If there were ever a group of people to prove the old saying that ‘there’s no rest for the wicked’, it would be the top-flight of the UK’s Conservative Party. While the world fights twin pandemics of coronavirus and racism, the incumbent big wigs of Whitehall continue to work tirelessly towards the establishment of ‘Little England’, a lonely paradise for small-minded cryptofascists that floats in the cold North Sea.
The cherry on the cake of the current government’s master plan is its proposed Immigration Bill, a plan of action that would see the freedom of movement rights that allow EU citizens to settle in the UK currently protected under EU law brought to an abrupt halt. In its place will be what the Tories are branding a “fairer immigration system for all.”
Given that this is coming from a political organisation that has pathological dishonesty woven into its very fabric, it’s safe to say that this is a lie. Essentially, the proposed system would see people allocated the right to migrate to the UK only if they have an offer for a job offering a salary of £25,000 or greater. Given the educational and financial privilege required to have access to such jobs in the first place, it’s clear that the government’s plan has far more to do with attracting a very specific demographic stratum than it does with ‘democratising’ the UK’s immigration system.
To try to feign an air of public support, the government has created a survey on the incoming bill, specifically targeting Tory voters. Its goal is simple — by restricting itself to a pool of Conservative sympathisers, it hopes to present an absurdly skewed set of data as frank, public opinion, thus vindicating its superhero-movie villainy.
But this is where you can get involved. By completing the survey yourself, you can ensure that the results that the ruling party’s spin-doctors have to play with are far more representative of the general public’s opinion than they might have hoped for. You can tell them that you do not support the “strengthening” of our immigration system; that you support the extension of visas for current frontline NHS workers, wherever they’re from; that you’re not in favour of a “skills-led points-based immigration system”; and that, most crucially, you do not support the Conservative Party’s fucked-up Immigration Bill. Put simply: No, Yes, No, No.
And to make sure that your data is not being used by the survey’s creators, and to opt out of further contact with the Tories, don’t forget to contact compliance@conservatives.com after filling out the survey. You can see a template letter to use in order to make sure your data is not being held or used by the Conservatives here.