SiC debated on BBC1 on two Sunday programmes

Following the release of the LSE report last Tuesday commissioned by the mayor, regularisation was debated on two BBC1 programmes Sunday.

First was the Big Questions, which you can watch here for the next seven days. The panel -- Germaine Greer, Fareena Alam and Anne Atkins -- is mostly in favour, as is the studio audience. Neil Jameson, lead organiser of London Citizens, represents Strangers into Citizens, along with an irregular Malaysian migrant called Dee who is a friend of the campaign. The discussion lasts 23 minutes.

Second was the Politics Show: click here (for the next seven days only) to watch Austen Ivereigh, SiC policy director, debate the issue with Gareth Bacon, GLA Assembly member. A brief report starts at 0.43 minutes into the programme; the 5-minute debate begins at 0.45.

LSE report out! SiC proposal would bring in £3bn!

Austen writes:

We've won the humanitarian and moral argument. Now we can safely say there's an economic case, too, for regularisation.

So says the London School of Economics, which this morning released their final report following months of research commissioned by the mayor of London, Boris Johnson -- see Guardian report here -- which says, in effect, that regularisation on the model proposed by SiC and backed by the mayor would bring £3bn into the economy and benefit about two-thirds of the 725,000 irregular migrants in the country. It also scotches the notion that the move would have a "green light" effect on illegal immigration.

The LSE's long-awaited research is one of the ways in which the mayor has made good his pledge his support for Strangers into Citizens at the London Citizens mayoral assembly of April 2009 -- something which Dave Hill, the Guardian blogger, who was sitting in front of me at City Hall this morning, recalls in his post here. "You're very good at getting what you want," Hill turned and told me -- meaning London Citizens, of course.

As well as the Guardian here there's the BBC report here, Telegraph here, Financial Times here, and Ekklesia here.

Research helps

Rahila Gupta of Southall Black Sisters writes in the Guardian's Comment is Free section in favour of regularisation -- but she worries about SiC's proposal:

[H]ow can potential beneficiaries of the amnesty present employer references? When employers are being fined for employing migrants without papers, which employer is going to put his or her neck on the line to give a reference for someone who was employed "illegally"? The real danger of a conditional amnesty, reasonable though it appears, is that it will bring hopefuls out into the open and those who do not qualify will be deported.

Shame Gupta hadn't read Austen Ivereigh's piece in the Morning Star before writing hers. He answered the question of whether those applying would be guaranteed protection from deportation.

The answer is yes. The Home Office would announce a new regulation - no new legislation is needed - with the criteria. Anyone resident for more than four years who entered the country legally could apply for the two-year work permit with a commitment that, if they continue to fulfil the criteria at the end of those two years, they would be given leave to remain. The two-year work permit would free people from unscrupulous employers as a first step. It would also enable churches, mosques and unions to assist those migrants in learning English, helping them to integrate as legal citizens and providing the positive references at the end of the process.

Austen's article also answers her other objections: that the timescale is arbitrary, and that applicants would be unable to present employer references. Shame she didn't read it.

Muslim News

Report of rally -- better late than never-- in this week's edition of Muslim News by its editor, Ahmed Versi. Many supportive quotes.

SiC explains itself to the Left

After the Morning Star published its news report and editorial in favour of Strangers into Citizens, the newspaper received a number of questions and objections. The campaign's policy director, Austen Ivereigh (pictured here speaking on 4 May), has written a detailed article -- 'Bring them in from the cold '-- explaining the SiC proposal, answering the questions and objections, and inviting the Left to support what he calls a 'democratic movement of ordinary citizens engaged in an urgent political struggle on behalf of the vulnerable and voiceless'.

Philosophically, the No Borders position is unobjectionable. In the world as it should be, there would be no frontiers. Some Muslims dream of a restored caliphate, some Catholics are nostalgic for papal Europe before the nation states and some socialists pine for a revolutionary order without frontiers.

But in the world as it is, where democracies coexist with states which regulate rights and responsibilities, there are and will continue to be borders. It is in this world and not a future one that we must negotiate a humane and sensible policy towards the undocumented.

Time Out

Zak Brophy blogs on 4 May in London's much-read mag.

'We have to befriend them, and we have to risk sometimes,' said Angela, an elderly, white, Anglican lady at the march. 'If you’re kind to somebody, it brings out kindness.' As she joined the thousands in singing 'God Save The Queen' she stood arm in arm with some newly made friends from Ghana. The song, flag and symbols of British patriotism – all too often hijacked by the far right – were being reclaimed by the multiethnic communities of modern Britain

Ekklesia

Fine summary at Ekklesia, which seeks to bring the Christian voice into the public square. Best of all, it contains a quote from Bishop Tom Butler - -pictured here with Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor at SiC 2007 - who preached at the 4 May Anglican service at St Margaret's, Westminster Abbey.

"What is being called for is no idealistic or wild-eyed demand that all barriers should go down. It is simply recognising that those who have been here for four years or more should be given the opportunity to show that they can be productive and useful citizens," he said.

The bishop added: "This is a call to bring hundreds of thousands of irregular migrants out of the shadows and after a two year probation period, give them leave to remain.

Muslim News

Apologies: this excellent piece by our very own Mousa Baraka should have been posted earlier. It concerns Farhan Zakariah, a friend of the campaign who was there on 4 May, who featured in the Panorama programme in March. Watch a clip about him here and the campaign to prevent his deportation here.

SiC makes the front pages (3) The Universe

After the Express and the Morning Star comes SiC 2009's third newspaper front page -- this time, the popular Catholic weekly The Universe. I can't see it on its website but I have the paper in front of me: CHURCH PLEDGES TO SUPPORT UNDOCUMENTED WORKFORCE is the banner headline alongside a pic of Columban fathers and lay missionaries in Trafalgar Sq. The report is by Paul Donovan -- who has written not a few stories about London Citizens and this campaign in particular -- which quotes from Bishop Patrick Lynch's compelling homily on 4 May, notably his call for a pathway into citizenship for migrants who have been in the UK for more than five years.

The other Catholic weeklies also give the 4 May good coverage.

The Conservative Catholic Herald -- which first tried to ignore SiC, and last year spluttered its disapproval -- has an excellent piece on p. 2 by Mark Greaves using the Press Association angle: 'Avoid scapegoating migrants in the recession, urges bishop' is the headline. The piece, and an accompanying pic (seen here) of exuberant nuns leaving the Mass for Migrants, can be read here. According to the newspaper, Bishop Lynch "strongly defended the idea of a one-off amnesty for illegal immigration" and "said at the Mass on Monday that the human dignity of migrants was separate from their legal status and whether they had the right papers".

The Tablet -- a longstanding supporter of the campaign -- reported (here but login needed) 4 May under the headline: 'Churches show support for migrant workers'. Reporter Christopher Lamb quotes Bishop Lynch -- "There is a clear moral case for undocumented workers of five years or more to be given an opportunity to build a future in the United Kingdom” -- as well as Bishop McMahon in the Square that "for any government to do nothing about regularisation
is irresponsible and leaves countless migrants vulnerable to exploitation and living in fear and limbo."

The venerable Anglican weekly the Church Times reports -- here -- 4 May using a photo and a brief report alongside a story on jail conditions for asylum seekers.

The Universe gave the earliest newspaper backing for Strangers into Citizens in a favourable editorial back in November 2006. The Tablet supported SiC in an editorial in April 2007.

Front covers of newspapers and magazines thus far generated by SiC -- all except the Express favourable to the campaign -- have appeared in:

The Spectator -- The Tablet -- The Universe -- The Morning Star -- The Daily Express -- The Independent

Tribune

Tribune reports the rally in a piece entitled 'Call for Britain to follow Obama on regularisation' which says that Strangers into Citizens has been "cheered by President Obama’s plans, announced last month, to introduce an immigration bill this autumn which could legalise some 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States."

Tribune quotes from the rally speech by Jack Dromey, deputy general-secretary of Unite the Union (pictured):

Three of our own union members were arrested when they were tricked into a ‘training’ day. When they got there, the authorities were waiting to remove them. One worker was in a desperate state because he had to collect his kids from school. They were then deported because they were undocumented but they had been here for years, worked hard and contributed much more to this country than they took out.

South London Press

South London Press follows our very own Julie Camacho and the Latin-Americans on their journey from Elephant and Castle (or as locals say: Elefante y Castillo).

Julie tells the newspaper:

They can’t report crimes, either as a witness or a victim, they have to go to illegal doctors and dentists and are often paid less than the minimum wage.

An amnesty would not only put a stop to the exploitation, but these thousands of workers would all start paying taxes and help the economy.

Pictured: some of the Latin-Americans on St George's Rd, Southwark. The banner reads: "We are here, we're not leaving, and if we're kicked out, we're coming back."

A 'parish perspective' on SiC

Great piece by a Jesuit priest in north London whose parish, St Ignatius in Stamford Hill, is seen here lining up before the Mass for Migrants on 4 May. St Ignatius has been an anchor of support for the campaign since the start.
Fr Jim Conway's article in the Jesuits' e-journal Thinking Faith tells how a 'Strangers into Citizens' poster on the parish noticeboard drew an irregular to share his story.

Having sensed that this was a safe place, Ramoz disclosed that he himself ‘lived in the shadows’, and had done for almost nine years. It is difficult to trust people, he explained, as he expressed his relief at finding someone – a priest – who could listen to his story. Ramoz, like Jacob, had three jobs. Early each morning he travelled to the City to clean the offices of a prestigious finance company before going to work in a coffee bar for six hours. From 8pm until midnight he delivered takeaway pizzas in north London. Ramoz was distressed because he had not received payment from his cleaning job for six weeks. His manager, as well as refusing to pay him, had told him not to go back again. ‘But what can I do?’ Ramoz asked. ‘He knows I don’t have any papers.’ The implications of this are enormous because, as well as going unpaid, Ramoz had to change his address. He felt vulnerable because his former manager knew where he lived and, if he wanted to, could tip off the authorities. He described living in such a way that you must always be watching your back, whilst acknowledging the danger of becoming paranoid.

Fr Jim reviews the arguments, and makes a compelling case for the campaign on many levels, but settles on the importance of the moral and civic issue.

The conditions in which many of the undocumented are forced to live and work are an infringement on their human dignity, the dignity that is repeatedly highlighted and celebrated in Catholic Social Teaching. Surely one cannot ignore a situation in which the vulnerable are continuously exploited and silenced through their own fear? This is a problem that, if not addressed, will undermine any attempt to build meaningful local communities and a cohesive society. As a nation we have a duty to support these individuals. If one recognises, as the government does, that a sizable number of undocumented migrants live and work in the UK and that many of them have been here for a significant amount of time, then it must consider ways of resolving their and the nation’s predicament.

Well worth a read.

(By the way, spot the change to the St Ignatius banner.)

SiC meets shock jock Jon Gaunt

on SunTalk Radio, the Sun newspaper's new "audio platform" for unvarnished right-wing views.

'Gaunty' -- who was sacked from TalkSport Radio for insulting a councillor -- tears into Austen for half an hour, occasionally letting him finish a sentence. For a ringside seat, download it as a podcast here.

BBC Chinese

covers Monday here.

Non-Chinese speakers can still enjoy the photos here.

El Pais

Another one for the Spanish-speakers -- or those using this campaign to brush up on their language skills: Spain's authoritative left-leaning daily carries a brief but nice report here. In the following para the newspaper says that our name plays with the meaning of 'stranger' in English, meaning both 'outsider' and 'unknown'.

Organizada bajo el lema genérico De extranjeros a ciudadanos -jugando con la palabra inglesa stranger, que tiene el doble significado de forastero y extraño, desconocido- la campaña ha sido impulsada por la Citizen Organising Foundation, una alianza de más de un centenar de organizaciones sociales, políticas y religiosas.

CNN coverage

Balanced report featuring South London Citizens leader Kevin Minnott.

Radio 1

Radio 1 Newsbeat, which carries quotes from Austen, goes out at 1245 and 1745 today.

News report here.

The news reporter joined the UKBA on raids on restaurants in Southampton -- as usual, a curry house. "The officers interviewed 15 kitchen staff and found a single Bangladeshi man suspected of overstaying his short-term marriage visa."

On SiC:

Thousands of people met in Trafalgar Square over the bank holiday weekend in support of an "earned amnesty" for immigrants that have lived here illegally for six years.

The pressure group Strangers Into Citizens, which organised the rally, says the government strategy of heavy fines and document checks is "inhumane, costly and complicated".

The group's director of policy Austen Ivereigh told Newsbeat: "They had an amnesty in 2005 in Spain and made about 600,000 people legal. It resulted in fewer people coming in, so it's actually a good way of tightening the borders.

"They start to pay taxes whereas before they didn't," he said. "And legal workers are not undercut by migrants being paid half the minimum wage."

El Publico

'La amnistia inevitable' is the title of an excellent report on Monday's rally and the campaign in El Publico, Spain's third largest newspaper.

If you read Spanish, you'll quickly realise Lourdes Gomez's article is one of the best yet published on SiC -- which is portrayed here as being inspired by the Spanish regularisation process of 2005.

Lourdes has done us an additional favour by including some statistics which have been eluding us. We know that the Spanish regularisation brought in far more revenue than it cost to implement, but we haven't had the figures. Here they are.

The regularisation process cost 12.7 m euros. The year they did it, 2005, the additional income in social security payments and income tax amounted to 190 m euros.

Bit hard to square with the idea that the UK can't afford to regularise, Sir Andrew. On those figures, it can't afford not to.

Excellent quotes, btw, by our very own Laura Zorrilla (pictured here speaking at the Rally), who was managing the media on the day.

Vox Africa

A thorough report by Vox Africa, French-language African TV channel, on Monday's rally. In Londres, les sans papiers sortent de l'ombre* David Luemba, a Congolese sans papiers describes his situation; logistics supremo Ruhana Ali is filmed with microphone warming up the sans culottes of Tothill St; lots of shots of what the reporter gushingly describes as cette vaste operation de Strangers into Citizens; in Trafalgar Sq. a curious Frenchman resident in London gets interviewed; and the reporter is impressed by the national anthem.

You have to wait 8.35 mins before our very own Sebastien Chapleau answers a great number of very detailed questions about the campaign and its objectives in a seven-minute interview -- a tour de force. Bravo, Seb!

*='the undocumented come out from the shadows'

BBC World Service Africa

BBC World Service Africa was at the rally. Josephine Hazeley speaks here to a number of Africans -- and interviews COF chair of trustees Bishop Eric Brown (pictured). Plenty of what they call in the trade "atmos" -- one minute it's God Save the Queen, next it's Ludwig the Ukrainian folk singer. Nice piece.