Today is World Humanitarian Day. According to the United Nations website:
This year, our World Humanitarian Day campaign brings together the global humanitarian community to mark the twentieth anniversary of the attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, and to show our unwavering commitment to deliver for the communities we serve, no matter who, no matter where and #NoMatterWhat.
Humanitarians have no other purpose than to save and protect lives and deliver the basic necessities of life, they stand shoulder to shoulder with the communities they serve and bring hope.
On 19 August, we come together to honour humanitarians around the world who strive to meet ever-growing global needs. No matter the danger or the hardship, humanitarians venture deep into disaster-stricken regions and on the front lines of conflict, strive to save and protect people in need.
Alex Cole-Hamilton has used his remarks on World Humanitarian Day to call for the scrapping of the Illegal Migration Bill:
Across the globe, the scale of human suffering is horrific.
Crises like those in Yemen and Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine and years of devastating civil war in South Sudan are just some examples of why we must use our freedoms to speak out in support of those who are persecuted and oppressed.
As we remember those atrocities, it’s also important that we mark the unwavering bravery of those who delve into them, endeavouring to protect and save the lives of those in need.
Those humanitarian efforts serve as an inspiration to my party, and that is why Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see both our governments playing their part to further our humanitarian objectives.
The UK Government must scrap their Illegal Migration Bill, which would only demonise the desperate and make the circumstances of some of the most vulnerable people on our planet even worse. We must strengthen support for those fleeing to our shores, implementing measures which will allow people to meaningfully rebuild their lives far from home.
Crucially, we must continue to prioritise tackling the climate emergency in our international work as it is often poorer countries which are left to deal with the gravest consequences of that emergency.
On World Humanitarian Day and beyond, Scottish Liberal Democrats will continue to fight for equality, justice and liberty for all.
Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling for:
- The UK Government to scrap their Illegal Migration Bill, legislation which will actively harm refugees fleeing the worst violence imaginable.
- The UK and Scottish governments to consolidate protections for people who are refugees or asylum seekers, upholding their human rights and supporting them as far as we can, including steps to stop them from being evicted from their temporary housing.
- The UK and Scottish governments to support a right to work for asylum seekers, helping to avoid impoverishment and allowing them to contribute to the economy.
- The UK and Scottish governments to strengthen climate initiatives to help people around the world who will be among the first to be harmed by the devastation of the climate emergency.
- The UK and Scottish governments to put stronger human rights protocols in place to govern our relationships with other countries.
Follow @libdemvoice.org on Bluesky
Like us on Facebook
Subscribe to our feed
Sign-up for our daily email digest
Party leadership plotting: Yes, Minister's Party Games episode
From cinema to book shop
District council backs a parish council for Market Harborough
Pope Leo speaks for all liberals when he condemns racism, supports migration, and supports Ukraine
Chloe
paul barker
George Thomas
Nick Baird
Peter Chambers
13 Comments
Well said Alex. I wish our UK leader would have said the same
Immigration has been in the top three concerns for voters for a considerable time …
And it’s not for the reasoning outlined in this post ..
The voters that gave Johnson an 80 seat majority would want asylum seekers returned forthwith…
The GE will be fought outside metropolitan areas – in those seats Labour lost in 19 GE …
@ Martin Gray. You seem to have forgotten to include the word ‘some’ in front of the word voters.
@David Raw ….The word ‘Most’ would probably be better – as anyone who’s ever canvassed would tell you …
Of course I agree with the article, but I don’t understand why it is missing out on ways forward that Lib Dems have only a few years ago put forward.
No mention of radical reforms of “Decision making on asylum applications” file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/decision-making-on-asylum-applications%20(58).pdf and Humanitarian Visas as in file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/humanitarian-visas-a-much-needed-lifeline-for-refugees%20(31).pdf
These are well thought out policies that our party has put forward and agreed. there are others too, but why oh why will our parliamentarians at every level come out and say more about them? If they don’t push them with members and supporters, or raise in parliaments, how do they expect them to be part of the change needed for making Humanitarian solutions work?
Martin Gray is only revealing his own predilections. I can only guess for whom he has been canvassing. I do not recall immigration as a particular issue in my own experience of canvassing, but then I have only canvassed for the Liberal and Liberal Democrat Parties and have been primarily interested in recording levels of support for our candidates.
@Martin…
Immigration has been one of the top concerns for voters for a considerable time …It’s a regular on the doorstep… If you think that 600k net migration a year is sustainable then I’m all ears …
Martin Gray 20th Aug ’23 – 11:18am:
Immigration has been one of the top concerns for voters for a considerable time …It’s a regular on the doorstep…
That would be consistent with Professor Matt Goodwin’s polling…
‘A Reply to Dominic Cummings’ [16th. August 2023]:
https://www.mattgoodwin.org/p/a-reply-to-dominic-cummings
Ultimately for all the warm words and good intentions, there has to be a logical limit on how many people can come to and live in the United Kingdom. If you had the ability to apply in Calais or the Country of Origin, 2 things would need to happen to make the policy practical and electorally viable:
1. An automatic bar on anybody arriving in a small boat claiming asylum with a guarantee that they will be detained and removed, otherwise there is no point in having a Calais Centre to apply for asylum, as if you think you will be refused you will just get on a small boat.
2. A quota on how many people we can take from each county and as a whole. I would imagine for example that there are tens if not hundreds of millions of people in Africa and Asia who would be eligible for asylum under the current rules, the reality is that we cannot house them even if we wanted to.
“If you had the ability to apply in Calais or the Country of Origin”
Which is the crucial point. Unless from specific countries e.g. Ukrain If a refugee does not have the necessary documents to get on a plane or ferry then they have at persent no legitimate means of entering the UK to apply for asylum.
“I would imagine for example that there are tens if not hundreds of millions of people in Africa and Asia who would be eligible for asylum under the current rules, the reality is that we cannot house them even if we wanted to.”
Do I detect in that statement an assumption that all these people would want to apply for asylum in the UK and none want to apply elsewhere? Whereas more do apply to other European countries.
Are the issues that drive migration open to improvement?
There still is I believe a stabilisation unit to assist when conflict is ceased.
I had noticed the numbers buying cheaper properties in France and Portugal increased.
Many buy run down properties for renovation.
There are serious housing issue’s and medical treatment her in the UK.
Anyone in the Conservative Party having a go.
We need solutions, as so many things have spiralled out of control.
Don’t see how scrapping the bill is going to have any effect on “ Crises like those in Yemen and Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine and years of devastating civil war in South Sudan”.
Fundamentally, Martin Grey is on the money, remember rightly or wrongly it was a big factor in the Leave vote.
To be credible the LibDems need to have policy that resolves the immigration crisis so that current unsustainable levels of net immigration goes either to near zero or even massively negative, they also need a policy that will stop the flow of people wishing to cross the channel. The benefit of this is that we might then be able to address the backlog of homes etc. and positively progress against our climate obligations…
It’s more likely that immigration is one of the top moral panics continuing to be generated by the Daily Heil & Ex- Press than something people would care about otherwise. Sort out the economy, NHS, & housing and most secondary immigration issues go away.