Juicelog Wed 240506: The conference I attended at the Irish Centre was entitled “Refugees meet the Press: the truth behind the myth” organised by Hammersmith and Fulham Refugee Forum. One of the main speakers was Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (columnist from the Independent newspaper). Yasmin was late and when she arrived she didn’t stay as long as she had promised the organisers. She turned up in what I would describe as a semi casual joggers outfit. As she walked into the main hall she looked a lot shorter than on the TV. The chair of the Refugee forum tried to the usual thing of introducing and welcoming everyone. He waffled on a bit and I could see Yasmin was getting inpatient. She then interrupted the Chair halfway through his sentence and said in her robust manner: “I really must start as I can’t stay for too long as I’ve got to write a column this afternoon for the Evening Standard. Without wishing to sound self important.” And within the next 20 seconds she was going through her speech, which covered some of the following points:
- She opened her speech by talking about how ashamed she felt to be a journalist.
- We are going through quite a critical time and many stories covered in the national press are misinforming the nation at wide.
- How you would never hear about businesses complaining about refugees because they need these workers. Refugees make a contribution to the UK economy and the idea that they are denying us jobs is a myth. Recently the Home Office discovered that some of their cleaners (employed by one of their contractors) were illegal immigrants. Thinking about what these people which includes the job of cleaning toilets (a job that not many people are willing to do) why did the media make such a big story out of it. What actual harm were these cleaners doing? It was not rape. It was not theft. It was not murder. They were simply trying to earn a living.
- Yasmin found the Labour parties targets of deportation repulsive. One of the things that we don’t realise is how extremely difficult it is for people to leave their homeland. This is the land of their ancestors and where they grew up. They often leave to realise their dreams or to sustain a life that they can no longer lead in their own countries. If this it not globalisation, then what is?
- The current UK system of asylum application does not work. Everybody has to lie because the truth does not get you anywhere.
- The UK has a history of 400 years of providing sanctuary and we as a developed country have a duty to provide continue doing so.
The media is on a delirium. They make us think that one more refugee is going to sink the island.
She finished off by urging all groups and organisations to write into newspaper editors asking them to think about the way they write their articles on refugees and asylum seekers. I liked the way she constructed her pep talk and the only thing I’m not too sure I’d agree with is about lying to get pass the system. There has to be a system in place or else there would be ultimate chaos.
2 comments:
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown is one of those columnists who have become typecast, in her case it's over integration and women’s' rights - always playing the 'objective' eye on UK racism and always playing the beaten housewife.
Her arguments are never balanced and based on anecdotal evidence with some government statistics thrown in (when they fit).
Her success is similar to Richard Littlejohn's in that they are employed to be controversial and so she has a free reign to criticise and condemn but rarely offers any solutions or praise of her own.
Her column is worth reading as a media exercise and nothing more (with the exception of some pieces). As newspapers try to form a personal connection with their audience they use their columnists as the conduit (whether it's a love or hate relationship that is built is immaterial as long as there is a relationship).
Is she ashamed to be a journalist? So ashamed she rushed her speech to write a piece for a semi-serious paper more concerned with bringing down Red Ken and seeing an end to road cones then engaging in serious debate.
Are we going through a critical time? Maybe the Muslim community is getting a harsher reception but hasn't there always been issues surrounding immigration/asylum? They just change as the international/home climate changes.
Why would businesses complain about illegal workers? If they don't hire them then it's a non-issue and if they do then the real issue may be the minimum wage, working time directives, maternity laws and employer's national insurance contributions not to mention lengthy disciplinary procedures to satisfy the law. These costs can cripple small or start-up business (where staff turnover rates are usually higher and the majority of illegal employment goes on). Although it's not an endorsement for employing illegal workers you can certainly see how it may affect a small or start-up business (government departments withstanding, after all, they need some money to buy their petrol guzzling Lexus cars with!)
Yes, government targets on deportation may not leave you feeling a warm red Labour glow in your stomach, but without a target how do you know if the plans you have in place to control asylum and immigration have been successful? Setting targets is a proven way to measure success at dealing with problems.
Does everyone have to lie to beat the system? I concede, she may be right that the system needs changing in this regard.
Does the media hype asylum too much? Is Yasmin generalising? Has she read her own publication, The Independent, recently? I think that the closer down she gets to The Sun then she may find that's the case, but shouldn't she be ashamed to be a journalist that generalises? Not dissimilar to how The Sun or The Mirror might generalise when doing a story on asylum.
Yasmin once again plays up to her typecast role, puts dinner on the table and maybe starts to believe her own guff.
I feel honoured you visited my blog Mr. Alibhai-Brown ;-j
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