Denial, and Hypocrisy

Two news Items have caught my eye this week. The first is that Islamic extremists in Basra have been killing women for not wearing the hijab, or even for wearing lipstick. There has been a spate of such killings since British troops have withdrawn from the city. The British government is in a state of denial over the whole sorry business of the invasion, and it's aftermath, and seems to believe that our troops have left Basra in a better state than they found it.
The second item was the strongly worded report of the Complaints Audit Committee of the Home Office. It stated that asylum seekers, and failed asylum seekers were being physically abused by the private security firms whose responsibility it was to care for them whilst in detention. The complaints procedure is a complete farce, with those responsible for the abuse investigating the complaints. With the exception of the Today Program on Radio Four, the media has not highlighted this scandal, although they were quick to highlight the fact the the Home Office were employing illegal immigrants as security guards. Taking actions to bring to justice the perpetrators of these criminal acts, and to institute an independent complaints procedure are not seen as a high priorities by the Home Secretary because there are no votes in it, but it shows the hypocrisy of a government that professes to be concerned about human rights.
15th November 2007