis point in terms of security and stability, and we face the very real risk of the ethnic cleansing of refugees in Europe. Once again.
1.4% of the land in the UK is used for buildings. We use over 2% for golf courses. Golf courses. We are 90%+ undeveloped. UK GDP at $2.7trn is 5th globally. And yet this nation of money, space and plenty cannot afford refugees. Not even vulnerable unaccompanied kids cleared to be here, and who are at risk of abuse, disappearance and trafficking. And let's be clear here, it will be the child traffickers who will be rubbing their hands with glee at this announcement. It's a boon for them.
Like moral biodiversity indicators, the #MuslimBan and our inhumanity towards refugees are signs that as a society, our political classes and those interests supporting them, are losing their way. It's going to be down to the people to hold them to account and use all our means to influence the public space, policy and national debate.
Know what you will tell your children about this era and what your actions were, and what were your words. This really is no longer a time for silence, acquiescence and complicity. None can afford for us to be on the wrong side of history.
First published 9 February 2017: Medium