Language Traduces Thought, Part 2 (Part 1 was on 18 April 2017)

The Prime Minister's claim to be truthful caused derision among the studio audience at the first TV debate in the Run-up to the General Election of 12 December. Truth is said to be the first casualty of war, which is said to be politics by other means. And words themselves conceal the truth in war. Thucydides wrote in "The Peloponnesian War" in the 5th c. BC that cowardice is called tactical retreat, and so on. Thucydides also wrote that war in one place causes people to move somewhere else, which causes another war. Migrants are people who emigrate from one country to live in another. Only EU citizens are entitled to migrate to the UK without a visa. But because EU citizens come here probably not intending to cut connections with their own country it is wrong to call them migrants. The same is true, of course, of people who live in the UK on a Spouse Visa. They retain their own nationality, and can live in their own country if they feel so inclined, so they are foreigners not migrants. While calling people who enter the UK illegally "migrants" gives them a legitimacy they do not yet have. They, too, should more properly be called foreigners, or illegal aliens or possibly potential migrants since that is what they may hope to achieve - or, more likely, acquire the right to permanent residence (peculiarly called "Indefinite Leave to Remain") while keeping their original nationality so they can return "home" whenever they want.

It's International Men's Day!

The first TV Debate in the Run-up to the 2019 General Election is today. Today is, I'm told, International Men's Day. It's hard to believe, as there is no publicity for it, but let's hope some people make the most of it. In the 3 TV debates prior to the 2010 General Election Gordon Brown said his solution to Britain's immigration problems was a points system. He had already been Prime Minister for two and a half years so why hadn't he implemented a points system? Because it isn't a good idea. It's a smokescreen to confuse the electorate. David Cameron, who became Prime Minister, said 3 times in the 2010 debates, he wanted a cap on immigration. Now, senior Conservatives are saying they want a points system. What they could say, but don't, is that they will stop Muslims bringing 4 "wives" (and their children) to live in the UK. And stop foreign men using marriage to live here. (About 10,000 men a year take advantage of this loophole.) And deport illegals (of whom an estimated 1 million live in the UK).

"Welcome to the Asylum"

Run-up to the 12 December Election: Conservative politicians' talk of ending freedom of movement is insane. Everywhere (except perhaps North Korea) has freedom of movement. Will other countries reciprocate and deny freedom of movement to us Brits? Of course, what politicians are referring to is not tourism. They are referring to work visas. But that is not what they say. Presumably because they want to deceive. It is only EU citizens who don't require visas to work in the UK. Similarly, we don't need them to work in other EU countries. A character in "Alice in Wonderland" says that words mean what he wants them to mean. That way lunacy lies. "Welcome to the Asylum" was published by Centre for Policy Studies back in 2001. Its points are still valid, but it needs updating.