Bloody Capitalism

Things are going a little better in the sleep department. The last couple of nights have brought with them improvement, that deeper, more revitalising deep dark space of deep sleep I have been craving of late. Long may it continue for one's piece of mind!

The issue of Asylum and Immigration has been hurled back in to the spotlight recently due to the Glasgow tower block apparent suicides. I must say it was deeply disturbing to read about them, it does highlight the terribly ineffecient and frankly neo-racist treatment of Asylum seekers by the UK Border agency. These people are much more often than not in a state of fear for their lives, persecuted by their respective states for one reason or another, whether it be ethnicity, politcal leanings or the sheer fact that they have dared to speak out against the state. It it deplorable and disgusting to become aware that our authorities are treating these people like common criminals and deporting them to face death or imprisonment and one hates to think what else. Immigration officials are too suspicious and probably have certain targets to meet insofar as to the numbers they are expected to refuse asylum. We are treating them no better than these totalitarian regimes, it is shameful. Asylum and immigration are very contentious issues in this country, the tabloid newspaper's are as helpul as ever, often inciting racism in their outrage at the UK's alleged open door policy and then on the other hand being as contradictory as you would expect in berating the BNP.

Another similar issue in the news is the treatment of eastern european workers in our frozen food packing factories. Again, it seems, totally deplorable. The Guardian reports of pregnant women being forced to stand for hours and hours being refused toilet breaks. Supervisor's throwing frozen beef burgers at staff to work faster and all sorts of outrageousness. We are supposed to be a multi-cultural, liberal, tolerate society in this country, we are quite clearly not. It is shameful. These people don't come here to get rich, or to take advantage, they come here because they feel they have certain natural rights, human rights, and that our country will deliver them these rights, rights we take for granted everday. How deflating it must be to find out that we are the not the tolerate society we make ourselves out to be.

We often think that extremism and intolerance is something that died with communism in the late 1980's. It is, it seems still prevalent, at least in the United Kingdom.

Sad times.