The Guardian has a shocking report in its pages today. It notes:
The Home Office has failed to compensate victims of the Windrush scandal quickly enough, a National Audit Office (NAO) investigation has found. Only 633 people have received payments out of an original government estimate of 15,000 potential applicants.
It added:
The Home Office originally said it needed 200 full-time equivalent caseworkers, but the scheme was launched with just six, and in March 2021 had only 53 staff, according to the NAO.
The consequence is extremely sad:
Home Office data shows 21 people have died waiting for Windrush compensation to be paid, and more than 500 applicants have waited more than a year for a decision.
The Windrush scandal is shocking enough. It should forever taint Theresa May's legacy (if she has one). But what this evidence shows is that Priti Patel has no real intent to address the issue.
She has the time to be photographed looking at the detention of people illegally in the UK.
She permits the UK treating EU citizens arriving in the UK quite shockingly, as if it is a serious crime requiring immediate internment for them to innocently arrive here without the right paperwork.
But she cannot be bothered to fulfil a commitment to people who have already suffered enough from the racism of the UK government.
There are moments when the only thing to be is ashamed of this government. This is one of them.
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I agree with everything you say here.
But what really pisses me off is that this Tory rightwing, Neo-lib bollocks we have to put up with also undermines the State in the eyes of the citizen. It erodes trust and creates fear giving the State a bad name, breaking the ties that should bind us together and ultimately poisoning the notion and practice of authentic democracy.
Ashamed of this government, very much so Richard. Vile.
This institutional racism displays itself in the treatment of EU citizens reported over the last few days. Detaining someone with settled status can only be attributed to direct discrimination by individuals within the immigration service, since the existence of that status, once a confirmatory letter has been received, can be checked online. I suspect that, like the police, it is a service that vets inadequately and is a target profession for miscellaneous persons of a fascist bent. Alternatively or additionally, one can never be surprised by the troops taking their lead from the top!
I think that there is a much bigger issue about the competence of the state.
While there is undoubtedly overt racism in the Home Office’s behaviour there is also a great deal of incompetent administration with overworked staff and poor management.
Universal Credit and Child Support both have similar reputations for incompetence
As was pointed out in ‘The Blunders of our Governments’ there is no desire to run a competent administration.
Above all, that is what needs to change
Good point
The government thinks this is a good use of public money. Not bothered what they do to female refugees and asylum seekers.
https://northeastbylines.co.uk/no-one-is-illegal-no-to-hassockfield-update/
The company that is going to run it, Mitie, is delighted to do so.
This is overt racism.