Comments on: Beverley Hughes Resignation

By: DEGREEK

DEGREEK — Tue, 06 Apr 2004 18:13:09 +0000

Can’t be long now for Blunkett as he wasn’t allowed to say much at the press conference

By: DEGREEK

DEGREEK — Sun, 04 Apr 2004 19:40:37 +0000

CHRIS–have to say that today’s papers seem to back up what I guessed at such as TB’s secret deal with Nastase.

By: Chris Lightfoot

Chris Lightfoot — Sat, 03 Apr 2004 22:16:01 +0000

DEGREEK– no, since most asylum seekers won’t have originated in Bulgaria, Romania, or the United Kingdom, which were the countries from which the visa and nationality applicants processed through the "fast track" came. Bulgaria and Romania are, I believe, declared "safe", and people already legally resident in the UK cannot (and do not need to) apply for asylum here.

By: DEGREEK

DEGREEK — Sat, 03 Apr 2004 15:33:17 +0000

Surely the reason the number of asylum applications dropped is because everyone was getting in legitimately by way of ‘legal’ immigration (presumably because it was much easier as Bev and Dave dropped any checks)

By: Uncarved Block

Uncarved Block — Sat, 03 Apr 2004 10:19:44 +0000

I also don’t understand the connection between the actions of the Home Office and the number of people applying for asylum. The Home office can improve the processing of asylum claims when people get to this country but they have no control over whether people in other countries are victims of persecution.
Is the government going to claim that improving standards in education has reduced the number of children starting school?

By: Chris Lightfoot

Chris Lightfoot — Sat, 03 Apr 2004 09:39:28 +0000

"Equally, it was important to look at the progress which had been made at the Home Office in terms of asylum, for example, where we had seen the number of applications halved…"
– when the government say this, they normally imply that it’s only "bogus" asylum seekers who are being excluded. Is there any evidence for that?

By: Dismayed Voter

Dismayed Voter — Thu, 01 Apr 2004 20:21:35 +0000

No wonder the electorate is increasingly apathetic, but the politicians seem unperturbed over their general lack of credibility.

By: Henry

Henry — Thu, 01 Apr 2004 19:16:28 +0000

Ms Hughes resigned because she had "inadvertently" misled people. She claimed that she had forgotten about a letter from a colleague warning her about a scam. Wasn’t it more serious if she was telling the truth, that the seriousness of the letter had escaped her.